Swiss Asset Management Study 2026

Investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stocks, gold, and cryptocurrencies has become commonplace in Switzerland. But not everyone wants to manage their investments themselves. Asset management – a service in which a bank or other financial service provider invests your money for you – provides a solution for these investors.

But how much does asset management cost in Switzerland? The Swiss Asset Management Study by moneyland.ch aims to answer that question. For the study, moneyland.ch compared the cost of asset management services from many conventional Swiss banks as well as Swiss robo advisors – asset management providers that only offer their services online. 

The study compares the costs based on three different amounts: A portfolio worth 100,000 francs, a portfolio worth 500,000 francs, and a portfolio worth 1 million francs. moneyland.ch calculated these costs for three different profiles: Small stock component (up to 30 percent of portfolio); mid-sized stock component (40 to 60 percent stocks); and high stock component (more than 80 percent stocks).

Many service providers, primarily conventional banks, give you an assigned, dedicated consultant upon request, whom you can contact at any time. This service is less common among robo advisors, with only Alpian providing an assigned consultant to customers with portfolios worth at least 150,000 francs. But many robo advisors do still offer some form of consultation via a chatline or video calls, for example.

The tables further down list the five cheapest asset management offers without an assigned advisor, and the five cheapest without an assigned advisor. The full comparison of all offers included in the study can be found in the free PDF. 

These are the fees to look at when using asset management services

The asset management fee is one of the main costs. This is charged as a percentage of your portfolio’s value, per year. This flat fee normally covers the costs of buying, holding, and selling investments. In other words, it covers custody fees and brokerage fees. But the exact costs covered by the asset management fee can vary between service providers.

Other costs included government stamp taxes for buying and selling securities, and fees charged by stock exchanges. The fees charged by the operators of certain investment vehicles, such as ETFs and mutual funds, are another important cost factor. These fees are deducted directly from the fund, and are shown as the fund’s total expense ratio (TER).

For the Swiss Asset Management Study 2026, moneyland.ch accounted for both the asset management fee and the TERs of investment products used. Other possible costs like stamp taxes, currency exchange costs, and stock exchange fees, are not accounted for. 

Asset management fees are the most important cost factor

A comparison of service providers reveals that cost differences between cheaper offers and more expensive ones are made up primarily of differences in flat asset management fees. “While the asset management fees of conventional banks, in particular, often exceed one percent, robo advisors often have much lower fees,” observes moneyland.ch editor Dan Urner.

Differences in the TERs of products used are smaller, on average. But it is important to note that the study only uses average TERs. Depending on the service provider and the composition of your portfolio, the actual fees paid for investment products can differ from the averages shown in this study.

The cheapest asset management for a portfolio worth 100,000 francs

“A cost comparison across multiple service providers shows a clear pattern: If you want to minimize costs, then online-only asset management services are a good fit,” says Dan Urner.

Viac stands out as a low-cost service provider across all three stock component profiles. Finpension, Independent, True Wealth, and the Passive offer from Descartes also have low costs. For offers with assigned consultants, the ETF Mandate from Sparkasse Schwyz has the lowest fees. 

The cheapest asset management for a portfolio worth 500,000 francs

The comparison for a portfolio worth 500,000 francs paints a similar picture, but with small differences. Here too, Viac has the top rankings for portfolios with a small or mid-sized stock component. But Findependent is the cheapest for a large stock component.

For a mid-sized stock component, Viac shares first place with Finpension. True Wealth and the Passive offer from Descartes are also affordable options.

Of the service providers with assigned consultants, Alpian takes first place, followed by Sparkasse Schwyz and Migros Bank.

The cheapest asset management for a portfolio worth 1 million francs

For portfolios worth 1 million francs, Viac, Finpension, Findependent, and True Wealth lead by an even wider margin. Viac is the cheapest for a small stock component, while Viac and Finpension share first place for a mid-size stock component. Findependent is the cheapest for a large stock component.

Alpian is the cheapest service provider that provides an assigned consultant, followed by Sparkasse Schwyz and Migros Bank.