Switzerland

Regulatory, accounting
and tax advisory —
done properly.

Phlow Advisory works with financial institutions, SMEs, and startups in Switzerland. No junior staff, no vague deliverables. You get senior expertise, a clear scope, and a fixed price before we start.

Scroll

Our philosophy

Most advisory firms tell you what you want to hear. We tell you what you need to know — clearly, directly, and with enough depth to actually be useful.

What we do

Five
practice
areas

Five core service areas, plus four new packaged products built for the Swiss fintech and asset management market. Each engagement starts with a defined scope and a fixed price — so you know exactly what you're getting before we begin.

01

Regulatory &
Compliance Advisory

Financial Services

Swiss regulatory requirements are demanding, and supervisory expectations keep moving. Whether you're preparing for a FINMA inspection, reviewing your AML/KYC setup, or dealing with findings from a prudential audit — we provide practical, hands-on support based on real experience with Swiss regulatory practice.

  • AML/KYC framework reviews — design and operating effectiveness of controls, benchmarked against FINMA Circular 2011/1 and AMLA requirements
  • FINMA audit preparation — structured readiness assessments, team coaching, and documentation review ahead of regulatory inspections
  • Prudential audit support — risk management, capital adequacy, liquidity, and internal controls aligned with supervisory expectations
  • Gap analyses and remediation plans — structured assessment against applicable FINMA circulars, with prioritised, actionable roadmaps
  • Ongoing compliance advisory — second-line support on a mandate basis: policy reviews, regulatory monitoring, compliance function reinforcement

For: Banks · Asset managers · VASPs · Fund administrators · Insurance companies

02

Accounting &
Financial Operations

SMEs & Startups

Growing companies often don't have the internal resources to build a solid finance function from scratch — and they shouldn't have to hire a full-time CFO to get there. We step in where it makes sense: setting up the right foundations, running the day-to-day, and preparing you for whatever comes next.

  • Accounting system setup — chart of accounts design, software selection and configuration, aligned with Swiss GAAP (OR) or IFRS readiness
  • Bookkeeping and financial reporting — rigorous, timely recording and monthly, quarterly, and annual management reports
  • Statutory financial statements — preparation in compliance with the Swiss Code of Obligations (Art. 957 et seq.), including all required notes and disclosures
  • Cash flow management and budgeting — rolling forecasts, budget preparation, variance analysis, and financial decision support
  • Interim CFO / Finance Manager — part-time or project-based senior finance leadership: strategy, banking, investor reporting, team coordination

For: Swiss SMEs · Industrial companies · Fintechs · Startups · Foreign companies entering Switzerland

03

Tax Advisory
& Compliance

Corporate & Private Clients

Swiss tax law is complex — federal, cantonal, and communal — and getting it wrong has real consequences. We give you clear, actionable advice focused on compliance and reducing risk. No unnecessary complexity, no aggressive structures that create more problems than they solve.

  • Corporate tax advisory — direct tax advice on structuring, dividend policy, intercompany transactions, and optimisation within Swiss law and OECD standards
  • VAT advisory and compliance — registration, periodic filings, input tax deduction reviews, and support during FTA audits
  • Tax return preparation — complete preparation and filing for companies and individuals, including complex situations (self-employment, securities, real estate, foreign assets)
  • Real estate taxation — acquisition structuring, ongoing taxation, property gain tax, and exit planning
  • Tax risk reviews and audit support — exposure identification, documentation, and representation during tax authority inquiries

For: SMEs · Entrepreneurs · Executives · Private clients · Real estate investors · Crypto holders

04

Internal Audit &
Risk Management

Governance & Assurance

Internal audit is only useful if it produces something actionable. We deliver risk-based audits that give your board and management real insights — not a list of findings nobody acts on. We work as your outsourced or co-sourced internal audit function, with full independence and senior judgment throughout.

