Fintech Switzerland
Switzerland owes its position as one of the world’s leading financial centres to a unique combination of factors: political and economic stability, a highly qualified labour force, a favourable legal framework, the stable Swiss franc, a broad offering of financial and insurance services and an innovative approach to creating new products.
Today the financial sector is a central pillar of the Swiss economy, generating around 10% (2020) of GDP. At the heart of a wide variety of financial and trading specialists are the banks, whose core businesses include wealth management, with several Swiss institutions among the global leaders.
The second most important players are the insurance companies, which generate a high proportion of their revenue abroad and have increasingly specialised in re-insurance.
The Swiss financial sector is also a major international force in currency trading, commodity trading and the management of hedge funds.
About one third of the 330-odd banks in Switzerland have their headquarters in Zurich, which is also the world’s third most important centre for insurance companies after London and New York. The other key financial centres are Geneva, Basel and Lugano, based in the country’s different language regions and serving clients across the globe.
All about the Business Destination Switzerland
Volume of assets under management
- According to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the volume of assets under management in Switzerland is CHF 11,300 billion – close to 10% of worldwide assets under management – making it the third-largest financial market after the US and the UK.
Zürich
- Greater Zürich area represents the world’s third largest insurance market; numerous Swiss and foreign insurance and reinsurance companies have their headquarters here.
- The Swiss Bankers Association and the Swiss Insurance Association are the leading platforms for the sector.
Basel: Bank for International Settlements
- Basel is home to the Bank for International Settlements (www.bis.org), which acts as a bank for the world’s central banks. Established on 17 May 1930, the BIS is the world’s oldest international financial organisation. Its mission is to serve central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability and to foster international cooperation in these areas.
Speakers and venues for events
- Conference organisers can benefit from this unrivalled concentration of financial expertise by booking speakers for presentations, workshops, seminars, etc.
- The Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (www.gdi.ch) is a think-tank for conducting research into social and economic fields, focusing on the early detection of trends in retail and consumption. Its beautiful venue on Lake Zürich offers an attractive place of encounter, hosting conferences with leading thinkers and decision-makers. The institute provides professional speakers for a wide range of events, to help companies and organisations understand the social and economic changes that affect their future.