What Bank Cler does

Bank Cler AG is a Swiss retail bank headquartered in Basel, founded in 1927 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Basler Kantonalbank. It serves three horizontal customer segments across all Swiss language regions: private retail customers, wealthy private clients, and real estate/mortgage customers, operating under a FINMA Swiss banking license (clearing number 8440, BIC BCLRCHBB). The bank is structured around a hybrid delivery model that pairs a physical branch network (Geschäftsstellen) with digital self-service channels.

The bank's product portfolio spans private accounts, savings products (including Sparkonto Plus at a 0.70% first-year preferential rate), credit and debit cards (Mastercard/Visa with mobile payment via Apple Pay, Google Pay, and TWINT), mortgages and renovation loans, investment services accessible from a CHF 1 minimum, and Pillars 2 and 3 retirement and estate planning. The flagship digital product is Zak, a free neobanking app available from age 12 that bundles accounts, savings pots, payments, retirement planning, and investing. In 2026 the bank adopted Avaloq's new mobile banking platform as part of a four-bank cantonal consortium, adding trading, portfolio management, real-time notifications, and enhanced credit card management for an aggregated ~1 million clients.

Bank Cler earns revenue through traditional banking streams: net interest income on mortgages and loans, account and card transaction fees, and fees from investment advisory and pension planning. Distribution combines sales-led branch advisory with a self-serve product-led motion via Zak and e-banking. The bank reinforces its positioning through proprietary research (e.g., a 2026 tipping habits study with ZHAW, a financial clarity study, and weekly CIO commentary), ESG-driven investment exclusions (420 companies), and a brand identity centered on 'financial clarity'. There is no disclosed venture capital or private equity involvement, and growth is funded organically under the cantonal parent.

Name

Bank Cler

Legal name

Bank Cler AG

Website

https://cler.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Bank Cler is a Swiss retail bank (Basel, founded 1927) and 100% subsidiary of Basler Kantonalbank, serving private, wealthy, and real estate customers across all Swiss language regions with accounts, cards, mortgages, investing, and the Zak neobanking app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Interest Income: Traditional banking interest revenue from mortgages, loans, credit facilities, and interest on savings deposits.
2. Account and Card Fees: Revenue from private account maintenance fees, credit card fees, and transaction fees.
3. Investment and Advisory Services: Revenue from wealth management, investment advice, financial planning, and pension planning services.
4. Mortgage and Credit Products: Revenue from mortgage lending, renovation loans, investment property financing, and other credit facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bank Cler is a Swiss retail bank offering private and savings accounts, credit/debit cards, mortgages and loans, investment services, retirement and estate planning, and wealth advisory for private customers, the self-employed, smaller companies, and real estate clients. Distribution combines traditional branch-based advisory with the free Zak neobanking smartphone app and an Avaloq-powered digital banking platform available across Switzerland's German, French, and Italian language regions.

Product overview

Bank Cler is a Swiss retail bank offering a dual-mode banking platform combining traditional banking services with an innovative neobanking app. The product portfolio centers on Zak (the first true Swiss smartphone bank, free for users aged 12+), which interconnects with traditional banking offerings including private accounts, savings accounts (Sparkonto Plus with 0.70% first-year interest), credit/debit cards (Mastercard and Visa with 5.3/6 bonus.ch rating), mortgages and loans, investment services (starting from CHF 1), and comprehensive retirement planning (Pillars 2 and 3, financial planning, estate advisory). The Avaloq-powered mobile banking platform provides trading, portfolio management, real-time notifications, and mobile payment integration (Apple Pay, Google Pay, TWINT). Bank Cler's service approach is unified under the 'Finanzielle Klarheit' (Financial Clarity) philosophy, positioning the company around simplicity and transparency. The bank is a 100% subsidiary of Basler Kantonalbank, established since 1927.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zak: A neobanking app launched by Bank Cler, marketed as Switzerland's first true smartphone bank. The app offers private accounts, savings accounts, cards with mobile payment, savings goals, payments, retirement planning, and investing, all accessible via smartphone from age 12 and free of charge.

