Decision guides

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The eight guides in this chapter share a format. Each opens with the question as a client asks it, states in two or three paragraphs why the question is harder than it looks, and then sets out a numbered sequence of sub-questions. A table summarises the sequence with the consequence of each answer and the cross-reference to the part of the book that explains it. Where Swiss and Singapore law diverge, the guide shows both tracks side by side. The guides are designed to be read in ten minutes and to be handed, where appropriate, to a client who wants to understand what the lawyer is doing.

The sequences are deliberately conservative. A guide that says "you probably need a licence" will sometimes send a reader to a lawyer who then concludes that no licence is needed. The reverse error, a guide that reassures a founder who in fact runs an unlicensed financial intermediary, is the one that leads to FINMA liquidation proceedings or a charge under section 6 of the Payment Services Act 2019.¹ Where the two risks cannot both be avoided, the guides err on the side of asking.

Notes

Unlicensed activity is an offence under Art. 44 of the Financial Market Supervision Act (FINMASA; FINMAG, SR 956.1) in Switzerland and under s. 6 of the Payment Services Act 2019 in Singapore; see Part H, Chapter I and Part N, Chapter I. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of October 2026.

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Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Of Counsel, KGP Legal LLC

I am Of Counsel with KGP Legal LLC in Singapore, where I work with a global client base of successful entrepreneurs and their families, independent asset managers, commodity trading houses and other commercial clients. I am a German and Swiss attorney-at-law, also admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales and in Hong Kong. I divide my time between Zug in Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong. Since 2017 I have advised international clients on more than 700 crypto and digital asset projects. I also have extensive experience in cross-border litigation and arbitration in Singapore, Hong Kong and other markets in South-East Asia and Greater China.

I operate across the key financial centres in South-East Asia, the Middle East and Switzerland, with a particular focus on asset protection, international tax and estate planning, as well as trusts, company administration and other fiduciary services. My philosophy is to serve as a trusted advisor working closely with my clients and to help them achieve their commercial objectives.

All Singapore law advice is provided through KGP Legal LLC, an established and duly licensed firm of Singapore advocates and solicitors.

KGP Legal LLC is a medium-sized law firm in Singapore that is capable of providing the full range of legal services and corporate administration work. Please contact me if you need any further information.

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SingaporeIQ is edited by Dr Alexander Ressos, an international business lawyer with more than 15 years of local experience in Singapore as a permanent resident, a Singapore registered foreign lawyer and managing partner of a Singapore foreign law practice. In addition to significant experience in cross-border investments and transactions, UHNWI private client work and sanctions/export controls, Dr Ressos has extensive experience in cross-border business and in crypto and digital-asset projects in Singapore, drawn from more than 700 projects since 2017.

If you are planning a company incorporation, an investment, a holding structure or a market entry through Singapore, you can reach Dr Ressos directly at [email protected]. Singapore law advice is provided by KGP Legal LLC, a licensed firm of Singapore advocates and solicitors. Dr Ressos and his team facilitate the full range of Singapore legal, compliance and company administration services, including company incorporation, corporate transactions, commercial contracts, crypto and digital assets, financial regulatory work and dispute resolution, including litigation in the Singapore courts. For Hong Kong, our parallel site HongkongIQ.com offers the same practical guidance. For crypto and digital assets, dltreg.com covers legal, tax and fiduciary services. For legal, tax and fiduciary services in Switzerland, see helveticaregister.com.