Dr. Reto Luthiger
Partner, Zurich
T +41 58 552 01 92
reto.luthiger@mll-legal.com
Profile
Reto Luthiger is a partner with the firm and co-head of MLL Legal’s Regulatory, Fintech & DLT practice group as well as MLL Legal’s insurance industry group and compliance & internal investigations industry group.
He advises and represents domestic and international traditional finance, fintech and crypto clients in financial markets regulatory and civil law matters as well as proceedings before Swiss regulator FINMA, self-regulatory organisations (SROs), supervisory organisations (SOs) other authorities and courts.
He has a recognized expert in financial market regulations, fintech and blockchain and has wide-ranging experience in banking, anti-money laundering, financial services and instruments, securities regulations, capital markets, financial markets infrastructure and collective investment schemes law.
Reto Luthiger acts as CEO of the Self-Regulatory Organization of Swiss Association of Investment Companies (SRO SAIC) and serves as member of the board of Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) and SR Saphirstein AG (fiat24) having a fintech license from FINMA. Further, he is co-head of the Swiss Crypto Valley Association’s (CVA) regulatory working group.
He wrote his PhD-thesis in the area of AML, which was awarded with the Professor Walther Hug prize. Reto has sound knowledge particularly in banking, AML, securities, FinTech, DLT/blockchain, AEoI, FATCA and CARF as well as corporate law. He closely follows the newest developments in these fields. He is fluent in German and English.
Practice Areas
Industry Groups
Rankings & Awards
- “I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the invaluable guidance provided by my legal advisors, Kilian Schärli and Reto Luthiger. Their expertise, professionalism, and unwavering support have been instrumental in resolving my legal concerns” – Legal 500 EMEA, Fintech, 2024
- “Reto Luthiger is a prominent expert in fintech, blockchain and cryptocurrency. Highly updated in the industry and technological advancement. Reto is leading the regulatory side in Switzerland but also very informed in developments in the EU. His ability to deeply understand the tech side and come up with legal solutions has been very instrumental” – Legal 500 EMEA, Fintech, 2024
- “Advice is to the point, quick turnaround, very pragmatic approach. The law firm understands our problems and our needs. Reto Luthiger as the partner in charge is extremely knowledgeable and has an excellent understanding of the needs of fintech companies such as ours” – IFLR 1000, 2023
- “To the point, very responsive, highly talented, excellent network” – IFLR 1000, 2023
- “We work mostly with Reto Luthiger. He is readily available, has a bright mind and a pragmatic approach. His knowledge in the Swiss fintech sector is unparalleled. We use Reto for a wide array of work, from regulatory to contract work. It is always a delight to collaborate with Reto” – Legal 500 EMEA, Fintech, 2023
- “Very deep expertise in all topics around financial market laws in combination with blockchain and token economies” – Legal 500 EMEA, Fintech, 2023
- “Very good sense of regulations” – Legal 500 EMEA, Fintech, 2023
- “A top regulation expert with a broad view of the crypto market and a deep understanding of Swiss regulation” – Legal 500 EMEA, Banking and Finance: Zurich, 2023
- “He is very savvy regarding regulatory pitfalls flying around in Switzerland surrounding AML. I like him as a personality too: he is calm, analytical and friendly – a really good sparring partner for AML questions” – Chambers and Partners, Fintech, 2023
- “Top-notch and well known in the market” – Chambers and Partners, Fintech, 2023
- “Reto Luthiger is renowned in the blockchain field for his exemplary “responsiveness and creativity” that generates a wealth of “legally sound and workable business advice” for his clients” – Who’s Who Legal, Global Leader Blockchain, 2022
- “Reto Luthiger receives heaps of praise not only for his “ability to highlight risk in an understandable way”, but also for his “his excellent handling of complex and sensitive matters” in the fintech space” – Who’s Who Legal, Thought Leader Fintech, 2022
- “Reto Luthiger has great knowledge of tech/crypto and the regulatory landscape in Switzerland. In combination, this makes him one of the most valuable advisors in the crypto space” – Legal 500 EMEA, Fintech, 2022
- “He is very polite and knowledgeable – very detail-oriented. He has a good business mindset, not just in legal terms” – Chambers and Partners, FinTech, 2022
- “Reto Luthiger is held in high esteem by market commentators who note he is easy to work with and very creative” – Who’s Who Legal, Fintech, 2021
- “Fintech specialist Reto Luthiger has the ability to provide expert advice based on profound knowhow of the regulatory landscape in Switzerland” – Who’s Who Legal, Blockchain, 2021
- “Reto Luthiger is a capable, excellent and creative advisor with broad interests and knowledge and this also in DLT and other new fintech and regtech matters” – Legal 500 EMEA, FinTech, 2021
- “Reto is very proficient in various regulatory legal points in the financial services sector” – Chambers and Partners, FinTech, 2021
- “Reto is the younger guy there, but he’s showing a lot of promise” – Chambers and Partners, FinTech, 2021
Deals & Cases
- Advising Värdex Suisse in structuring and introducing its new cryptonow voucher cards available for purchase in retail stores enabling its purchasers to exchange Swiss Francs into crypto currencies
- Advised the Self-Regulatory Organization of the Swiss Association of Investment Companies (SRO SAIC) in becoming a recognized SRO by FINMA and in all AML aspects, including conducting AML-training sessions for its members
- Advises the Swiss Association of Investment Companies (SAIC) in all legal matters
- Advised Bitcoin Suisse Ltd regarding various legal agreements and regulatory matters
- Advised Modum regarding a swap of its outstanding token against tokenized shares (equity)
- Advises Parity Group being establishing an international payment services ecosystem with regard to structuring and all Swiss financial market regulatory aspects
- Advised a credit card acquiring institute regarding its general terms and conditions, AML-relevant aspects and onboarding of platform clients
- Advised a credit card scheme regarding the introduction of dynamic currency conversion
- Advised a credit card acquiring institute regarding new general terms and conditions for e-wallets as well as AML-aspects in
connection with additional card holders and corporate cards - Advised an life insurance company regarding tax offences as AML-predicate offence and related AML-duties of care
- Advises a private bank regarding all contractual and financial market regulatory aspects of the implementation of digital assets business
- Advised an international bank regarding the implementation of a transaction and communication monitoring system in all aspects of financial market regulations
- Advised several clients from the traditional financial sector as well as from the DLT/blockchain and Fintech sector in connection with FINMA pre-inquiries and enforcement procedures (including appeal proceedings)
- Advised several ICO/TGE/STO projects with regard to corporate/transaction structuring, token classifications, FINMA-no action letters and other financial market regulatory aspects
Education & Admission
- University of St. Gallen, Dr. iur. (2017)
- Admitted to the bar in Switzerland (2014)
- University of St. Gallen, Master in Law and Economics (2009)
Memberships and public offices
- Capital Markets and Technology Association (CMTA)
Languages
- German
- English
- French
Publications
Assistant
Publications
Firm News
“I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the invaluable guidance provided by my legal advisors, Kilian Schärli and Reto Luthiger. Their expertise, professionalism, and unwavering support have been instrumental in resolving my legal concerns”
