How many banks are there in Switzerland?

Our list of banks in Switzerland includes all 268 institutions authorised by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (as of February 2026). Of these, 204 are licensed as banks and 64 as securities firms. The institutions are spread across 22 cantons and together form one of the densest financial centres in the world. You can find the complete, filterable list of Swiss banks in the directory above.

The figures are based on the public FINMA authorisation register (SES register) and the Swiss National Bank's (SNB) list of banks. Both registers are updated on an ongoing basis, which is why the exact figure can vary slightly depending on the reporting date - for example due to mergers, newly founded companies or licence surrenders. Good to know: All deposits with banks in Switzerland are covered by the Deposit protection protected up to CHF 100,000 per bank.

Banks Switzerland: All 12 types at a glance

FINMA and the SNB distinguish between a total of 12 types of bank. Each type has its own role in the Swiss financial system. Below is the complete list of bank types with the number of institutions.

Private Banks Switzerland

With 95 institutes, the Private banks the largest group. They specialise in asset management and private banking, primarily for wealthy private clients. Most private banks in Zurich and Geneva specialise in international clients, while smaller private banks in Bern, Basel or Lucerne often have a regional focus.

Regional banks and savings banks

Together, regional banks and savings banks comprise 52 institutions (42 regional banks, 10 savings banks). They are locally based and offer traditional banking services such as mortgages, Savings accounts and payment transactions - often for over 100 years.

Cantonal banks

24 institutions, one per canton (not all cantons have their own cantonal bank). Most of them enjoy a cantonal state guarantee, which gives them a special relationship of trust with the population. Exceptions are the Cantonal Bank of Berne and the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (no state guarantee) and the Banque Cantonale de Genève (limited state guarantee).

Big banks Switzerland

Following the takeover of Credit Suisse, Switzerland now has just one major bank: the UBS-Group with UBS AG and UBS Switzerland AG. Before 2023, UBS and Credit Suisse together were considered the two big banks in Switzerland.

Co-operative banks and Raiffeisen

16 institutes that belong to their members and are organised as cooperatives. Raiffeisen Switzerland acts as the central institution of the Raiffeisen Group, while the local Raiffeisen banks are organised as independent cooperatives.

Online banks

7 Institutions that operate no or only a minimal branch network and rely on digital channels. Well-known examples are Neon, Yuh and Zak from Bank Cler. You can find out which bank suits you best in our Bank comparison Switzerland.

Other types of banks

Branches of foreign banks are represented by 25 branches. A total of 71 of the 268 institutes have foreign ownership. In addition Specialised institutes (7, e.g. PostFinance or the Pfandbriefzentrale) and Investment firms (31 Swiss + 8 foreign branches) specialising in securities trading and investment advice. For securities trading, it is worth taking a look at our Online broker comparison.

Banks by canton

The geographical distribution in our list shows a clear focus. The canton of Zurich leads the way with 86 institutions - almost a third of all banks in Switzerland are based here. Zurich banks cover the entire spectrum: from the systemically important UBS and Zürcher Kantonalbank to specialised private banks and securities firms. Most of the private banks in Zurich are also based here.

Geneva follows with 58 institutions. The banks in Geneva form the centre of private banking in French-speaking Switzerland - private banks and asset managers with an international clientele in particular have settled on Lake Geneva.

There are 26 institutions registered in the canton of Berne, including the Berner Kantonalbank and numerous regional banks. Basel-Stadt (14) and Vaud (14) follow as further locations, as do St. Gallen (13) and Ticino (13), which plays a special role as a bridge to the Italian financial market.

Some smaller cantons such as Appenzell Innerrhoden, Nidwalden or Uri only have their own cantonal bank or a single regional bank - a sign that Switzerland's banks are heavily concentrated in a few centres. You can find the exact distribution per canton in the filterable list above.

FINMA categories explained

FINMA divides all supervised banks in Switzerland into five supervisory categories. The categorisation determines the intensity of supervision and is based on four criteria: Total assets, assets under management, privileged deposits and required capital.

Category 1 includes systemically important institutions. Currently, only UBS falls into this category. These banks are subject to the strictest supervision because their failure could jeopardise the entire financial system.

Category 2 includes very large institutions such as Zürcher Kantonalbank, Raiffeisen Switzerland and PostFinance. They are also subject to intensive supervision, but are not considered to be of global systemic importance.

Category 3 comprises large banks that operate nationwide and have substantial total assets. These include several cantonal banks and larger private banks.

Category 4 and 5 make up the majority: medium-sized and small banks. Many regional banks, savings banks and specialised private banks fall into these categories. Supervision is less intensive, but the regulatory requirements are nevertheless comprehensive.

In the list above, you can filter by FINMA category to see all institutions in a specific size category. Our list of Swiss banks is updated regularly based on official FINMA data.

FAQ - Frequently asked questions about Swiss banks

How many banks are there in Switzerland?

There are 268 FINMA-authorised institutions in Switzerland (as at February 2026). Of these, 204 are banks and 64 are securities firms (including foreign branches). They are spread across 22 cantons. The complete list of banks in Switzerland can be found in the directory above.

What types of banks are there in Switzerland?

Switzerland recognises 12 types of bank: Cantonal banks (state-owned, usually with a state guarantee), big banks (systemically important, e.g. UBS), private banks (asset management), regional banks and savings banks, cooperative banks, Raiffeisen banks, online banks, specialised institutions (e.g. PostFinance), securities firms and branches of foreign banks.

What are the FINMA categories?

FINMA divides banks into 5 supervisory categories: Category 1 = systemically important (UBS), Category 2 = very large (e.g. ZKB, Raiffeisen, PostFinance), Category 3 = large, Category 4 = medium-sized, Category 5 = small. The categorisation is based on total assets, assets under management, privileged deposits and own funds.

What does a state guarantee mean for cantonal banks?

Most of the 24 cantonal banks have a cantonal state guarantee in accordance with cantonal legislation. This means that the canton is liable for the bank's liabilities. Exceptions: The cantons of Berne and Vaud have no state guarantee, Geneva has a limited state guarantee. More on this at Deposit protection Swiss banks.

Which Swiss banks are systemically important?

FINMA currently only classifies UBS (UBS AG and UBS Switzerland AG) as a Category 1 systemically important bank. Following the takeover of Credit Suisse in March 2023, UBS is the only large Swiss bank in category 1. Category 2 (very large) includes Zürcher Kantonalbank, Raiffeisen Switzerland and PostFinance.

Where are the most banks in Switzerland?

Most FINMA-authorised institutions are located in the canton of Zurich (86), followed by Geneva (58), Bern (26) and Ticino (13). Zurich and Geneva are the two largest financial centres in Switzerland and together are home to more than half of all private banks.