Products and services

• Zak (Neobanking App) Free smartphone neobanking app providing a private account, savings account, card with mobile payment, savings pots, payments, retirement planning, and investing — available to users from age 12 at no charge.
• Privatkonten (Private Accounts) Private checking accounts serving as the primary transactional banking account for everyday banking needs of private customers.
• Sparkonten (Savings Accounts) Savings account products including Sparkonto Plus, which offers a preferred interest rate of 0.70% for the first year upon account opening with free account maintenance.
• Karten (Cards) Credit and debit card products including Mastercard and Visa offerings; received a customer satisfaction score of 5.3/6 in the bonus.ch annual survey.
• Hypotheken (Mortgages) Mortgage products including standard mortgages, renovation loans, investment property mortgages, and other credit facilities for real estate financing.
• Anlegen (Investing) Investment services and wealth management solutions with investment advice available from a minimum investment amount of CHF 1.
• Vorsorgen & Nachlass (Retirement & Estate Planning) Pillar 2 (occupational pension) and Pillar 3 (private pension) products, financial planning, retirement planning, and estate/inheritance advisory services.
• Vermögen & Beratung (Wealth & Advisory) Wealth management and advisory services for high-net-worth private clients.
• Digital Banking / E-Banking Online and mobile banking platform providing 24/7 access to accounts, transactions, and banking services across web browser and mobile interfaces.
• Avaloq Mobile Banking Platform (Bank Cler adoption) Modernized Avaloq-powered mobile banking platform with trading and portfolio management tools, configurable dashboards, real-time notifications, Apple Pay and Google Pay integration, and credit card management features.
• Reisezahlungsmittel (Travel Payment Methods) Currency and travel payment solutions for international travel needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Credit card satisfaction score of 5.3 out of 6 from bonus.ch survey
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ZHAW School of Management and LawminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Bank Cler partnered with ZHAW School of Management and Law to conduct a study on tipping habits in Switzerland. The study surveyed 1,051 respondents and found that over 40% of Swiss residents feel uncertain about appropriate tipping amounts. The research was led by Dr. Marcel Stadelmann and Janice Huber.
• AvaloqcoreTechnology or IntegrationAvaloq, a Swiss financial services software provider, partnered with four cantonal banks including Bank Cler to roll out mobile banking services. The new platform offers trading and portfolio management tools, configurable dashboards, real-time notifications, Apple Pay and Google Pay integration, and credit card management features. Deployment is happening in phases for approximately one million domestic customers.
• Basellandschaftliche KantonalbankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the consortium of four Swiss cantonal banks partnering with Avaloq for mobile banking modernization. Banks include Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, Basler Kantonalbank with Bank Cler, St. Galler Kantonalbank, and Thurgauer Kantonalbank.
• Thurgauer KantonalbankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the consortium of four Swiss cantonal banks partnering with Avaloq for mobile banking modernization. The project serves as a model for stronger collaboration among cantonal banks.
• St. Galler KantonalbankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst-time partner joining the Avaloq mobile banking partnership with existing partners Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, Thurgauer Kantonalbank, and Basler Kantonalbank (with Bank Cler).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UBS: Switzerland's largest universal bank with a dominant Swiss retail/mortgage business alongside global wealth management. Competes with Bank Cler for affluent retail customers and mortgage origination, though at vastly greater scale.
• Basler Kantonalbank: Parent company of Bank Cler and itself a cantonal bank offering the full retail, mortgage, and wealth management suite. Closely overlapping product set but at materially larger scale and broader regional scope.

Direct peers

• PostFinance: Switzerland's dominant state-owned retail bank, also a 100% subsidiary of a federal entity (Swiss Post) and serving private customers across all Swiss language regions. Most directly comparable in ownership structure, customer segments, and full-service retail/mortgage offering.
• Migros Bank: Swiss retail bank affiliated with the Migros cooperative, focused on private customers, mortgages, and wealth management. Competes head-to-head with Bank Cler on retail accounts, savings, and mortgage origination.
• Raiffeisen Schweiz: Swiss cooperative banking group serving ~3.6 million members with retail banking, mortgages, and wealth services. Direct competitor for retail deposits, mortgages, and advisory in the same Swiss cantonal footprint.
• Valiant Bank: Swiss regional universal bank serving private customers and SMEs across multiple cantons with retail, mortgage, and advisory services. Closely comparable mid-sized Swiss retail bank competing for similar customer segments.

Emerging players

• neon (Hypothekarbank Lenzburg + Zürcher Kantonalbank): Swiss neobank app backed by established cantonal banks offering free retail banking via smartphone. Closely comparable product proposition to Zak in terms of free mobile-first banking targeting younger Swiss customers.
• Yuh (Swissquote / PostFinance joint venture): Swiss neobanking app combining payments and investing, launched as a JV by Swissquote and PostFinance. Directly competes with the Zak neobank for young, digital-native Swiss customers seeking a mobile-first banking experience.
• Revolut (Switzerland): Global neobank with a growing Swiss customer base offering free accounts, payments, and increasingly broad financial services. Competes with Zak for digitally native Swiss consumers who are willing to multi-bank.

Regional players

• Hypothekarbank Lenzburg: Independent Swiss regional bank focused on retail, mortgages, and SME banking in the Aargau region. Comparable mid-sized Swiss retail bank with similar mortgage-heavy product mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bankcler
• Facebookfacebook.com/bankcler

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Bank Cler