FINMA adopts partially revised Circular 2016/7 “Video and online identification”

Key dates

2026-10-08

FINMA published the final partial revision of Circular 2016/7.

2026-11-01 Deadline

The revised Circular 2016/7 enters into force and the new supervisory expectations for digital onboarding apply.

2027-11-01 Deadline

Market commentary reports a transitional deadline for firms using qualified electronic signatures to add liveness detection and residence verification.

Suggested considerations

• Compliance teams should map each digital onboarding journey to the revised Circular 2016/7 method requirements, distinguishing video identification, online identification, Swiss e-ID and qualified electronic-signature workflows.
• Firms should assess whether their liveness-detection controls reliably establish that the applicant is a physically present living person and can resist photographs, replayed video, deepfakes and other AI-enabled manipulation.
• Firms should review identity-document validation rules and testing so that approved QR-code documents, including the Swiss driving licence, are handled on an equivalent basis to documents with an MRZ where the circular permits this.
• Firms should validate digital residence-verification processes, including whether the process reliably links the contracting party and the relevant device or infrastructure to the declared place of residence.
• Firms planning to use the Swiss e-ID should confirm technical readiness, evidence retention and treatment of the e-ID's non-copyable, non-archivable characteristics, while avoiding use of the e-ID for workflows limited to video identification.
• Firms should update AML, fraud-risk and onboarding policies, vendor requirements, testing scripts, staff procedures and customer disclosures before the effective date.
• Compliance teams may wish to reassess whether supplementary controls are warranted for higher-risk channels, such as device intelligence, fraud databases, transfer-account verification, duplicate-account detection or enhanced review, because FINMA's circular does not eliminate risk-based control expectations.
• Firms using qualified electronic signatures should confirm any transitional implementation requirements identified in the final circular and related commentary, including the reported 1 November 2027 date for adding liveness and residence verification to that route.

What changed

The Swiss e-ID may be used as an identification method when onboarding clients through digital channels under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, although market commentary indicates that it is available for online identification rather than video identification. Official identification documents bearing a QR code are treated as equivalent to documents containing a machine-readable zone, expanding the acceptable document formats for digital onboarding. Liveness detection is introduced as an additional security measure for online identification; commentary indicates that it was already required for onboarding based on a photographed identity document and is now extended to onboarding using the Swiss e-ID and qualified electronic signatures. Digital processes may be used to verify a client's plac

Who is affected

• Swiss banks conducting digital client onboarding
• Swiss-authorised brokers and securities firms using online identification
• Swiss fintechs and other financial intermediaries subject to AMLA due-diligence obligations
• Swiss financial institutions onboarding clients using the Swiss e-ID, qualified electronic signatures, photographed identity documents or QR-code identity documents

Related regulations

• Swiss Federal Act on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (AMLA)
• Federal Act on Electronic Identity Credentials and Other Electronic Credentials (E-ID Act)
• FINMA Circular 2016/7 Video and online identification
• EU eIDAS Regulation