International cooperation · Peru – Switzerland

Funds that cross the border with compliance resolved on both sides

We advise Peruvian organisations seeking Swiss funding and Swiss organisations deploying resources in Peru, on the part that decides whether the project moves forward: regulation, control of funds and anti-money-laundering prevention.

A handshake between a Peruvian and a Swiss counterparty, with both national flags and a network of international connections

Value proposition

We turn a Peruvian organisation into a fundable counterparty under Swiss standards, and a Swiss organisation into a cooperator that operates in Peru without regulatory risk.

The problem

Why Peru–Switzerland cooperation stalls today

Cooperation between Peru and Switzerland rarely stalls for lack of will or of projects. It stalls at verification. A Swiss funder subjects its counterparty to a documentary examination that answers to its own supervisory framework, and needs to establish who governs the organisation, how its funds are controlled and what system prevents those funds from being diverted. When that documentation does not exist or is incomplete, the file stops without anyone formally rejecting it.

Something equivalent happens on the other side. A Swiss organisation that decides to operate in Peru discovers that its decision is not enough: it must choose a legal vehicle, verify its registration status, resolve local hiring and confirm something often overlooked — that its own statutes and cantonal tax treatment allow it to deploy funds abroad.

To this was added a recent regulatory change. Law No. 32301, of April 2025, and its regulations, of September 2025, strengthened the supervision, transparency and control of non-reimbursable international technical cooperation resources. The documentation standard demanded today is higher than two years ago, and many organisations still operate under the old one.

Two service routes

Depending on which side of the border you are on

The work is symmetrical but not identical: each direction of the flow has its own verifications and its own order of priorities.

Route A · from Peru to Switzerland

Fundability

For Peruvian organisations that want to reach a Swiss funder's table with their file in order.

  • Fundability diagnosis and reverse due diligence
  • Registration status before APCI —ONGD, ENIEX, IPREDA— and tax standing
  • Implementation of the AML/CFT prevention system and appointment of the compliance officer
  • Structuring of subsidy agreements (grant agreements)
  • Ongoing support with project compliance and reporting

Route B · from Switzerland to Peru

Safe landing

For Swiss organisations deploying resources in Peru that need to operate without regulatory exposure.

  • Choice of the legal vehicle for operating in Peru
  • Due diligence of Peruvian counterparties
  • Reconciliation of Swiss and Peruvian compliance, including verifying whether the statutes and cantonal tax treatment allow funds to be deployed abroad
  • Local hiring, expatriate immigration, in-kind donations, data protection and beneficiary safeguarding
  • Governance, indicators and reporting protocols

Assessment protocol

Peru–Switzerland Fundability Traffic Light

We assess the organisation across nine dimensions and rate each with a traffic light. The result is a report with your current position, a remediation plan per dimension and an annual revalidation that lets you show funders your progress.

01Legal status and governance
02Financial
03AML
04APCI
05Tax
06Labour
07Data protection
08Safeguarding
09Reputational

The same protocol works in both directions. A Peruvian organisation uses it to know what to fix before applying; a Swiss organisation uses it to verify a counterparty before committing funds and to define what conditions to build into the agreement.

Regulatory framework

The rules that govern these flows

In plain language for non-lawyers, with the verified references of each jurisdiction and no article numbering.

Peru

Law No. 27692 — creates the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI), the entity before which an organisation accredits its status to receive international cooperation.

Peru

Law No. 32301, of 15 April 2025 — amends Law No. 27692 and strengthens the supervision, transparency and control of non-reimbursable international technical cooperation resources. It is the rule that raised the documentation standard demanded today.

Peru

Supreme Decree No. 032-2025-RE, of 14 September 2025 — approves the regulations of Law No. 32301, that is, the operational detail of how what the law ordered is fulfilled.

Peru

Law No. 27693 and its amending and implementing rules — creates Peru's Financial Intelligence Unit. Relevant here because non-profit organisations that collect, transfer and disburse funds are reporting entities.

Peru

Council for the Supervision of Foundations — is the supervisor of Peruvian foundations, and therefore the institutional counterpart when the chosen vehicle is a foundation.

Switzerland

Swiss Civil Code, articles 80 to 89c — governs Swiss foundations. The Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA) supervises those of national or international scope, which are precisely the ones that fund projects abroad.

Switzerland

Country Programme 2025-2028 of Switzerland's Economic Cooperation (SECO) for Peru — defines the priorities of Swiss economic cooperation with Peru for the period, and with it the terrain where a project fits or does not.

