How FINMA is financed

FINMA is organised according to the principles of cost-effective management and keeps its own accounts. Its objective is to manage its financial resources carefully, keep the cost-benefit ratio in balance and maximise the use of the resources available.

User-based fees and levies

FINMA's costs are covered by the institutions it supervises. It can thus adjust its cost level where there is a specific need to do so.

Supervised institutions are required to pay supervisory fees and levies. User fees are levied individually from each supervised institution. These fees are mainly charged for rulings and supervisory proceedings, and cover the costs of the work carried out by FINMA. Approximately 13.6% of FINMA’s annual gross income (CHF 156 million) was covered by fees in 2023.

 

In contrast, supervisory levies are charged at group level, not individually. The cost of supervision is spread across the individual areas supervised. FINMA covers between 80 and 90% of its total expenditure, including allocations to its statutory reserves, through supervisory levies.

Fixing supervisory levies

FINMA's supervisory levies are in line with the rules set out in Article 15 FINMASA. For banks and securities firms, the levies are based on the balance sheet total and securities turnover; the share in the total premium income of all insurance companies is used for insurers; and the volume of assets under management, gross income and the size of the undertaking for supervised institutions under the Collective Investment Schemes Act. The FINMA Fees and Levies Ordinance defines the principles for charging supervisory levies.

High proportion of internal resources used for supervision

FINMA uses 60% of its internal resources for its core tasks of licensing, supervision, enforcement and regulation. Support and management processes account for the remaining 40%.

Most of the resources spent on core activities are used for supervision.

 

Staff costs account for a high proportion of the total expenditure (over 81%), 9% is for IT costs, and 10% for other operating costs, including depreciation of fixed assets.