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AI Analysis

FINMA announced that the EAER amended Annexes 2 and 14a of the Swiss Ordinance of 4 March 2022 on Measures Relating to the Situation in Ukraine (SR 946.231.176.72) on 14 August 2026. One entity was removed from Annex 14a and the entries for 610 individuals and entities in Annex 2 were amended; the measures take effect on 17 August 2026 at 23:00, requiring immediate sanctions-data and relationship reviews. Independent sanctions commentary continues to read Swiss Russia measures as closely aligned with EU restrictions, while highlighting that Annex 14a designations can prohibit transactions with listed Russian financial institutions and related financial-messaging activity.

Key dates

2026-08-14
EAER amended Annexes 2 and 14a of the Ukraine Ordinance; one entity was removed from Annex 14a and 610 Annex 2 individual and entity entries were amended.
2026-08-17 Deadline
The amendments and resulting prohibitions, asset-freezing requirements and reporting implications take effect at 23:00 Swiss time; firms should have implemented screening and control changes by this time.

Suggested considerations

  • Compliance teams should load the amended Annex 2 and Annex 14a data into sanctions-screening systems and complete identifier, alias, ownership and account-linkage checks before the 17 August 2026 23:00 effective time.
  • Firms should compare the pre-amendment and post-amendment lists to distinguish the Annex 14a deletion from the 610 amended Annex 2 entries and should avoid treating an amended record as cleared without validating the current consolidated list.
  • Firms should review customers, beneficial owners, counterparties, payment instructions, securities positions, custody assets and correspondent relationships against the amended records, including possible indirect ownership or control links.
  • Where a match is confirmed, firms should consider stopping prohibited activity, freezing relevant funds and economic resources, restricting access in accordance with the Ordinance, and reporting the affected business relationship to SECO using the applicable reporting channel and form.
  • For suspected sanctions evasion, inconsistent customer information or other money-laundering indicators, compliance teams may wish to document the Article 6 AMLA enhanced clarification and assess whether an immediate Article 9 AMLA report to the Money Laundering Reporting Office is required.
  • Firms should document screening-rule changes, alert disposition, freeze decisions, SECO notifications, AMLA escalation decisions and any controlled release following the Annex 14a removal. Any unblocking should be preceded by checks for separate Annex 2 designation, ownership or other sanctions grounds.

What changed

The EAER amended Annex 2 and Annex 14a of SR 946.231.176.72. The official government notice indicates that one entity was removed from Annex 14a and the entries concerning 610 individuals and entities were amended in Annex 2; the publication does not state that all 610 entries are new designations, so firms should obtain and compare the underlying consolidated and delta lists before determining the precise status of each relationship. Financial intermediaries must implement the applicable prohibitions, freeze assets of sanctioned persons, and report affected business relationships to SECO. The SECO report does not replace the separate Swiss AMLA obligations: where there are suspicions, the intermediary must conduct additional clarifications under Article 6 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act

Compliance impact

The immediate effect of the amendments creates a high operational risk of prohibited dealings, failure to freeze assets or inaccurate sanctions screening if firms do not update records by 23:00 on 17 August 2026. FINMA expressly links sanctions reporting to continuing AMLA duties, so a SECO notification does not remove the need for Article 6 clarifications or an Article 9 report where suspicions r

Who is affected

  • Swiss banks and securities firms
  • Swiss asset managers and investment firms
  • Swiss wealth managers and private banks
  • Other Swiss financial intermediaries subject to the Ukraine Ordinance and Swiss AMLA
  • Ordinance of 4 March 2022 on Measures Relating to the Situation in Ukraine, SR 946.231.176.72
  • Article 15 of SR 946.231.176.72 on financial sanctions and asset freezes
  • Article 27a of SR 946.231.176.72 on transactions with entities listed in Annex 14a and specialised financial messaging services
  • Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act, Article 6
  • Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act, Article 9

AI-generated analysis. May contain errors or omissions — verify with the original FINMA source before acting. Full disclaimer.

What the FINMA said

Das Eidgenössische Departement für Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung WBF hat Änderungen des Anhangs 2 und 14a der Verordnung vom 4. März 2022 über Massnahmen im Zusammenhang mit der Situation in der Ukraine (SR 946.231.176.72) publiziert.

Published by FINMA . Read the full notice at the source for the authoritative text.

Relevant Firm Types

BankAsset ManagerBroker DealerWealth Manager
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