Swiss Bankers: the future of payment

Swiss Bankers is an internationally oriented financial-services provider based in Bern and Zurich. We offer innovative payment solutions for every lifestyle. Swiss Bankers attaches particular importance to solutions that are secure as well as efficient and convenient. It goes without saying that our product range is becoming increasingly digital. With the Swiss Bankers app, you have not only full control over your money but also the convenient option of paying with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and wearables such as Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay. 

A Swiss Bankers’ milestone is the development of a card-based and account-independent peer-to-peer money transfer service in the global Mastercard network, allowing you to use the app to send money easily anywhere in the world.

Whether you make use of the digital method or our chip-based Mastercard cards, the prepaid products of Swiss Bankers provide you with many options and get you ready for the future. They represent a good choice for every generation, as they are secure, easy and convenient – at all times and everywhere, whether you want more flexibility on the go or you are concerned about making your online shopping safe and secure. Swiss Bankers products are available directly on our website, in the app or from more than 200 distribution partners including Raiffeisen, Credit Suisse, Migros Bank, various cantonal and regional banks, PostFinance and SBB. 

Since new technologies will be changing the way we pay far into the future, Swiss Bankers stays on top of the latest trends, makes research-based assessments of how they will benefit the client and invests in further development of innovative payment solutions year after year. This results in new solutions that make Swiss Bankers the leading Swiss provider of prepaid cards and solutions for sending money. In addition, a large number of our distribution partners process the dispatch of Swiss francs and foreign currencies through us. The required currency is conveniently and safely shipped to your home by postal mail.

Shareholders

  • Verband Schweizerische Kantonalbanken

  • Credit Suisse

  • Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft

  • PostFinance AG

  • Entris Banking AG

History of Swiss Bankers

The company was founded in 1975 under the name Swiss Bankers Travelers Cheques. Since then, we have become a strong partner in the prepaid products business with a consistent focus on innovation when it comes to global cash-free payment processes. Take a look behind the scenes of the past few decades.

1975

  • Company founded and collaboration agreement concluded with Thomas Cook for the worldwide sale of Swiss Bankers Travelers Cheques.

1988

  • Sales of Swiss Bankers Travelers Cheques reach a record 964 million francs.

1995

  • Joint venture agreement concluded with American Express; launch of a newly designed Swiss Bankers Travelers Cheque.

1999

  • Launch of World Money Direct, the home delivery service for travel money.

2003

  • Launch of Swiss Bankers Travel Cash, the safe prepaid card for worldwide cash withdrawals and direct payments at shops, restaurants and hotels.

2008

  • Swiss Bankers Travelers Cheque Center, an ordinary partnership, reorganizes to become a joint stock company known as Swiss Bankers Prepaid Services Ltd.

2010

  • Launch of Swiss Bankers Internet Cash, the prepaid card for safe payments on the Internet.

2011

  • Issuance of prepaid cards on behalf of Credit Suisse and development of the universal Swiss Bankers Easy Card prepaid card. Grant of a banking license by the FINMA.

2012

  • Opening of an online shop for the distribution of the Internet Cash card and launch of a youth card on behalf of Credit Suisse.

2013

  • Foundation of a subsidiary in Liechtenstein and authorization as an E-money institution by the Financial Market Authority Liechtenstein (FMA).
  • Launch of the «My Card» app. This app allows prepaid card holders to view their account information using their smartphone.
  • Enlargement of the acceptance network for Travel Cash. Customers can use it like a Mastercard credit card to pay at more than 40 million merchant locations worldwide and online and to withdraw cash at more than 2 million ATMs.

2015

  • Swiss Bankers succeeds in positioning the Travel Cash card as «the» travel money. On the Swiss Marketing Day, the campaign is awarded the 2015 Marketing Trophy.
  • Opening of an online shop for the distribution of Swiss Bankers Mastercard Prepaid.
  • Launch of the Swiss Bankers Value Card for corporations – the ideal solution for easily paying out funds.

2016

  • Update of the «My Card» app. The new version of the app allows cardholders to adjust their prepaid cards from Swiss Bankers to their needs by themselves. They can check their card account at any time and may choose to be notified after each transaction via the app or by SMS.
  • Launch of Apple Pay. Customers can pay with their iPhone in most shops in Switzerland and in 5 million shops in more than 70 countries. Required are a Mastercard Prepaid or a Travel Cash card from Swiss Bankers and a newer iPhone or an Apple Watch.

2017

  • Launch of Samsung Pay. Customers can pay with their Samsung smartphone. Prerequisites are a newer generation Samsung device and a prepaid card from Swiss Bankers.

2018

  • Launch of Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay. Customers can pay with their smartwatch.
  • Expansion of card loading options: Swiss Bankers prepaid cards can now be loaded via the My Card app or using online banking.

2019

  • Introduction of the new SwatchPAY! payment method. Swiss Bankers cards can now be used with smart watches from Swatch.
  • Swiss Bankers launches the Mastercard Prepaid Digital – the first purely digital card from Swiss Bankers for mobile and online payments.

2020

  • Swiss Bankers gets a new look – with a new, modern design and new product names: Life, Life Digital, Travel, Prime, Value and the Swiss Bankers app.   

Management

Bernard Burkhalter, Chairman of the Board of Directors

Hans-Jörg Widiger, Chief Executive Officer

Sascha Breite, Chief Marketing Officer

Simone Fischer, Chief Operation Officer

Paul Kreis, Chief Information Officer

George Isliker, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer

Swiss Bankers AG commitment

Swiss Bankers is a co-sponsor of the annual IFZ FinTech studies. We have supported the project team of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in the preparation of the study, which provides a comprehensive overview of the Swiss FinTech sector.

The IFZ FinTech studies can be downloaded here free of charge:

IFZ FinTech Study 2018

IFZ FinTech Study 2019

IFZ FinTech Study 2020

IFZ FinTech Study 2021

The entire IFZ FinTech study 2018 can be downloaded free of charge here:

KMU-/FinTech-Forum

The free FinTech Forum takes place several times a year. 

IFZ FinTech Forum 2021