What Bank for International Settlements does

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and founded in 1930, is the world's oldest international financial institution and serves as a "bank for central banks." It is owned by 63 central banks and monetary authorities whose countries collectively account for approximately 95% of world GDP. The BIS operates three interconnected dealing rooms in Basel, Hong Kong SAR, and Mexico City providing near 24-hour banking services to roughly 180 official sector customers, including central banks and international financial institutions. Services comprise deposit-taking, gold and foreign exchange trading, management of pooled fixed income products (including Asian Green Bond Fund and a second green bond fund launched in January 2021), and dedicated investment mandates. Reporting is in Special Drawing Rights (SDR); FY 2024/25 net profit reached SDR 843.7 million with total comprehensive income of SDR 3.4 billion, and currency deposits hit an all-time high.

The Bank executes its mandate across three activity pillars: (1) Banking, as above; (2) Policy and standard-setting, hosting the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the Financial Stability Institute, the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures, and the Cyber Resilience Coordination Centre; and (3) Innovation and research through the BIS Innovation Hub, which develops technology public goods including Project Agorá (tokenized cross-border wholesale payments combining tokenized commercial bank deposits with tokenized central bank reserves for atomic, multi-currency settlement), mBridge (cross-border wholesale CBDC platform involving the People's Bank of China, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Bank of Thailand, Central Bank of UAE, and Saudi Central Bank), Project Nexus (interlinking of domestic instant payment systems), Project Aperta (cross-border open finance interoperability), and AI-driven research projects (Spectrum for inflation nowcasting, Gaia and Symbiosis for climate and emissions analytics). Services are provided at not-for-profit margins exclusively to official sector institutions; private individuals and corporate entities are not served.

Name

Bank for International Settlements

Legal name

Bank for International Settlements

Website

https://bis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), founded in 1930 and headquartered in Basel, is an international organization owned by 63 central banks that provides banking, standard-setting, and innovation services exclusively to official sector institutions worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Central Banking and International Monetary Cooperation

NAICS

Monetary Authorities-Central Bank (52111), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Commercial Banking (52211)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Functions Related To Depository Banking, Nec (6099), Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Savings Banks (Public/State-Owned) (FSABAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tokenized Bank Deposit & Commercial Bank Money Issuers (FSADADAB), Agency & Supranational Bond Trading Platforms (FSAFACAD), Financial Services Regulators (Banking, Securities, Insurance) (BPAIAOAK)

Keywords

• Central bank banking
• Reserve management
• Foreign exchange services
• Monetary cooperation
• Regulatory standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Banking Services to Central Banks: The BIS provides banking services to central banks and other official monetary institutions including deposit-taking, gold and foreign exchange trading, and management of pooled fixed income products. Revenue is generated through interest margins, transaction fees, and service charges on these reserve management services. In 2024/25, net profit was SDR 843.7 million with total comprehensive income reaching a record high of SDR 3.4 billion.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) provides banking services exclusively to central banks, monetary authorities, and international financial institutions, including deposit-taking, gold and foreign exchange trading, and management of pooled fixed income products. It also fosters international monetary and financial cooperation by hosting standard-setting committees (such as the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision), conducting economic research, publishing statistics, and exploring financial technology innovation through the BIS Innovation Hub.

Product overview

The Bank for International Settlements operates as an international organization serving central banks through three interconnected activity pillars: (1) Banking Services — providing reserve management products including deposits, gold/FX trading, and fixed income management to approximately 200 central bank customers through dealing rooms in Basel, Hong Kong, and Mexico City; (2) Policy and Standard-Setting — hosting the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, Financial Stability Institute, and other committees that develop global regulatory standards; and (3) Innovation and Research — through the BIS Innovation Hub exploring digital public goods including Project Agorá (tokenized payments), mBridge (CBDC platform), Project Nexus (cross-border payment interlinking), Project Spectrum/Gaia/Symbiosis (AI for inflation and climate analysis). The BIS also publishes the Annual Economic Report and Annual Report, maintains comprehensive statistics via the BIS Data Portal, and operates the Cyber Resilience Coordination Centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BIS Banking Services Comprehensive banking services provided exclusively to central banks, monetary authorities, and international financial institutions. Services include deposit-taking, gold and foreign exchange trading, management of pooled fixed income products, and dedicated investment mandates, served through dealing rooms in Basel, Hong Kong, and Mexico City.
• BIS Green Bond Funds

