Aktualisierte Sanktionsmeldung: ISIL (Da'esh) und Al-Kaida
AI Analysis
FINMA reported that the UN ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee amended its designated-persons and entities list on 2026-08-18. The amendment became directly applicable in Switzerland, and SECO updated the authoritative Swiss SESAM sanctions database on 2026-08-19, requiring affected financial intermediaries to implement prohibitions, freeze assets and report affected business relationships.
Key dates
- 2026-08-18
- The competent UN Sanctions Committee amended the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list; the amendment became directly applicable in Switzerland.
- 2026-08-19
- SECO updated the SESAM database and published the Swiss sanctions-list adjustment.
- 2026-08-20
- FINMA published the updated sanctions notice describing the amendment and related financial-intermediary obligations.
Suggested considerations
- Compliance teams may wish to obtain the 2026-08-19 SESAM update and identify precisely which persons, companies or organisations were added, amended or removed.
- Firms should consider refreshing sanctions-screening data and screening customers, beneficial owners, counterparties, payment parties, securities positions and existing business relationships against the amended entries without delay.
- Where a potential match is identified, firms should consider applying the relevant prohibitions, preventing disposal or transfer of assets, documenting the match analysis and escalating the case under their sanctions procedures.
- Firms should consider reporting affected business relationships and frozen assets to SECO in accordance with SR 946.231.08 and retaining evidence of the report and asset-freeze decision.
- A SECO sanctions report should not be treated as a substitute for AML controls; where indicators give rise to suspicion, compliance teams may wish to conduct the additional clarifications required by Article 6 GwG and file an immediate MROS report under Article 9 GwG if the suspicion cannot be dispelled.
- Firms with delegated or outsourced screening may wish to verify that vendors refreshed their Swiss sanctions data after 2026-08-19 and that payment and transaction-monitoring controls cover the amended list.
What changed
The sanctions list under the Swiss Ordinance of 2025-03-21 on measures against persons and organisations associated with ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida (SR 946.231.08) was amended following the UN committee decision of 2026-08-18. The publication does not identify the amended entries or specify whether they are new designations, amendments or delistings; firms should therefore reconcile the current SESAM data against their prior screening population. The amendment applies in Switzerland directly and without a separate Swiss legislative adoption step. Financial intermediaries are expected to implement the applicable prohibitions, freeze assets of sanctioned persons and report affected business relationships to SECO. A SECO report does not replace the separate AML assessment required where there
Compliance impact
The practical impact is immediate because the amended list applies in Switzerland without a separate domestic implementation period. Failure to implement prohibitions, freeze assets or report affected relationships may create sanctions-compliance and supervisory exposure; suspected money laundering may also trigger separate Article 6 and Article 9 GwG obligations.
Who is affected
Related regulations
References
AI-generated analysis. May contain errors or omissions — verify with the original FINMA source before acting. Full disclaimer.
What the FINMA said
Das Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft (SECO) hat eine Änderung der Liste der sanktionierten natürlichen Personen, Unternehmen und Organisationen der Verordnung vom 21. März 2025 über Massnahmen gegenüber Personen und Organisationen, die mit den Organisationen ISIL (Da'esh) und Al-Kaida in Verbindung stehen (SR…
Extract from FINMA . Read the full notice at the source for the authoritative text.