# VSB 20 Art. 44 — Duty to ensure - **Rubric (DE):** Sicherstellungspflicht - **Rubric (EN):** Duty to ensure - **Chapter:** 5. Kapitel — Delegation und Überwachungsvorschriften (2. Abschnitt: Dokumentationspflichten) - **Scope:** Banks & securities firms (incorporated via [[GwV-FINMA Art. 35 - Identification, controlling person and beneficial|GwV-FINMA Art. 35]]) - **Status:** In force (since 1 January 2020) ## Description The bank must ensure that the performance of the identification of the contracting partner, the establishment of the controlling person (*Kontrollinhaber*) and the establishment of the beneficial owner (*wirtschaftlich Berechtigter*) is documented. The identification records (*Identifikationsakten*) must be retained (Abs. 1). Part of this duty (*Sicherstellungspflicht*) is, among other things, that the receipt of the documents at the bank, or their availability in the bank's system, is recorded in a traceable manner (Abs. 2). ## Context & interpretation The SBA commentary states that the duty is met, for example, where the availability of a document in the bank's system (physical or electronic filing) is recorded traceably, meaning that internal audit or the audit firm under banking law can establish from when the document was available. It states that, according to the practice of the VSB supervisory commission, the date of receipt of an identification document, for example by a receipt stamp, is to be shown in the file, and that a missing date on a form can be replaced by the bank's receipt stamp. The VSB does not regulate the form of retention; the Code of Obligations applies, and there is no duty to keep an original of Formular A, I, K, R and T. ## FATF - [[FATF R.11 - Record-keeping|FATF R.11]] — the article requires the identification records to be retained; R.11 covers keeping documents obtained through customer due diligence (VSB Art. 44 names no retention period). ## Swiss counterparts - [[GwV-FINMA Art. 22 - Documentation and retention of records|GwV-FINMA Art. 22]] — general documentation and retention duty, organised so that FINMA and audit bodies can form a reliable judgement; VSB Art. 44 is limited to documenting identification and establishment of the controlling person and beneficial owner. - [[GwG Art. 7 - Duty to keep records|GwG Art. 7]] — statutory record-keeping duty; Abs. 3 requires the records to be kept for at least ten years after the end of the business relationship or the completion of the transaction, whereas VSB Art. 44 names no period. ## Part of - [[VSB 20]] ## Further AMLR connections - [[AMLR Art. 21 - Inability to comply with CDD|AMLR Art. 21]] — VSB Art. 44 requires banks to ensure that identification, controlling-person and beneficial-owner work is documented and the files kept; AMLR Art. 21(3) is wider, covering all CDD actions, decisions and justifications. *(related)* - [[AMLR Art. 77 - Record retention|AMLR Art. 77]] — Both require retention of CDD identification records. AMLR 77(1)(a) covers all CDD documents and sets 5 years from end of the relationship (further case-by-case extension up to 5 years); VSB 20 Art. 44 sets no period (GwG Art. 7 Abs. 3: ten years). *(direct)* ## Sources - VSB 20 (Vereinbarung vom 13. Juni 2018, in force 1.1.2020), Art. 44 - SBVg Kommentar zur VSB 20 (2020), Art. 44