Quantifiable outcome

• Record net profit of SDR 843.7 million and total comprehensive income of SDR 3.4 billion in 2024/25
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Kingdom (Open Finance Networks)coreTechnology or Integration · 18 June 2026Project Aperta successfully linked open finance networks of UK, UAE, Brazil, Hong Kong SAR, and India through a neutral interoperability layer.
• Central Bank of UAEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Led completion of Project Aperta, linking cross-border open finance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Federal Reserve Bank of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Partner in Project Agorá, a public-private collaboration demonstrating tokenized cross-border wholesale payments using tokenized central bank reserves and commercial bank deposits on a shared platform.
• European Central BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Partner in Project Agorá working on tokenized wholesale cross-border payments infrastructure.
• Bank of JapancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Partner in Project Agorá and also conducting independent blockchain-based reserve settlement testing.
• Bank of EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Partner in Project Agorá exploring tokenized cross-border payments.
• Bank of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Joined Project Agorá as a new participant in 2026, expanding the multilateral initiative.
• Institute of International Finance (IIF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Co-convener with BIS of Project Agorá, bringing together over 40 private financial institutions to test tokenized cross-border payments.
• JPMorgan ChasecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Private sector participant in Project Agorá testing tokenized wholesale payments.
• UBScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Private sector participant in Project Agorá testing tokenized wholesale payments.
• Deutsche BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Private sector participant in Project Agorá testing tokenized wholesale payments.
• MastercardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Private sector participant in Project Agorá testing tokenized wholesale payments.
• VisacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Private sector participant in Project Agorá testing tokenized wholesale payments.
• Bank of JapancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026Governor Kazuo Ueda appointed as Chairman of Global Financial System Committee at BIS for three-year term.
• Bank of KoreacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026Governor Shin Hyun-song elected to BIS Board for three-year term, having previously served as head of monetary and economic department at BIS.
• Indonesia (BI-FAST)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026Indonesia's central bank joined BIS Nexus project to link BI-FAST instant payment system with five regional peers.
• Bank of KoreacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2026Participating in BIS-led initiatives including Project Agorá for cross-border tokenization and Project Hangang wholesale CBDC pilot.
• People's Bank of ChinacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Lead participant in mBridge cross-border CBDC platform along with Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Bank of Thailand, Central Bank of UAE, and Saudi Central Bank. BIS served as initial coordinator before transferring governance.
• Hong Kong Monetary AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Co-initiator of mBridge project and participant in Project Agorá.
• Bank of ThailandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Original co-initiator of mBridge project with Hong Kong Monetary Authority.
• Central Bank of the United Arab EmiratescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Participant in mBridge cross-border CBDC platform and Project Aperta for cross-border open finance.
• Saudi Central BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Participant in mBridge cross-border CBDC platform for wholesale settlement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• International Monetary Fund: International organization of 190 member countries promoting global monetary cooperation, financial stability, and balance-of-payments assistance. Closest institutional peer to BIS, sharing international mandate, near-universal central bank membership, and standard-setting roles.
• European Investment Bank: European Union's multilateral lending institution owned by EU member states. Comparable as a public-sector-owned international financial institution focused on lending and capital markets activity for official purposes.
• European Central Bank: Euro area central bank and core BIS partner in Agorá and Project Spectrum. Comparable as a major central bank customer and co-convener on tokenized payment and CBDC research initiatives.
• Federal Reserve System: U.S. central bank and one of BIS's largest member customers and Agorá partners. Comparable as a central bank engaging with BIS for reserve management services, FX operations, and cross-border innovation initiatives.
• World Bank: International financial institution providing loans and grants to sovereign governments for development projects. Comparable as a multilateral institution serving official-sector clients with shared governance from member governments.

Direct peers

• SWIFT: Cooperative messaging infrastructure serving banks and financial institutions globally with near-universal coverage. Highly comparable to BIS as a multi-bank cooperative utility operating critical cross-border financial infrastructure under a neutral governance model.
• CLS Bank: Multi-bank settlement institution for FX transactions, owned by a consortium of major global banks. Comparable to BIS in operating shared financial market infrastructure with cooperative ownership and a focus on reducing settlement risk across borders.

Emerging players

• Ripple: Private-sector provider of blockchain-based cross-border payment infrastructure (XRP Ledger). Comparable to BIS's Agorá/Nexus initiatives as a competing technology approach to multi-currency cross-border settlement, though with a private profit-driven model.

Regional players

• Swiss National Bank: Central bank of Switzerland and host-country institution. Comparable as a founding shareholder of BIS and a major customer using BIS banking services for reserve management.

Others

• Financial Stability Board: International body monitoring and making recommendations about the global financial system. Comparable as an international coordination and standard-setting body operating in the same regulatory ecosystem that BIS hosts and supports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BIS_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/BankForInternationalSettlements
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments3 records

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Frequently asked questions about Bank for International Settlements