In a Swiss stock corporation, registered shares are issued. The company is obliged to keep a share register in which the names and addresses of the shareholders are listed. Only persons whose names are entered in this register are considered shareholders of the company.

The transfer of shares requires a so-called assignment (declaration of assignment) on the share certificate. It should be noted that the transfer of registered shares can be made dependent on the approval of the company in accordance with the articles of association (registered shares with restricted transferability). This opens up the possibility for the management of a stock corporation to exert influence on the shareholder structure and, for example, to avert hostile takeovers. Announcements can be sent directly to shareholders.

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