DE
Switzerland’s financial sector approaches a major regulatory milestone. Today, on 1 October 2025, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has introduced a new Insolvency Ordinance that consolidates and modernizes all existing rules for handling the failure of banks and other financial institutions.
This sweeping reform is more than a technical update: it reshapes how governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) must operate, setting a global benchmark for resolution planning and signaling to boards everywhere that preparedness for failure is now an essential measure of financial strength.
A new era for financial stability
When the global financial crisis of 2008 struck, it exposed a hard truth: many institutions had never planned for failure. Regulators responded with stress tests, “living wills,” and recovery plans to ensure that a single bank’s collapse would not destabilize the financial system. Now Switzerland is writing the next chapter. The new FINMA Insolvency Ordinance will sweep away three separate rulebooks—BIO-FINMA, IBO-FINMA, and CISBO-FINMA—and replace them with a single, modern framework for the orderly resolution of banks and other supervised institutions. This is far more than a technical consolidation. It signals that resolution readiness is a board-level responsibility and a core element of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC).
What the ordinance changes
The ordinance harmonizes and modernizes Switzerland’s approach to financial-sector insolvency. By unifying disparate regulations, FINMA provides a clearer and faster process for handling distressed institutions.
- Consistency and speed. One framework eliminates conflicting rules, enabling regulators and firms to act decisively during a crisis.
- Legal certainty. Creditors and counterparties gain a transparent path, reducing panic and market contagion (FINMA announcement).
- Global alignment. Switzerland now matches the rigor of EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive standards and the U.S. Dodd-Frank “living will” requirements, reinforcing its reputation as a stable, trusted financial center.
For executives and directors, the message is unmistakable: planning for failure can no longer be delegated to a specialist team or reviewed once a year. Boards must actively oversee resolution plans, while management ensures operational resilience—identifying critical functions, mapping third-party dependencies, and stress-testing their ability to continue operations or wind down safely. FINMA also expects real-time access to accurate data; scattered spreadsheets will not suffice.
Implications beyond Switzerland
Although this is a Swiss regulation, its relevance reaches far beyond national borders. Regulators in the European Union and the United Kingdom are tightening requirements for recovery and resolution planning, while the U.S. Federal Reserve continues to refine its own “living will” regime. Switzerland’s move therefore sends a global signal: every financial institution must prove it can exit the market without destabilizing it. Institutions that delay may find themselves scrambling as international partners and stakeholders begin demanding equivalent readiness everywhere.
Building integrated GRC for resolution readiness
Meeting these expectations requires more than a new policy document. Effective resolution planning draws on multiple disciplines—risk management, business continuity, third-party oversight, and regulatory reporting—and succeeds only when they are interconnected.
Integrated GRC frameworks enable organizations to:
- Centralize risk and compliance data to provide leadership and regulators a single source of truth.
- Automate critical workflows such as incident reporting, contingency planning, and board-level updates.
- Embed resilience testing into day-to-day operations so crisis playbooks remain current and actionable.
Rather than adding yet another siloed system, a unified GRC approach allows governance, risk, and compliance to work together seamlessly—precisely what a modern resolution framework demands. Institutions that embrace this approach will also discover benefits that go beyond compliance: greater efficiency from streamlined processes, stronger stakeholder trust, and the confidence to innovate and expand knowing their risk and governance structures can scale.
As the FINMA Insolvency Ordinance takes effect on 1 October 2025, the real story is not merely regulatory change but a shift in mindset. Resolution planning is evolving from a defensive exercise to a defining element of strategic leadership. Institutions that embrace this perspective will do more than satisfy supervisors; they will set the standard for responsible growth and sustainable success in the financial sector’s next chapter.
