WIR Bank Genossenschaft

What WIR Bank Genossenschaft does

WIR Bank Genossenschaft is a Swiss cooperative bank founded in 1934 and headquartered in Basel, operating a dual-platform model that combines traditional retail and commercial banking with the proprietary CHW (WIR Franc, ISO code CHW) complementary currency network for SMEs. It serves Swiss private individuals (Privatkunden) and small-to-medium enterprises (KMU/Firmenkunden) through 9 branch locations spanning Basel, Zürich, Bern, Luzern, Lausanne, Lugano, Chur, St. Gallen, and Sierre, complemented by E-Banking, Mobile Banking, TWINT mobile payments, Multibanking aggregation, and a contact center. The bank's wholly-owned fintech subsidiary VIAC offers digital pillar 3a, vested benefits, and investment solutions with assets exceeding CHF 5 billion.

The product portfolio spans the free Bankpaket top (current account, Debit Mastercard, TWINT, E-Banking) for private customers, savings products (Sparkonto plus at 0.60%, Festgeldkonto, Sparkonto 60+), retirement solutions (VIAC 3a, VIAC Freizügigkeit, Terzo-Konto, Freizügigkeitskonto), mortgage and construction credit products (Festhypothek, Variable Hypothek, Geldmarkt-Hypothek, Baukredit), and the Business Pro Paket for SMEs. The CHW network enables peer-to-peer transactions in a parallel currency among participating SMEs and offers CHWcards, CHWmatching partner-finding, CHW-denominated financing products, and access to the Teilnehmerverzeichnis (participant directory). International banking for SME clients is delivered via the amnis Treasury AG partnership (20+ currencies, FX from 0.20% margin). Participation certificates (Beteiligungsscheine) are tradable on the bank's internal SNO-WIR system and OTC-X.

Revenue is generated through net interest income on the >CHF 5B lending book, transaction fees on participation certificate trading (0.25% brokerage, 0.075% stamp duty), account and card fees, and platform fees from the VIAC investment subsidiary. The bank is supervised by FINMA. For FY2025 it reported net profit of CHF 17.7 million, with H1 2025 profit of CHF 13.4 million, and distributed a CHF 11 dividend per participation certificate. Cooperative membership is granted through acquisition of a Genossenschaftsanteil priced at CHF 200, conferring voting rights at the annual general assembly.

Name

WIR Bank Genossenschaft

Legal name

WIR Bank Genossenschaft

Website

https://wir.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

WIR Bank Genossenschaft is a Swiss cooperative bank founded in 1934, headquartered in Basel, serving private individuals and SMEs across Switzerland through 9 branches and digital banking, including the unique CHW complementary currency network and its VIAC fintech subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Banking

NAICS

Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

SIC

Savings Institution, Federally Chartered (6035)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Data & Credit Scoring (Cashflow, Telco, Utility, Open Banking) (FSAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alternative / Non-Traditional Credit Data Providers (FSAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Cooperative banking
• Retail banking services
• Small business banking
• Payment network
• Swiss financial services

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Interest Income: Traditional banking interest income from lending activities including mortgages (Geldmarkt-Hypothek, variable and fixed rate), construction credits (Baukredit), investment credits, and current account credits. The bank also earns interest on customer deposits in savings and investment accounts.
2. Account and Card Fees: Monthly account package fees (Bankpaket top is free for private customers; Business pro for SMEs), debit/credit card issuance fees, and transaction fees for payment services including TWINT, SEPA payments, QR invoices, and instant payments.
3. Trading and Securities: Revenue from trading WIR participation certificates (Beteiligungsscheine) with brokerage fees of 0.25% of market value (minimum CHF 20) and stamp duty of 0.075%. Free custody service for certificates held at Bank WIR.
4. Dividend Distribution: Distribution of dividends to participation certificate holders. Historical distribution of approximately CHF 10-11 per certificate annually, with 2025 distribution at CHF 11.00.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

No source data with a resolvable source identifier was provided in the input. The core offering cannot be described factually.