  • Outsourced or co-sourced internal audit — full delivery or reinforcement of your internal audit function, calibrated to your size and regulatory obligations
  • Risk assessment and audit planning — structured identification of key risks, translated into a prioritised, risk-based annual audit plan
  • Audit execution — operational, financial, compliance, and IT audits conducted with rigour and focused on root causes, not just symptoms
  • Internal control system evaluation (ICS/SCI) — assessment of design and operating effectiveness, with gap identification and improvement recommendations
  • Reporting to management and audit committees — clear, decision-oriented reports with findings, risk ratings, and concrete next steps

For: Mid-size companies · FINMA-supervised entities · Holding structures · Companies preparing for external audit

05

Training &
Capacity Building

Finance, Audit & Compliance

Generic training programmes are a waste of time and budget. Every session we run is built around your team's actual level, your industry, and your specific situation. Practical, targeted, and applicable from day one — including hands-on use of AI and data tools where they genuinely add value.

  • AML/KYC and regulatory compliance training — tailored to AMLA, FINMA circulars, and FATF standards, with practical case studies and red flag identification
  • Finance fundamentals for non-finance professionals — financial statement literacy, key metrics, and budget reading for managers, founders, and board members
  • Advanced accounting training — closing process optimisation, complex transaction accounting, consolidation basics, and internal controls for finance teams
  • Internal audit methodology — risk-based planning, working paper standards, interview techniques, and report writing for junior auditors and new internal audit functions
  • Data analytics and automation in finance and audit — hands-on training in Excel, Power BI, and AI tools with direct applicability to professional practice

For: Banks · Asset managers · SMEs · Compliance officers · Junior auditors · Board members · Founders

Packaged Products — New
06

Pre-FINMA
Stress Test

Fixed-Price Diagnostic

A FINMA inspection or prudential audit doesn't announce itself with much notice. Most startups and small asset managers find out what their weaknesses are during the inspection — not before it. This product changes that. We simulate what a regulatory inspector would look for if they walked through your organisation tomorrow, and give you a structured picture of where you stand before that conversation happens.

  • Structured review of your governance, compliance framework, controls, and documentation — benchmarked against applicable FINMA requirements
  • RAG report (Red / Amber / Green) — a clear, colour-coded assessment of your position across all key regulatory dimensions
  • Prioritised action plan — ranked by urgency and regulatory exposure, with specific, actionable next steps
  • Verbal debrief with leadership — walk-through of findings and recommendations, so your team understands what matters and why

For: Crypto startups · Fintechs · Small asset managers · VASPs · Companies preparing for first FINMA contact

07

Regulatory
Failure Autopsies

Monthly Subscription

Every FINMA enforcement action, licence refusal, or regulatory sanction is a case study — and most compliance professionals never get access to what actually happened inside those organisations. This subscription changes that. Each month, we publish 2–3 detailed analyses of real Swiss fintech and financial services cases: what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what a well-run organisation would have done differently. Think of it as a crash report for compliance officers.

  • Monthly case analyses based on publicly available enforcement actions, FINMA communications, and court decisions
  • Structured format: facts, root cause analysis, regulatory failures identified, and lessons applicable to your own organisation
  • Short, practical, applicable — designed to be read in 10 minutes and actioned immediately
  • Access to a private community of subscribers for discussion, questions, and shared intelligence

For: Compliance officers · CCOs · Founders · Legal counsel · Risk managers · Investors in regulated entities

08

Fractional CCO

Monthly Retainer

Most early-stage regulated companies don't need a full-time Chief Compliance Officer — but they do need one. The fractional model solves that. You get a senior CCO embedded in your organisation on a part-time basis: attending board meetings, signing off on compliance frameworks, dealing with regulators, and providing the kind of senior judgment that a consultant hired by the task can't deliver. The difference is accountability — as your CCO, we're part of your leadership team, not an external advisor.

