Swiss Banking Ombudsman

The Swiss Banking Ombudsman(SBO) acts as an information and mediation centre which deals with questions and complaints concerning banking and financial services carried out by the member institutions of the Swiss Bankers Association. It is an independent mediation agency that provides its services free of charge and is funded by the Swiss Banking Ombudsman Foundation, whose board is composed of independent public personalities and elects the Ombudsman. The chairman of the foundation is Annemarie huber-hotz, h.c., former federal prime minister. 

The SBO handles about 2,000 inquiries a year.

The SBO does not regulate foreign exchange.

As an information and mediation centre, the SBO is not responsible for regulation but deals with questions and complaints concerning banking and financial services carried out by the member institutions of the Swiss Bankers Association. 

When you have disputes with a SBO-regulated broker, you can proceed the following ways:

1st way: The recommended way is to contact the broker directly and seek a written reply.

2nd way: If you are not satisfied with the broker’s solution, you can file a complaint with the SBO. Two steps for submitting a complaint:

●Verbal enquiries by telephone

SBO resolves simple complaints over the phone. It usually provides information to customers and tells them what to do;

telephone:

+41 (0)43 266 14 14 German/English

+41 (0)21 311 29 83 French/Italian

Phones are open daily from 08.30 – 11.30 a.m. (M.E.T.)

Note: If your problem is more complicated, it is recommended that you file a complaint by post or online.

● Written enquiries

You can either send the complaint by post: Schweizerischer Bankenombudsman, Bahnhofplatz 9, P.O. Box, 8021 Zurich Switzerland or make an online complaint form and submit it: 

Complaint Documents by Post: https://bankingombudsman.ch/en/written-enquiries/

Online Complaint Form: https://bankingombudsman.ch/en/written-enquiries/ 

Authorisation Form: https://bankingombudsman.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Eingabeformular2021_EN.pdf  

3rd way: If the 2 ways above can't solve the dispute, the last way is to issue a case to the court in Switzerland.