Exchange of information with 113 countries on 4 million accounts

Context

TL;DR

• AFC: information exchanged with 113 states in 2026
• Approximately 4 million accounts sent and received
• Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine joined
• No data exchange with Russia

Key facts

• Date → October 15, 2026
• Institution → AFC
• States involved → 113
• Registered financial institutions → approximately 9000
• Accounts sent → approximately 4 million
• Accounts received → approximately 4 million
• Legal bases in force → January 1, 2017

On October 15, 2026, the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (AFC) announced the exchange of information relating to financial accounts with 113 States. The operation falls under the global standard for the automatic exchange of information.

The group includes the 110 States already subject to the reporting obligation, joined this year by Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. With 86 States, the exchange took place in both directions: Switzerland received and transmitted data. The other 27 sent information to our country without receiving any, as 14 are not yet considered to meet the international requirements for data confidentiality and security, while 13 voluntarily chose not to receive information. This year, too, no data was exchanged with Russia.

A network involving thousands of institutions

Approximately 9000 reporting financial institutions are registered with the AFC. The group includes banks, trusts, insurance companies and other types of institutions. These entities collected and transmitted data to the AFC. The AFC sent partner States information on approximately 4 million financial accounts and received similar information on approximately 4 million. The AFC points out, however, that it cannot provide information on the amount of financial assets.

The information exchanged includes the identification of the account holder, account data and financial information. The elements indicated include name, address, country of residence, tax identification number, reporting financial institution, account balance and capital income.

Since January 1, 2017, Switzerland has had the legal bases necessary to apply the standard. The data transmitted enables the cantonal tax authorities to verify whether taxpayers have correctly declared financial accounts held abroad.

The communiqué thus presents the scale of the exchange through States, institutions and accounts, while keeping separate the data on the volume of financial assets, which the AFC does not quantify.

Operational details

Practical significance for Swiss taxation

For anyone who files a tax return in Switzerland and holds accounts abroad, the operational point is not the overall number of accounts, but the comparison between foreign information and what was declared. The source indicates that cantonal tax authorities can verify the accuracy of the tax return for financial accounts held abroad. The verification therefore concerns the correspondence between the taxpayer and the information communicated through the AFC.

What data is included in the comparison

The table reprises the categories listed in the statement; it does not mean that the source quantifies a tax or the amount of the assets. On this point, the AFC is explicit: the figure of approximately 4 million accounts sent and approximately 4 million received does not make it possible to establish the total value of financial assets.

The number of countries does not replace individual checking: for the tax return, coherent information about the holder, the financial relationship and the economic data listed is what matters.

Reciprocity must also be interpreted precisely. For 86 states, the exchange took place in both directions. For 27, by contrast, Switzerland received information without transmitting any: 14 did not yet offer sufficient international guarantees regarding confidentiality and data security, while 13 had voluntarily declined to receive them. For a taxpayer, this means that not every country can be treated in the same way based solely on the total number of 113 states. The source also notes that there was no data exchange with Russia this year either.

The statement does not indicate tax rates, deadlines, penalties or amounts payable. Nor does it describe a different procedure for individual cantons. Its stated practical effect is more limited: to make available to cantonal authorities information useful for verifying the declaration of foreign accounts.

Key points

The practical check: three steps

The communication does not indicate a new deadline for the taxpayer, nor does it list any forms or documents to submit. The action that can be inferred from the source is therefore an orderly review of one’s tax return, limited to financial accounts held abroad and information that may be subject to exchange.

1. Define the information to check

The first step is to compare the categories indicated by the AFC: identification of the account holder, name, address, country of residence and tax identification number. These should be supplemented with the account details, the reporting financial institution, the balance and capital income. There is no need to turn the number of exchanged accounts into an estimate of the assets: the source specifies that the AFC cannot provide information on the extent of financial assets.

2. Compare with the tax return

For each financial account held abroad, the check to perform is the one indicated in the communication: verify whether the taxpayer declared it correctly. The review should be understood as a comparison between the information available to the taxpayer and the data that may arrive through the automatic exchange. The text does not specify a box, format or deadline; it is therefore incorrect to invent additional instructions.

3. Bring a discrepancy to the attention of the cantonal authorities

When the comparison reveals a difference, the institutional reference indicated by the source is the cantonal tax authorities. The communication identifies these authorities as the body that can verify the correctness of the tax return. The AFC remains the federal point for the exchange: in 2026 it received and sent account-related information.

The date to use as a reference for the Swiss legal bases is January 1, 2017; the communication was published on October 15, 2026. To learn more about checking your tax position, consult the guide to dichiarazione delle imposte

Source: admin.ch