Based on the legal requirements of Art. 8 et seq. of the Financial Services Act (FinSA), an overview of QuantArea AG (hereinafter the “Financial Institution”) and its services is provided below.

Bernapark 28
3066 Stettlen
Telefon: 031 561 17 00
E-Mail: info@quantarea.ch
Webseite: www.quantarea.ch

The financial institution was founded in July 2023

Supervisory authority and audit firm

Name of the supervisory organisation: AOOS AG
Address: Clausiusstrasse 50
Postcode / City: 8006 Zurich
Telephone: 044 215 98 98
E-mail: info@aoos.ch
Website: www.aoos.ch

Name of the audit firm: PwC AG
Address: Birchstrasse 160
Postcode / City: 8050 Zurich
Telephone: 058 792 44 00
E-mail: info@pwc.ch
Website: www.pwc.ch

Ombudsman’s office

The financial institution is affiliated to the independent ombudsman’s office OFS Ombud Finance Switzerland, which is recognised by the Federal Department of Finance. Disputes concerning legal claims between clients and the financial institution should, where possible, be settled by the ombudsman’s office within the framework of a mediation procedure. The address of the OFS Ombud Finance Switzerland ombudsman’s office is given below.

Name: OFS Ombud Finance Switzerland
Address: 16 Boulevard des Tranchées
Postcode / City: 1206 Geneva, Phone: 022 808 04 51
E-Mail: contact@ombudfinance.ch
Website: www.ombudfinance.ch

B. Information on the financial services offered

The financial institution provides asset management services for its clients.

In addition, the financial institution offers investment advice exclusively to institutional and professional clients in connection with portfolio construction with certain investment profiles, investment characteristics and investment restrictions defined and desired by clients. In the case of an investment advisory mandate, a recommendation is made to the client. Ultimately, the decision to buy or sell always remains with the client.

The financial institution guarantees neither a return nor success within the scope of the investment activity. The investment activity can therefore lead to an increase in value but also to a loss in value.

The Financial Institution has all the necessary authorisations to provide the services described above.

C. Client segmentation

Financial service providers must assign their clients to a legally defined client segment and comply with the corresponding behavioural obligations. The Financial Services Act provides for the segments “private clients”, “professional clients” and “institutional clients”. A customer classification is defined for each client as part of the cooperation with the financial institution. Subject to certain conditions, the client can change the client segmentation by opting in or opting out.

D. Information on risks and costs

General risks in trading with financial instruments

Investment advisory and asset management services entail financial risks. The financial institution provides all clients with the brochure “Risks involved in trading financial instruments” before the contract is concluded. This can also be viewed at www.swissbanking.org.

If clients of the financial institution have any further questions, they can contact their client advisor at any time.

Risks in connection with the service offered

For a description of the various risks that may arise from the investment strategy for the client’s assets, please refer to the corresponding investment advisory or asset management agreements.

Cost information

A fee is charged for the services provided, which is normally calculated on the assets under management and/or on a performance basis. For more detailed information, please refer to the corresponding investment advisory or asset management agreements.

If it is not possible to determine the actual amount of remuneration or third-party services before the financial service is provided or the contract is concluded, the financial institution shall inform the client of the range of the respective remunerations, taking into account the different asset classes and financial instruments.

In the case of asset management and portfolio-based investment advice, if the exact amount of third-party remuneration cannot be determined in advance, the client shall be informed of the range of the expected remuneration in relation to the portfolio value and the agreed investment strategy.

E. Information on ties to third parties

Economic ties to third parties may exist in connection with the financial services offered by the financial institution. The acceptance of payments from third parties and their treatment are regulated in detail and comprehensively in the investment advisory or asset management agreements.

F. Information on the market offering taken into account

The financial institution generally pursues an “open universe approach” and endeavours to make the best possible choice for the client when selecting financial instruments.

If the financial institution offers both its own and third-party financial instruments in its market offering, it shall take appropriate organisational measures, such as implementing a procedure for selecting financial instruments based on objective criteria customary in the industry. If the possibility of customers being disadvantaged cannot be excluded, the financial institution shall disclose this to its customers.

G.  Appropriateness and suitability

Appropriateness test for transaction-based investment advice

In the case of transaction-based investment advice, the financial institution provides investment advice for individual transactions without taking into account the entire client portfolio.

In this case, the financial institution must ascertain the client’s knowledge and experience before recommending financial instruments. In addition, before recommending financial instruments, it must be determined whether they are appropriate for the client.

In particular, the company must ensure that it is aware of the client’s knowledge and experience in relation to each relevant investment category used in the financial service.

Suitability test for portfolio-based investment advice and asset management

When providing portfolio-based investment advice, the financial institution provides investment advice that takes into account the client portfolio. When providing asset management services, the financial institution must also take into account the entirety of the client portfolio it manages. In contrast to investment advice, it also makes the investment decision itself.

In both these cases, the financial institution must determine the financial circumstances and investment objectives as well as the knowledge and experience of the clients. In this context, the knowledge and experience relates to the financial service and not to the individual transactions.

The information gathered by the financial institution about the knowledge and experience of the clients must take account of the investment strategy, and the granularity of the survey must be adapted to the complexity and risk profile of the investment and the investment strategy. In particular, the financial institution must be certain about the knowledge and experience of the clients in relation to each relevant investment category used in the financial service.