Partner

Tina Balzli, LL.M. (NYU), LL.M. (NUS)

Head of Fintech & Blockchain, CMS Switzerland and Co-Head of the CMS Crypto, Digital Assets and FinTech International Focus Group

Languages

German
English
French

Social media

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.

Awards & Recognitions

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Tina is super thorough and insightful on the governance and regulatory side of things, especially on the blockchain and crypto side. She is very clear in her advice and very commercially minded.

Chambers & Partners, FinTech Legal: Payments & Lending, Switzerland, 2026
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Tina combines deep legal knowledge with a practical, business-focused mindset which makes her advice accurate and actionable.

Chambers & Partners, FinTech Legal: Payments & Lending, Switzerland, 2026
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Tina Balzli is very technical, collaborative, insightful and also responsive.

Chambers & Partners, FinTech Legal: Payments & Lending, Switzerland, 2026
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Tina Balzli is an excellent lawyer with a great understanding of business needs.

Chambers & Partners, FinTech: Payments & Lending, Switzerland, 2025
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Tina Balzli is very solution-oriented and focused.

Chambers and Partners, Fintech Legal, Switzerland, 2024
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Tina Balzli leads the team and stands out with her experience, personality and her skills.

The Legal 500, Switzerland, Fintech, 2024
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Tina is creative, understands issues quickly and provides practical advice in a short time. She is easy to work with and has an outstanding reputation.

The Legal 500, Switzerland, Commercial, Fintech, 2023
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Tina is an amazing partner both professionally and personally.

The Legal 500, Switzerland, Commercial, Fintech, 2023
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Tina Balzli is one of the leading partners in Switzerland for the regulated crypto financial industry.

The Legal 500, Switzerland, Commercial, Fintech, 2023
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She is very helpful because a lot of FinTechs have some connection to blockchain and the crypto industry and she is an area expert on these issues. She also knows the licensing procedures of FINMA and the ways of the supervisor extremely well. She is really an accredited expert.

Chambers and Partners, Switzerland, FinTech, 2023
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Tina Balzli is one of the most renowned legal experts in the field in Switzerland, and she brings to Fintech a lot of knowledge from the banking/regulatory field.

The Legal 500, Switzerland, Fintech, 2022

Relevant 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

Publications

"Eine gute Regulierung fördert Innovation", in finews.ch, November 2025
"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

Memberships & Roles

Zurich Bar Association (ZAV)
Swiss Bar Association (SAV)
Crypto Valley Association, Member of the Regulatory & Policy Working Group

Awards & Rankings

Chambers FinTech Guide 2026 | FinTech Legal: Payments & Lending, Switzerland | Band 1
The Legal 500 | FinTech, Switzerland, 2025 | Leading Partner

Lectures list

"Tokenized Assets Roundtable Vol. 4", CMS Event, Zurich, 20 April 2023
"Tokenized Assets Roundtable Vol. 3", CMS Event, Zurich, 6 July 2022
Continuous speaking and panelist engagements at industry events
"Blockchain & Law Policy", panelist, CoinGeek Zurich, 9 March 2021
"Crypto Custody and the New Swiss DLT Law", Crypto Valley Association (CVA) Virtual Series, 12 November 2020
"Custody of Digital Assets in Switzerland", Ledger Vault Series, 29 October 2020
"LIBOR what comes next", moderation, PwC Webinar, 25 June 2020
"Crypto Regulation & Compliance", Certified Crypto Finance Expert Program, Zurich, recurring since March 2020
"The legal framework for DLT and Blockchain in Switzerland", PwC Blockchain & Law Event Zurich, 19 February 2020
"Legal/Regulatory Case Studies with Utility & Security Token", Geneva Blockchain Congress 2020, 20 January 2020
"Client Classification under FinSA and MiFID II", Academy & Finance, Zurich, 11 December 2019
"Asset Tokenization – Collective Investment Schemes & Custody of Security/Asset Tokens", presentation of Crypto Valley Association (CVA) Asset Tokenization Position Paper, Geneva, 2 December 2019
"FIDLEV Update", PwC Compliance Officer Roundtable, Zurich, 27 November 2019
"Effects of Blockchain on Economy and Society", panelist, 2nd Forum Blockchain for Business, FHS St. Gallen, 19 November 2019
"Besteuerung von Krypto-Tokens", Event of the Swiss Federal Tax Authority, Berne, 6 June 2019
"Fintech in Switzerland”, Semaine de la digitalisation, University of Lausanne, 15 February 2019
"Blockchain & Crypto-Currencies, eine regulatorische Gratwanderung", PwC Compliance Officer Roundtable, Zurich, 16 January 2019
"Crypto Exchanges, Brokers & Funds", Academy & Finance, Zurich, 6 November 2018 & Geneva, 14 March 2018
"Rechtliche Aspekte digitaler Währungen”, St. Galler Juristenverein, 13 June 2018
"ICOs from Switzerland", Blockchain Leadership Summit, Zurich, 9 March 2018
"Control of untaxed assets. Current practices and impact of the proposed legislative project for financial institutions (FINIG)?", Zurich, 4 November 2014

Education

2016 – Swiss Fund & Asset Management Officer, Zurich
2011 – Master of Laws (LL.M.) in U.S. and Asian Business and Trade Law, New York University School of Law
2011 – Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Corporate & Financial Services Law, National University of Singapore
2007 – Bar Admission to all courts in Switzerland
2004 – Visiting researcher, Max-Planck-Institute for Comparative and International Private law, Hamburg
2001 – Master in Law (lic. iur.; J.D. equivalent) with mentions 'European Law' and 'Bilingual', University of Freiburg i.Ue.

Practice Areas

FinTech & Blockchain Banking & Finance Commercial Corporate / M&A

sectors

Funds Insurance Private Clients Private Equity

Insights

Global Reach