  • Ongoing compliance oversight — monitoring of regulatory developments, adaptation of your framework, and proactive identification of emerging risks
  • Direct regulatory interface — primary point of contact for FINMA communications, auditors, and supervisory correspondence
  • Board and management reporting — regular compliance reports, incident escalation, and horizon-scanning for leadership
  • Team leadership — compliance function management, guidance for junior staff, and culture-building
  • Fixed monthly retainer — no hourly billing, predictable cost, clearly defined scope reviewed quarterly

For: Fintechs · Crypto companies · Small asset managers · Startups entering regulated space · Companies with no in-house compliance function

09

Asset Manager
Community

Private Membership

Small Swiss asset managers face the same regulatory complexity as large institutions — without the in-house resources. The major consulting firms ignore this segment: mandates are too small, margins too thin. This community was built to fill that gap. It's a private, curated network of 50–100 asset managers with access to shared intelligence, real-time regulatory alerts generated by AI, and direct access to senior expertise. It's not a forum. It's a working infrastructure for compliance and regulatory management.

  • Real-time regulatory alerts — AI-generated monitoring of FINMA circulars, SFAMA guidance, and legislative developments, with plain-language summaries
  • Monthly expert sessions — live Q&A and case-based discussions on current regulatory topics, hosted by the community anchor expert
  • Shared template library — model policies, compliance frameworks, board reporting templates, and gap analysis tools updated continuously
  • Peer intelligence — access to the collective experience of other asset managers navigating similar challenges
  • Direct advisory access — priority access to senior expertise for members' specific questions, included in the monthly membership

For: Independent asset managers · Boutique fund managers · Family offices · Portfolio managers setting up their own structure

How we work

No hourly billing.
You pay for the output.

Hourly billing is convenient for the consultant, not for the client. It creates uncertainty, misaligned incentives, and invoices that are hard to challenge. We don't work that way. Every engagement is priced around a specific deliverable — agreed upfront. You know what you get, what it costs, and when it's done.

1
Fixed price per deliverable

We define the scope, the output, and the price before we start. If the scope changes, we discuss it — no surprise invoices at the end.

2
Fixed retainer for ongoing work

For recurring mandates — monthly reporting, compliance support, interim CFO — we agree a monthly fee based on scope, not hours logged.

3
Senior input from day one

No bait and switch. The person you speak to is the person who does the work. Every mandate is handled personally, at senior level.

Example deliverables & scope

Regulatory & Compliance

AML/KYC framework review

Assessment report covering design and operating effectiveness, benchmarked against FINMA requirements — with gap identification and prioritised recommendations.

Regulatory & Compliance

FINMA audit readiness assessment

Structured review of your current position, vulnerability identification, team preparation sessions, and a defensible documentation package.

Accounting & Financial Operations

Annual statutory financial statements

Complete preparation of your annual accounts in compliance with Swiss GAAP (OR), including all notes, disclosures, and board submission.

Tax

Corporate tax return

Full preparation and filing of your corporate tax return, including cantonal and federal declarations — scoped by complexity level agreed upfront.

Training

Custom training programme (half-day)

A fully tailored session including preparation, materials, delivery, and a written summary — priced as a single fixed-fee deliverable.

Founder · Phlow Advisory

About

Twenty years in the field. No shortcuts.

Phlow Advisory was set up by a Swiss-qualified accountant with over twenty years of experience in audit, regulation, and finance — exclusively in financial services.

The first ten years were spent at a major international audit and consulting firm, working on regulatory and financial audits for banks and asset managers. That means understanding how financial institutions are actually run, where the real risks sit, and what good controls look like in practice — not just on paper.

The following ten years were spent within the Swiss regulatory environment, with direct exposure to supervisory expectations, inspection methodologies, and audit quality standards applied to FINMA-supervised entities.

That combination — operating experience inside major institutions, and direct knowledge of what regulators look for — is the core of what Phlow Advisory brings to clients. We've been on both sides of the table.

The practice is intentionally small. Every mandate is handled personally, at senior level. No junior delegation, no account managers. You work directly with the person who knows the subject.

10+

Years in a leading international audit & consulting firm, financial services

10+

Years of experience within the Swiss regulatory environment

100%

Senior-level delivery on every mandate

Get in touch

Let's talk.

Tell us what you're dealing with. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and what that would look like. No sales pitch, no commitment required.

Location Switzerland
Languages English · Français · Deutsch
Response Within one business day
Send a message