Which is the Best Swiss Bank?

More than 200 banks operate in Switzerland, but there is no one bank that offers the best products in every category. Depending on your specific needs, the same bank may be more or less favorable in terms of costs and services. This moneyland.ch guide tells you how to go about finding the best bank.

Which services do Swiss banks provide?

Banks offer a broad range of services. These include:

• Private accounts (also called personal accounts, current accounts, or checking accounts)
• Business accounts
• Credit cards
• Pillar 3a retirement accounts and pillar 3a retirement funds
• Savings accounts
• Medium-term notes
• Personal loans
• Mortgages
• Securities brokerage (stocks and other investments)
• Asset management
• Vested benefits accounts

Which Swiss bank offers the best conditions?

There are few banks that have the best pricing and conditions for more than one category of banking services. Additionally, dividing your assets between more than one bank also increases security by spreading the risk. For these reasons, using different banks for different services can make sense, from a financial point of view.

Even for subcategories within the same broad category – such as loans and mortgages – the pricing and conditions can vary depending on your customer profile. So it is worth getting multiple free quotes and then choosing the best offer.

If, on the other hand, you prefer to use just one bank for all your banking needs, then you should compare bank packages and then look at what the individual services would cost on their own. Depending on the bank, it can be cheaper to get a bundled bank package that to get the same products individually.

How can I find the best Swiss bank for my needs?

Which bank is best for you depends on your specific needs. These criteria can help you find a suitable bank:

• Costs: Choose a bank that has favorable pricing for the services you need.
• Interest rates: Choose a bank that pays high interest for your balances in savings accounts, medium-term notes, and fixed deposit accounts. Because interest rates change frequently, it is worth comparing offers on a regular basis.
• Scope of services: Choose a bank that provides the scope of services that matches your needs. For example, if you need to trade on specific stock exchanges or trade certain asset classes, you will need a bank with stock brokerage services that meet those needs. If you want to earn rewards or receive complimentary benefits for using accounts and credit cards, you should look for a bank that offers those things.
• Customer service: Choose a bank with high customer satisfaction and good service delivery. That could include things like the competence of employees and the user-friendliness of online services.
• Security: Knowing that your wealth is secure is a key consideration, but the financial health of banks is relatively difficult to estimate. While there are official creditworthiness ratings from large rating agencies, the usefulness of these ratings is a point of controversy, and ratings are only available for a few Swiss banks.
• Location: If you need or want to do banking in person, then is beneficial to choose a bank that has a branch office near you.

What are neobanks?

In more recent years, a number of neobanks have become established in Switzerland. These service providers only offer their services on the Internet – via a mobile app, for example – and do not have any branch offices.

The advantage of neobanks is that they are often cheaper than their conventional counterparts. Most do not charge basic fees for accounts and debit cards, and some have lower fees for international transactions. But you should be aware that the services offered by most neobanks have a limited range and scope.

If you are happy to do your banking online and do not use services that require a branch office, then it is worth including neobanks in your comparisons. It can also make sense to use a neobank for specific transactions, while using a conventional bank for others. You can find detailed information in the moneyland.ch guide to neobanks in Switzerland.

How can I compare the costs of using different Swiss banks?

Trying to find and compare the different fees across multiple banks can be a difficult task. The interactive comparisons on moneyland.ch help you get a good overview. You can also filter comparison results based on your individual needs.

You can compare these banking services using the interactive comparisons on moneyland.ch:

• Bank packages
• Private accounts
• Business accounts
• Credit cards
• Pillar 3a retirement accounts and pillar 3a retirement funds
• Savings accounts
• Medium-term notes
• Personal loans
• Mortgages
• Investing (stocks and other securities)
• Asset management
• Vested benefits accounts

More on this topic:
See all the moneyland.ch comparisons
How to find the right bank
How to find the right stockbroker
Neobanks in Switzerland compared
How to find the right insurance