Top 10 Swiss Financial Institutions

Credit Suisse, founded in Zurich in 1856 by Alfred Escher to finance Swiss railway expansion, was one of the world's most prestigious banks for 167 years before its forced merger into UBS in March 2023. At its peak, Credit Suisse managed over CHF 1.6 trillion in assets across 50 countries. A series of catastrophic risk failures — including $5.5 billion Archegos losses, $10 billion Greensill Supply Chain exposure, and the Mozambique tuna bonds scandal — destroyed client confidence and triggered a fatal bank run, requiring Swiss government intervention.

Credit Suisse (legacy, now UBS)

The Swiss National Bank is Switzerland's central bank, responsible for monetary policy and management of the country's CHF 750+ billion foreign exchange reserves — the largest relative to GDP among major economies. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in Bern, the SNB is unusual in being partially publicly traded on SIX Swiss Exchange, with cantonal governments holding 55% and private shareholders 45%. In 2023, the SNB facilitated the Credit Suisse rescue with CHF 200 billion in emergency liquidity, the largest central bank intervention in Swiss history.

Swiss National Bank (SNB)

Zurich Insurance Group is Switzerland's largest insurer and one of the world's leading multi-line insurance companies, with over $400 billion in total assets and operations in over 210 countries. Founded in Zurich in 1872, the group provides property and casualty, life insurance, and pension products to millions of individuals and thousands of commercial clients globally. In 2024, Zurich reported business operating profit of approximately $5.9 billion. Its North American commercial property insurance franchise is one of the world's largest, serving Fortune 500 companies.

Zurich Insurance Group

Swiss Re is the world's second-largest reinsurer with approximately $250 billion in invested assets and annual premium volume of approximately $45 billion. Founded in Zurich in 1863, Swiss Re provides financial protection to insurance companies against catastrophic risks including natural disasters, pandemics, and cyber events. In 2024, Swiss Re reported net income of approximately $3.2 billion, driven by disciplined underwriting and favourable rate hardening across property catastrophe reinsurance following climate-related loss years.

Swiss Re

Julius Baer is a leading Swiss private banking and wealth management group managing approximately CHF 428 billion in client assets as of 2024. Founded in Zurich in 1890, Julius Baer serves ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families from 25 countries, generating revenues of approximately CHF 3.6 billion annually. In 2024, the bank faced significant scrutiny after announcing CHF 586 million in provisions related to its exposure to the collapsed Signa real estate group — one of the largest private insolvencies in European history — triggering a major governance review.

Julius Baer Group

Pictet Group is one of Switzerland's oldest and most prestigious private banking partnerships, managing approximately CHF 700 billion in assets across asset management and wealth management as of 2024. Founded in Geneva in 1805, Pictet remains a partnership owned by eight managing partners with unlimited personal liability — a governance model almost extinct in modern finance. The Geneva-headquartered institution provides asset management, alternative investments, and family office services, and runs 20+ thematic equity strategies including pioneering environmental and healthcare funds.

Pictet Group

Lombard Odier is one of Geneva's oldest private banking partnerships, founded in 1796 and still operating as a partnership today having survived every major financial crisis over 228 years including the Napoleonic Wars and two World Wars. The bank manages approximately CHF 300 billion in client assets and is known for its pioneering commitment to sustainability investing. Lombard Odier employs approximately 2,500 people across 26 offices globally, providing private banking, investment management, and banking technology licensed to other private banks.

Lombard Odier

Raiffeisen Switzerland is the country's third-largest banking group by total assets (approximately CHF 250 billion) and largest cooperative banking network, comprising 207 independent member banks and over 800 branches serving 3.7 million members. Built on the cooperative banking principles of Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen, the Swiss network focuses on retail banking and mortgage lending, holding approximately 17% of the Swiss residential mortgage market. The group reported pre-tax profits of approximately CHF 1.1 billion in 2024.

Raiffeisen Switzerland

PostFinance is the financial services subsidiary of Swiss Post, holding approximately CHF 87 billion in customer assets and serving approximately 2.5 million private and business customers through Switzerland's postal network. Founded in 1906 as a postal savings and payment service, PostFinance is a systemically important financial institution under FINMA supervision. Unusually, PostFinance is legally prohibited from making loans or mortgages independently, reinvesting deposits in capital markets instead. Federal legislation approved in 2023 will eventually allow PostFinance to begin mortgage and SME lending.

