Massimo Chiasera

Massimo Chiasera is a partner in Bär & Karrer’s White-Collar Crime & Investigations practice in Zurich. He advises corporations, financial institutions, boards of directors, senior executives and private individuals on white-collar crime, financial crime, internal and regulatory investigations, FINMA enforcement proceedings, complex cross-border disputes and other high-stakes matters involving significant legal, regulatory, criminal and reputational risk.

His practice focuses on anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions, fraud, corruption and bribery investigations, whistleblowing investigations, corporate criminal liability, asset tracing and recovery, international mutual legal assistance, regulatory enforcement and cross-border financial crime matters.

Massimo regularly represents clients in investigations conducted by FINMA, Swiss prosecuting authorities, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and foreign enforcement authorities, as well as in Swiss criminal proceedings and multi-jurisdictional investigations. He advises clients throughout the full lifecycle of investigations: from the initial assessment, evidence-gathering and internal fact-finding to regulatory engagement, remediation measures and the resolution of enforcement proceedings. He also assists clients in connection with dawn raids, regulatory responses, production orders, evidence requests and complex investigations spanning multiple jurisdictions.

Before joining Bär & Karrer, Massimo spent more than six years at UBS as Litigation & Investigations Counsel and Compliance Specialist, where he advised on regulatory matters, internal investigations, whistleblowing cases and a broad range of financial crime issues. This in-house experience provides first-hand insight into how global financial institutions assess legal, regulatory, compliance and reputational risks.

Prior to UBS, Massimo began his career at the Office of the Attorney General of Zurich. In parallel with his private-practice and in-house roles, he has served within the Swiss Military Justice system for more than a decade as a Prosecutor and Department Head, and since 2022 as a Presiding Judge.

As one of the few Swiss practitioners of his generation to have served as investigator/prosecutor, judge as well as in-house investigations counsel at a global financial institution, Massimo brings a distinctive 360-degree perspective to investigations, enforcement proceedings and criminal matters. Having advised, investigated, prosecuted and adjudicated cases from each of these perspectives, he understands how regulators, prosecutors, courts and regulated institutions assess legal and factual issues, gather and evaluate evidence, identify risks and make strategic decisions.

Massimo regularly advises clients across the banking, financial services, asset management, fintech, digital assets, cryptocurrency and broader corporate sectors on:

• internal and regulatory investigations involving allegations of fraud, corruption, money laundering, sanctions breaches, bribery and employee misconduct;
• FINMA enforcement proceedings and regulatory investigations;
• Swiss criminal proceedings and criminal defence in white-collar crime matters;
• whistleblowing investigations;
• cross-border white-collar crime and financial crime matters;
• international mutual legal assistance and evidence-gathering proceedings;
• asset tracing, freezing and recovery strategies;
• anti-money laundering, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption compliance;
• corporate criminal liability and crisis management; and
• investigations involving banks, financial institutions, fintech companies, digital assets and cryptocurrency matters.

Massimo regularly speaks and writes on white-collar crime, financial crime, internal and regulatory investigations, anti-money laundering, sanctions, corporate compliance, criminal enforcement and regulatory enforcement.

Independent legal directories consistently recognise the quality of Massimo’s work. Chambers Europe 2026 ranks him as “Up and Coming” in White-Collar Crime. The Legal 500 describes him as “without any doubt one of the brightest, smartest and most efficient young counsels in this field in Switzerland” and highlights his “dedicated and hands-on mentality, along with outstanding legal writing skills.” Euromoney Legal Media Group recognised him as a “Rising Star” in Corporate Crime in 2020, 2021 and 2022.