Crypto wallets in Switzerland
Whether wallets are legal in Switzerland, how custodians are regulated, and how holdings are taxed.
This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Verify the current rules with a qualified local professional and the official regulator before acting.
Holding crypto in a self custody or custodial wallet is legal in Switzerland. No licence is required to hold your own keys. Custodial wallet providers that safeguard client assets are regulated by FINMA and may need authorisation. Swiss law also allows crypto assets held in custody to be segregated for the benefit of clients in an insolvency.
Are crypto wallets legal in Switzerland
Yes. As of June 2026, there is no Swiss law that prohibits holding crypto in a wallet, whether you hold the private keys yourself in a self custody wallet or use a custodial provider that holds them for you. Holding your own assets does not require registration with any authority.
The regulated activity is safeguarding other people's assets. A provider that holds client crypto can be a financial intermediary under the Anti Money Laundering Act (AMLA) and, depending on its model, may need a banking, securities, or fintech authorisation from FINMA. Switzerland created a fintech licence category and, through its distributed ledger technology law, set rules for how custodied crypto assets are treated, including the ability to segregate them for clients if a custodian becomes insolvent, a protection in force as of June 2026.
Self custody and personal responsibility
Self custody puts full control and full responsibility with the holder. There is no provider to recover a lost seed phrase, so secure backup matters. This page does not recommend any specific wallet. Choose based on your own needs and verify any provider's current registration before trusting it with assets.
How wallet holdings are taxed in Switzerland
This is general information, not tax advice. Confirm with a qualified Swiss adviser and your cantonal tax office. The FTA and the cantons treat crypto held in any wallet as part of your taxable wealth. You declare the total at its year end value, and the holding is subject to the annual cantonal wealth tax regardless of which wallet stores it, a treatment that applied as of June 2026.
Moving coins between wallets you own is not a taxable event. Selling or spending from a wallet follows the normal rules, where a private investor's gain is generally a tax free private capital gain and a professional trader is taxed on gains as income. Staking or other rewards received into a wallet are generally taxed as income at the value when received.
To fund a wallet, residents of Switzerland usually buy crypto on a regulated exchange and withdraw it to the wallet they control. The platforms available in Switzerland are compared on the page above.
Regulator and sources
- FINMA, authorisation requirements for custodians and financial intermediaries, including the fintech licence category.
- Swiss distributed ledger technology law, which provides for segregation of custodied crypto assets for clients in an insolvency.
- Swiss Anti Money Laundering Act (AMLA), supervised by FINMA, for providers that hold client assets.
- Federal Tax Administration (FTA), working paper on the taxation of crypto assets, including the wealth tax treatment of holdings.
Sources are named for reference. Always confirm the current position directly with the named regulator or authority before acting.
Frequently asked questions
Is a self custody wallet legal in Switzerland?+
Yes. As of June 2026 holding your own crypto in a self custody wallet is legal and requires no licence or registration.
Do custodial wallet providers need a licence in Switzerland?+
They can. A provider that holds client crypto may be a financial intermediary under the Anti Money Laundering Act and may need a banking, securities, or fintech authorisation from FINMA depending on its model.
Are crypto holdings in a wallet taxed in Switzerland?+
Yes. Crypto in any wallet is part of your taxable wealth, declared at year end value and subject to the cantonal wealth tax. Moving coins between your own wallets is not a taxable event. This is not tax advice.
Are my crypto assets protected if a Swiss custodian fails?+
Swiss distributed ledger technology law provides for crypto assets held in custody to be segregated for clients in an insolvency, a protection in force as of June 2026. Confirm how a specific custodian holds your assets.
Who regulates crypto custody in Switzerland?+
FINMA regulates custodians and financial intermediaries. Tax matters are handled by the Federal Tax Administration and the cantonal offices.
Rules change. Custody rules and tax practice can change, and provider registrations vary. Confirm the current position with FINMA and a qualified professional before acting.