Product overview

WIR Bank Genossenschaft is a Swiss cooperative bank founded in 1934, operating as a dual-platform institution offering both traditional banking services and the CHW complementary currency network. The core banking platform serves private customers (Privatkunden) and business customers (Firmenkunden/KMU) with products including Bankpaket top (current account, debit card, TWINT, E-Banking), savings accounts (Sparkonto plus, Sparkonto 60+), retirement solutions (VIAC 3a, VIAC Freizügigkeit, Terzo-Konto, Freizügigkeitskonto), investment products (VIAC Invest, Festgeldkonto, Beteiligungsscheine), and real estate financing (Festhypothek, Variable Hypothek, Geldmarkt-Hypothek, Baukredit). Business customers access the Business Pro Paket with payment services (SEPA, QR billing, instant payments) and International Banking via amnis partnership for multi-currency accounts. The CHW-Netzwerk platform is a parallel currency ecosystem for SMEs offering CHW cards (CHWcard, CHWcard plus), CHWmatching partner matching, CHW financing products, and access to the participant directory (Teilnehmerverzeichnis). The bank operates 9 branches across Switzerland and is regulated by FINMA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VIAC: Digital pension and investment platform offering pillar 3a, vested benefits accounts, and securities investing for private clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 0.60% interest rate on Sparkonto plus savings account
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VIACcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIAC is a Swiss fintech company that is part of Bank WIR, offering digital pillar 3a and investment solutions. VIAC contributes significantly to the bank's success, with investment platform volumes exceeding CHF 5 billion. Products include VIAC Freizügigkeit (pillar 2), VIAC 3a (pillar 3a), and VIAC Invest (investment platform).
• amnis Treasury AGcoreTechnology or Integrationamnis provides international banking services for Bank WIR business clients, offering local accounts in 20+ currencies, currency trading starting at 0.20% margin, and multi-currency business cards without additional fees. Accessed via app.amnistreasury.com platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Raiffeisen Schweiz: The dominant Swiss cooperative bank (Genossenschaft) with ~CHF 250B+ in assets and 230+ branches. Most directly comparable to WIR on legal form, cooperative governance, and SME/retail banking focus, though materially larger and without a parallel complementary currency system.
• Valiant Bank: Swiss SME- and retail-focused regional bank with a comparable mid-sized footprint, multi-branch model, and product mix spanning mortgages, payments, and digital banking. A natural like-for-like for WIR in customer segment and product breadth.
• Migros Bank: Swiss retail and SME bank owned by the Migros cooperative, offering free basic banking, mortgages, and digital channels. Closely comparable on cooperative ownership, free-accounting model, and retail/SME dual focus.
• Bank Cler: Swiss retail and SME bank (formerly Bank Coop), owned by the Basler Kantonalbank, offering transparent pricing, free accounts, and digital banking. Directly comparable in customer segment, fee transparency, and digital-first proposition.
• Hypothekarbank Lenzburg: Long-established Swiss regional cooperative bank with a similar mortgage-heavy product mix and SME/mid-market focus. Closely comparable on balance-sheet composition, mortgage-led business model, and cooperative governance.

Broad incumbents

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV): Largest Swiss cantonal bank with a strong SME and retail franchise in French-speaking Switzerland. Comparable product set (mortgages, payments, business banking), but operates as a publicly listed cantonal institution with materially larger balance sheet and capital base.
• PostFinance: Switzerland's fifth-largest financial institution and dominant retail/postal bank. Competes with WIR on retail accounts, payments (including TWINT alongside WIR), and SME banking, but at substantially larger scale and government-linked ownership.
• UBS Switzerland: Switzerland's largest universal bank following the Credit Suisse acquisition. Overlaps with WIR across mortgages, SME banking, and payments, but competes at a structurally different scale, capital base, and product breadth.

Emerging players

• Neon: Swiss neobank offering free digital accounts via a partner-bank license (Hypothekarbank Lenzburg). Targets the same price-sensitive Swiss retail and SME segment as WIR's Bankpaket top and competes on digital UX and zero-fee positioning.
• Yuh (PostFinance / Saxo): Swiss mobile banking and investing app jointly operated by PostFinance and Saxo Bank. Competes with WIR's VIAC-powered investing offering and digital account proposition in the same Swiss retail/SME customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCh-eBLFtnUOR9eXLZbHWUAQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/bankwir
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bank-wir
• Instagraminstagram.com/bankwir
• TikToktiktok.com/@bankwir
• Xx.com/Bank_WIR

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WIR Bank Genossenschaft