Binational team

Each jurisdiction, its own lawyer

Neither gives opinions on the other country's law. That delimitation is not a formality: it is what allows the Swiss funder to trust the Peruvian analysis and the Peruvian counterparty to trust the Swiss one.

Portrait of Victor Ventura, attorney and principal of the firm

Victor Ventura

Jurisdiction · Peru

Peruvian financial regulation, anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing prevention, registration status before APCI, and the tax and labour matters applicable to the project.

Portrait of Daniel Portugal Geiser, partner in Switzerland

Daniel Portugal Geiser

Jurisdiction · Switzerland

Swiss law of foundations and associations, scope of the applicable supervision, cantonal tax treatment and the requirements a funder must meet to deploy funds abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Split between the two audiences

Peru → SwitzerlandWhat does it mean for our organisation to be “fundable” under Swiss standards?

It means you can document three things: who governs the organisation and with what powers, how it controls and accounts for its funds, and what system it has to prevent those funds from being diverted. It is not an official rating or a certificate someone issues: it is the ability to answer a verification questionnaire without leaving blanks.

Peru → SwitzerlandWe are already registered with APCI. Isn't that enough?

It is necessary, but it covers only one of the nine dimensions a funder reviews. Registration accredits your status before the Peruvian State; it says nothing about your anti-money-laundering system, your tax standing, your internal governance or your safeguarding protocols. Typically the registration is in order and the file stops at another point.

Peru → SwitzerlandIs a non-profit organisation a reporting entity before the UIF?

It can be. Law No. 27693 and its amending and implementing rules reach non-profit organisations that collect, transfer and disburse funds. Determining whether your organisation is within scope and with what specific obligations is part of the diagnosis, and it is one of the checks a Swiss funder makes early on.

Peru → SwitzerlandDo we need a full-time compliance officer?

It depends on the scope of the obligations applicable to you and the size of the operation. The appointment is a separate requirement from exclusivity, and confusing them leads to two opposite mistakes: oversizing the role in a small organisation or leaving it nominal in one that can no longer afford that. The diagnosis determines which is your case.

Peru → SwitzerlandHow long does the assessment take and what do we receive at the end?

The timeline depends on the state of your documentation at the start. At the close you receive a report rating the nine dimensions, a remediation plan that orders what to resolve first and why, and the option of annual revalidation to show funders your progress. Our fees are never calculated as a percentage of the funds the organisation obtains.

Switzerland → PeruWhich legal vehicle is right for operating in Peru?

There is no single answer: it depends on whether you will execute directly or fund a local counterparty, the expected timeframe, the staff you relocate and the tax treatment you seek. We analyse the options against your operating plan and tell you what each implies for registration, accounting and periodic obligations.

Switzerland → PeruDo our statutes and our cantonal tax treatment allow us to deploy funds in Peru?

It is the most frequently omitted verification and the one that can stop a project already committed. The answer belongs to Swiss law and is given by our partner in Switzerland, who reviews the statutory purpose, the scope of the applicable supervision and the cantonal tax treatment before you take on obligations in Peru.

Switzerland → PeruHow is a Peruvian counterparty verified before signing an agreement?

With the same nine-dimension protocol we apply on Route A, this time from your side of the table: legal status and governance, financial standing, AML system, APCI status, tax, labour, data protection, beneficiary safeguarding and reputational. You receive a report rating each dimension and the conditions worth building into the agreement.

Switzerland → PeruWhat changed in Peru with Law No. 32301 and its regulations?

The law, of April 2025, strengthened the supervision, transparency and control of non-reimbursable international technical cooperation resources, and Supreme Decree No. 032-2025-RE, of September 2025, approved its regulations. In practical terms, the documentation and reporting standard demanded today is higher than the one in force when many ongoing agreements were signed.

BothWho answers for Swiss law and who for Peruvian law?

Each lawyer answers exclusively for his jurisdiction. Peruvian law —financial regulation, AML/CFT prevention, APCI, tax and labour— is handled by Victor Ventura. Swiss law —foundations and associations, applicable supervision and cantonal tax treatment— is handled by Daniel Portugal Geiser. Neither gives opinions on the other country's law, and that is what makes the analysis usable on both sides.

The content of this page is informational and does not constitute legal advice. Each case requires a particular analysis of its operation, its structure and the applicable regulatory framework.

Contact

Let's talk about your cooperation project

Tell us which side of the border you are on and what stage the project is at. We will tell you which verifications apply and in what order.

Office
Av. Juan de Arona 755
San Isidro, Lima
Hours
Monday to Friday · 8:00 – 17:00
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