Why SMEs should start preparing now
Switzerland’s new Transparency Register (Transparenzregister – TJPG) will make beneficial ownership reporting a practical compliance topic for many Swiss companies. The new rules are expected to enter into force on 1 October 2026 and will require affected legal entities to identify, verify and keep information on their beneficial owners up to date. More than 500,000 companies are expected to be legally required to submit beneficial ownership details.
For SMEs, this should not be treated as a last-minute filing. It is a data, governance, and process exercise. The companies that prepare early will be able to report with more confidence, reduce internal back-and-forth, and give investors, fiduciaries, lawyers, and corporate teams a clearer view of who controls the business.
Build a clear picture of beneficial ownership
The first step is to build a reliable ownership picture. This means documenting the individuals who ultimately own or control the company, not only the shareholders visible in the Commercial Register. In practice, SMEs should collect the full name, date of birth, nationality, address, identification details, and role of each relevant beneficial owner.
They should also document how control is exercised: directly through shares or voting rights, indirectly through another company, through an agreement, or through another form of decisive influence.
Pay special attention to complex ownership structures
This is especially important for companies with layered ownership structures. A Swiss limited liability company held by a foreign holding company, a group with several subsidiaries, or a company with investor agreements may need more than a simple shareholder list.
The company should prepare an ownership chart showing the chain from the Swiss entity to the natural persons who ultimately control it. Where investors, nominees, fiduciary relationships, or shareholder agreements are involved, the supporting documents should be available and consistent.
Review and centralise existing company records
The second step is to check whether existing records are complete. Many SMEs already hold part of the required information in their shareholder register, capital contribution records, board files, investment documents, due diligence files, or incorporation documents.
The issue is often not that the information does not exist. It is that it is spread across different folders, advisers, and systems. Before the reporting obligation becomes due, companies should centralise the relevant documents and make sure the data matches across all records.
Define who is responsible internally
The third step is to define responsibilities. Beneficial ownership compliance should have a clear owner within the company. For a small founder-led business, this may be the managing director. For a growing SME, it may sit with finance, legal, or the board secretary.
For fiduciaries and lawyers supporting several clients, it should be integrated into the client onboarding and annual review process. The important point is that someone is responsible for collecting information, checking it, storing evidence, updating changes, and coordinating the filing.
Treat updates as an ongoing obligation
Updates matter because the Transparency Register is not only about the first report. Affected companies will need to obtain, verify, and keep beneficial ownership information up to date.
Companies limited by shares, limited liability companies and cooperatives are among the entities concerned, while foundations, associations, listed companies, sole traders and certain other legal entities are not required to register in the transparency register.
Connect the register to company changes
The fourth step is to create a change process. Any share transfer, capital increase, new investor, merger, inheritance, change in voting rights, or amendment to shareholder agreements can affect beneficial ownership.
SMEs should therefore connect transparency-register checks to moments that already trigger legal or administrative action. When a company change is prepared for the Commercial Register, when a financing round closes, or when a shareholder exits, the beneficial ownership file should be reviewed at the same time.
Turn compliance into a trust signal
For international entrepreneurs and investors, preparation is also a trust signal. A clean ownership file can speed up banking processes, legal due diligence, financing rounds, and corporate transactions. It shows that the company understands Swiss compliance expectations and can provide reliable information when requested.
The register will not be fully public, but it will be accessible to certain authorities and to people and entities subject to anti-money-laundering obligations.
A practical preparation checklist for SMEs
- An up-to-date shareholder register
- A beneficial ownership chart
- Identification documents for relevant individuals
- Evidence of shareholdings and voting rights
- Copies of shareholder or investment agreements
- Records of any indirect ownership chain
- A named internal owner
- A process for future updates
Prepare your Transparency Register filing with Hoop
The key is to make the Transparency Register manageable. With the right data, a clear process, and defined responsibilities, reporting becomes a structured administrative step rather than a rushed legal exercise.
Hoop helps companies handle corporate administration fully online, from company creation and Commercial Register changes to liquidations, debt enforcement extracts, share and transparency register services, and more. Prepare your Transparency Register filing with Hoop and make sure your company data is complete, consistent and ready when it matters.
This blog article does not constitute legal advice, it is made available “as is” and makes no claim to completeness or accuracy. Hoop makes no warranty or liability as to its content. This is excluded to the extent permitted by law. Use is at your own risk. Legal advice is recommended if necessary.