{"id":31881,"date":"2023-09-01T14:35:04","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T12:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fidulex.ch\/?p=31881"},"modified":"2024-07-25T13:03:58","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T11:03:58","slug":"the-stock-corporation-in-switzerland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fidulex.ch\/en\/the-stock-corporation-in-switzerland\/","title":{"rendered":"Public limited companies in Switzerland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"What\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is a Limited Company?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In Switzerland, a public limited company is a joint-stock company, meaning that its capital is divided into shares.<\/p>

The limited liability of shareholders, the capital structure and the ease with which shares can be transferred make the public limited company the most common type of company in Switzerland. It is used in all sectors, irrespective of company size. It is suited for small and large companies, operating or holding companies, listed or unlisted companies.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Advantages of Limited Companies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Limitation of Liability<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The company is independent of its shareholders. Shareholders are not personally liable, and the Articles of Association can impose no obligation on them other than that of paying the amount set for the subscription of shares when they are issued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It should be noted, however, that under Art. 754 para. 1 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, members of the Board of Directors and any other persons involved in the management or liquidation of the company are personally liable to the company. Similarly, the individual shareholders and the company's creditors are liable for any damage caused by an intentional or negligent breach of duty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Shareholder Anonymity<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Limited Company, like the LLC<\/a>, can have shareholders. However, it should be noted that the shareholders of a Limited Company will not have their names made public.<\/p>

The ability to keep shareholders anonymous is a decisive factor when it comes to the setting up of your company<\/a>. In this case, the Limited Company will appear more attractive than the LLC.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Free Choice of Name<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The company name can be chosen freely , but must include the acronym \"SA\" at the end. The corporate name may contain the name of an individual, describe the company's actual activities or be a fanciful designation. However, it must not conflict with an already registered name of another entity, nor be misleading or contrary to the public interest.<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Disadvantages of the Limited Company<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Substantial Start-Up Capital<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The company must have a share capital of at least CHF 100,000. This is a substantial sum, which can be difficult to obtain. However, it can be built up in a variety of ways, which can make it more affordable to obtain. It is possible, for example, to make contributions in kind.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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High Management Costs<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Setting up a public limited company in Switzerland involves substantial management costs. You'll need to compile regular management reports of the company's financial and operational information.<\/p>

You'll also need to hold a general meeting, elect auditors and so on. What's more, the costs of setting up a Limited Company are higher than those of a LLC, or even a sole proprietorship<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSetting up a company with Fidulex\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNeed to set up your SA in Switzerland? Take advantage of our fiduciary's attractive rates. Don't hesitate to contact us.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How Do I Set Up a Limited Company?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1. Choice of Company Name<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The company name can be chosen freely, but must indicate that it is a public limited company (art. 950 CO).<\/p>

If the company name reflects certain business activities, these must be in line with the company's articles of association. Once the company name has been chosen, it must be used exclusively; the company may not operate under a name other than the one entered in the Commercial Register.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Determining the Capital Amount <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As mentioned above, a public limited company must have share capital of at least CHF 100,000.<\/p>

The Articles of Association may provide for a higher share capital, but this must always be determined in advance. Share capital is divided into shares with a minimum value of CHF 0.01, and must be paid up to at least 50%.<\/p>

However, the capital contribution of a limited company will vary according to the company's objectives and plans.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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3. Defining the organs of the Limited Company<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A public limited company acts through its governing bodies. The company must therefore elect its governing bodies as follows:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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