Career
Tina Balzli specializes in banking, insurance, financial and capital markets law, general corporate and commercial law as well as mergers & acquisitions, with a particular focus on fintech and blockchain. She has a long-standing track record of holistically advising leading Swiss and foreign financial institutions as well as up-and-coming start-ups in her areas of specialization and is excellently acquainted with the international and Swiss regulatory landscape within capital and financial markets law.
Tina Balzli acts as lead lawyer for a wide range of financial industry-related matters and represents financial institutions vis-à-vis authorities, such as the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
Before joining CMS, Tina Balzli was a partner at a Big Four firm in Switzerland, where she led the legal Banking, Fintech & Blockchain practice. Prior to this, she extensively practiced as a financial markets attorney with major Swiss law firms, worked for a financial institution in Hong Kong and acted as research and teaching assistant at the Chair of Civil and Commercial Law at the University of Freiburg i.Ue. She further was a visiting researcher at the Max-Planck-Institute for Comparative and International Private law in Hamburg, Germany.
Tina Balzli holds a Master in Law (lic. iur.; J.D. equivalent) from the University of Freiburg i.Ue., Switzerland with the mentions 'European Law' and 'Bilingual', has been admitted as an Attorney-at-law to all courts in Switzerland and is a certified Swiss Fund & Asset Management Officer. Furthermore, she holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in U.S. and Asian Business and Trade Law from the New York University and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Corporate & Financial Services Law from the National University of Singapore.
She is the author of various publications (books and articles) on a broad range of legal and regulatory topics related to commercial law in general and financial market laws and regulations. She regularly speaks at conferences on these topics.
Publications
"RegTech will permanently change the way companies deal with regulation", in: Bilanz, May 2024
"Offen für Neues und fremde Einflüsse – und sich dennoch treu bleiben", in: Handelszeitung Banking, January 2024
"Krypto-Branche: Entwicklungen und Chancen trotz Krise!", in: Tagesanzeiger, Recht und Steuern, March 2023
"Demokratisierung von Grundeigentum in der Schweiz durch Tokenisierung?", in: IMMO Magazin, January 2022
"LIBOR-Ablösung in der Schweiz. Hintergründe, Stand der Ablösung und regulatorische Einbettung", in: Expert Focus, August 2020
"Asset Tokenization – Collective Investment Schemes & Custody of Security/Asset Tokens", in: Crypto Valley Association (CVA) (ed.), Asset Tokenization under Swiss Law, December 2019
"Länderreport Schweiz: Ausgewählte aktuelle Entwicklungen im Schweizer Finanzmarktrecht", in: Compliance Berater, November 2018
"Blockchain und Kryptowährungen", in: Klebeck/Dobrauz (Hrsg.), Rechtshandbuch Digitale Finanzdienstleistungen, Munich 2018
"Kommentar zu Art. 3 Abs. 1 lit. r und Art. 3 Abs. 1 lit. t des Bundesgesetzes gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb", in: Heizmann/Loacker (ed.), 'Kommentar zum Bundesgesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (UWG)', Zurich 2017
"Fintech Boost in Switzerland", in: International Financial Law Review (IFLR), February 2017
"Fund Management 2016 – Switzerland", in: Getting the Deal Through 2016
"Kommentar zu Art. 123 – 125 des Kollektivanlagengesetzes", 2nd ed., in: 'Basler Kommentar zum KAG', Basle 2016
"Repetitorium Finanzmarktrecht", 2nd ed., Zurich 2015
"The Financial Institution Act’s (FIA) wide-reaching reforms", in: International Financial Law Review (IFLR), September 2015
"Recent and Future Developments impacting Investment Management in Switzerland", in: JurisNews – Investment Management 3/2015
"Fund Management 2015 – Switzerland", in: Getting the Deal Through 2015
"Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) Position Paper on Distribution Rules", in: CapLaw 3/2012
"Repetitorium Finanzmarktrecht", Zurich 2009
"Repetitorium Wertpapierrecht", Zurich 2005
"Der Zahlungsverkehr der Banken. Oder: Gibt es den Netzvertrag?", in: Amstutz (ed., 'Die vernetzte Wirtschaft', Zurich 2004
"Das Vergaberecht der Schweiz, Rechtsgrundlagen und Rechtsprechung", 6th Ed., Zurich 2004
Experience
Advising clients on the structuring, setting-up, registering and licensing of their banking, Fintech, brokerage, payment service and asset management operations in Switzerland
Advising clients on the structuring, issuance and listing of investment products
Supporting clients in the structuring, planning and performance of their token generating events in Switzerland from a legal and regulatory perspective
Representing clients with regard to a wide range of matters before the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA)
Advising on compliance issues, the outsourcing of relevant functions as well as the restructuring and liquidation of financial institutions
Advising financial institutions on asset and share deals