PostFinance

Credit Suisse, founded in Zurich in 1856 by Alfred Escher to finance Swiss railway expansion, was one of the world's most prestigious banks for 167 years before its forced merger into UBS in March 2023. At its peak, Credit Suisse managed over CHF 1.6 trillion in assets across 50 countries. A series of catastrophic risk failures — including $5.5 billion Archegos losses, $10 billion Greensill Supply Chain exposure, and the Mozambique tuna bonds scandal — destroyed client confidence and triggered a fatal bank run, requiring Swiss government intervention.

Credit Suisse (legacy, now UBS)

The Swiss National Bank is Switzerland's central bank, responsible for monetary policy and management of the country's CHF 750+ billion foreign exchange reserves — the largest relative to GDP among major economies. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in Bern, the SNB is unusual in being partially publicly traded on SIX Swiss Exchange, with cantonal governments holding 55% and private shareholders 45%. In 2023, the SNB facilitated the Credit Suisse rescue with CHF 200 billion in emergency liquidity, the largest central bank intervention in Swiss history.

Swiss National Bank (SNB)

Zurich Insurance Group is Switzerland's largest insurer and one of the world's leading multi-line insurance companies, with over $400 billion in total assets and operations in over 210 countries. Founded in Zurich in 1872, the group provides property and casualty, life insurance, and pension products to millions of individuals and thousands of commercial clients globally. In 2024, Zurich reported business operating profit of approximately $5.9 billion. Its North American commercial property insurance franchise is one of the world's largest, serving Fortune 500 companies.

Zurich Insurance Group

Swiss Re is the world's second-largest reinsurer with approximately $250 billion in invested assets and annual premium volume of approximately $45 billion. Founded in Zurich in 1863, Swiss Re provides financial protection to insurance companies against catastrophic risks including natural disasters, pandemics, and cyber events. In 2024, Swiss Re reported net income of approximately $3.2 billion, driven by disciplined underwriting and favourable rate hardening across property catastrophe reinsurance following climate-related loss years.

Swiss Re

Julius Baer is a leading Swiss private banking and wealth management group managing approximately CHF 428 billion in client assets as of 2024. Founded in Zurich in 1890, Julius Baer serves ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families from 25 countries, generating revenues of approximately CHF 3.6 billion annually. In 2024, the bank faced significant scrutiny after announcing CHF 586 million in provisions related to its exposure to the collapsed Signa real estate group — one of the largest private insolvencies in European history — triggering a major governance review.

Julius Baer Group

Pictet Group is one of Switzerland's oldest and most prestigious private banking partnerships, managing approximately CHF 700 billion in assets across asset management and wealth management as of 2024. Founded in Geneva in 1805, Pictet remains a partnership owned by eight managing partners with unlimited personal liability — a governance model almost extinct in modern finance. The Geneva-headquartered institution provides asset management, alternative investments, and family office services, and runs 20+ thematic equity strategies including pioneering environmental and healthcare funds.

Pictet Group

Lombard Odier is one of Geneva's oldest private banking partnerships, founded in 1796 and still operating as a partnership today having survived every major financial crisis over 228 years including the Napoleonic Wars and two World Wars. The bank manages approximately CHF 300 billion in client assets and is known for its pioneering commitment to sustainability investing. Lombard Odier employs approximately 2,500 people across 26 offices globally, providing private banking, investment management, and banking technology licensed to other private banks.

Lombard Odier

Raiffeisen Switzerland is the country's third-largest banking group by total assets (approximately CHF 250 billion) and largest cooperative banking network, comprising 207 independent member banks and over 800 branches serving 3.7 million members. Built on the cooperative banking principles of Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen, the Swiss network focuses on retail banking and mortgage lending, holding approximately 17% of the Swiss residential mortgage market. The group reported pre-tax profits of approximately CHF 1.1 billion in 2024.

Raiffeisen Switzerland

PostFinance is the financial services subsidiary of Swiss Post, holding approximately CHF 87 billion in customer assets and serving approximately 2.5 million private and business customers through Switzerland's postal network. Founded in 1906 as a postal savings and payment service, PostFinance is a systemically important financial institution under FINMA supervision. Unusually, PostFinance is legally prohibited from making loans or mortgages independently, reinvesting deposits in capital markets instead. Federal legislation approved in 2023 will eventually allow PostFinance to begin mortgage and SME lending.

PostFinance