SEBESPAY GmbH, the Swiss company of payments provider SEBES, has joined VQF, a self-regulatory organisation recognised by FINMA.
According to SEBES, the membership will create new opportunities to develop its payment services, connect with international partners, and expand beyond its existing markets. The company has not disclosed which services the Swiss entity will provide, when the membership took effect, or which clients it will serve from Switzerland.
What VQF membership involves
Under Switzerland’s Anti-Money Laundering Act, professional financial intermediaries must join a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) recognised by FINMA. The companies covered include payment service providers, which must comply with the act’s requirements and affiliate with an SRO. SROs supervise financial intermediaries that are not directly supervised by FINMA for compliance with anti-money laundering rules. Since the end of 2019, intermediaries without a FINMA licence can no longer opt for direct anti-money laundering supervision by FINMA, after a reform abolished that route.
VQF, founded in 1998 and based in Zug, is recognised by FINMA under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. It monitors its members’ anti-money laundering obligations, conducts periodic reviews, and provides training on the act. Membership concerns anti-money laundering supervision only: it is not a banking licence and does not mean a company is directly prudentially supervised by FINMA.
SEBES’s payment services
SEBES was founded in 2020. Through SEBES Technology, the group provides payment gateway integration, merchant and business account management, virtual terminal payments, and card payouts, and supports more than 50 international and domestic payment methods. It serves cross-border enterprises, global online merchants, regulated businesses, and startups, offering global payments through a single platform.
In October 2024, SEBES Technology selected Flagright to provide AI-powered anti-money laundering screening, a move the company said supported its strategy of expanding globally. The VQF membership adds a Swiss anti-money laundering framework to that compliance setup, as SEBES looks to work with more international partners.
