SERV

What SERV does

SERV (Schweizerische Exportrisikoversicherung, Swiss Export Risk Insurance) is a Swiss federal body established in 2006 under the Swiss Export Risk Insurance Act (SERVG) and supervised by the Federal Council. It is Switzerland's official export credit agency, providing insurance and guarantees that cover political risks (war, expropriation, currency restrictions, transfer moratoria) and delcredere risks (buyer insolvency or refusal to pay) for the entire term of Swiss export transactions — from production through to final payment. SERV also insures financing extended by banks to Swiss exporters, enabling access to low-cost export credit, and leads the Major Infrastructure Projects (GIP) strategy that connects Swiss companies with international EPC contractors on large PPP/BOT projects abroad.

The product offering centres on a unified export risk insurance proposition delivered through several channels: insurance for Swiss exporters, insurance for financial institutions, the GIP Strategy, project financing support, counter guarantees under CHF 800,000 (with a five-working-day simplified assessment track), risk-management advisory, country and bank cover-policy guidance, and imminent-loss/claims handling. Digital service delivery is supported by a customer portal (launched 8 December 2025 at portal.serv-ch.com) and a publicly accessible premium simulator (premium-simulator.serv-ch.com) that calculates indicative premiums under the 2023 Regulations on Premium Calculation. SERV operates from headquarters in Zurich (Genferstrasse 6) and a second office in Lausanne (Avenue d'Ouchy 47), with a staff of approximately 120.

SERV's commercial model is B2B and government-mandated: it generates income from insurance premiums calculated under a public tariff and operates under a framework of obligation that the Federal Council raised from CHF 14 billion to CHF 16 billion in 2026. It distributes directly to Swiss exporters (SMEs through to large enterprises) and financial institutions, and co-insures large transactions with partner ECAs such as Atradius DSB and banks such as KfW IPEX-Bank. Recognised internationally as "ECA of the Year" at the TXF Global Awards 2026 and as winner of the Overall Best Export Finance Deal of the Year in 2023, SERV completed its 19th financial year in 2025 with a stable result and significant growth in new business.

Name

SERV

Legal name

Schweizerische Exportrisikoversicherung SERV

Website

https://serv-ch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SERV is Switzerland's official federal export credit agency, providing political-risk and delcredere insurance plus guarantees that enable Swiss exporters and their banks to finance and execute cross-border transactions, including major international infrastructure projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Export Credit Insurance

NAICS

Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers (52412), Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126), Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (524)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Guarantee, Insurance & Risk Mitigation Facilities (BPADACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Trade, Export Controls & Customs Compliance (BPAHAFAN)

Keywords

• Export credit insurance
• Political risk insurance
• Del credere insurance
• Export financing guarantees
• Project finance insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance premiums: SERV charges premiums for insurance and guarantee products covering export transactions. Premium rates are calculated under the 2023 Regulations on Premium Calculation. SERV is a federal body that promotes Swiss exports and relies on premium revenues to support exporters and maintain international competitiveness.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SERV insures and guarantees cross-border export transactions by Swiss companies, covering political risks (war, expropriation, currency transfer restrictions) and delcredere risks (buyer insolvency or refusal to pay) across the full transaction lifecycle from production to final payment. It also enables low-cost export financing by providing cover to banks and supports Swiss participation in large international infrastructure projects through its Major Infrastructure Projects (GIP) strategy and bespoke project financing insurance solutions, delivering these services through a dedicated customer portal and a published Premium Simulator.

Product overview

SERV (Swiss Export Risk Insurance) is a federal body that provides export insurance and guarantees for Swiss companies. The offering is a unified service centered on export risk insurance rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is export insurance covering political risks and delcredere (non-payment) risk, with specialized services including insurance for Swiss exporters, financing for financial institutions, Major Infrastructure Projects (GIP) Strategy, project financing support, risk management, application processing, cover policy for countries and banks, and claims/insured event handling. The customer portal and premium simulator serve as digital access points for service delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Export Insurance for Swiss Exporters Insurance covering political risks (war, expropriation, currency transfer restrictions) and delcredere risk (buyer insolvency or non-payment) for Swiss exporters of consumer goods, services, and capital goods, providing comprehensive cover throughout the entire term of an export transaction.
• Insurance for Financial Institutions Insurance solutions enabling banks and financial institutions (such as KfW IPEX-Bank) to offer low-cost export financing to Swiss clients and to support production financing activities, with SERV typically securing the majority share of the transaction.
• Major Infrastructure Projects (GIP) Strategy Strategic programme under which SERV connects Swiss companies with international general contractors (EPC contractors) for large international infrastructure projects (BOT, PPP models), including financing insurance for such projects. The mandate was transferred from SECO to SERV at the start of 2026.
• Project Financing with SERV Tailored insurance solutions supporting project financing to enable Swiss companies to implement export plans under challenging conditions, including bespoke coverage for complex, high-risk cross-border projects.
• Counter Guarantee (Simplified Assessment) Insurance product for counter guarantees under CHF 800,000 issued via a simplified risk assessment, allowing SERV to deliver cover commitments within five working days for complete, correctly submitted applications.
• SERV Customer Portal Online platform where customers submit insurance applications, manage projects, and track transaction status; serves as the primary digital access point for SERV's export credit insurance offerings.
• SERV Premium Simulator Web-based calculator tool that produces indicative premium figures for new export insurance transactions in accordance with the 2023 Regulations on Premium Calculation.

Quantifiable outcome

• SERV creates and preserves up to 21,000 jobs in Switzerland
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SECO (Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Overall responsibility for the Swiss Government's Major Infrastructure Projects (GIP) mandate was transferred from SECO to SERV at the start of 2026. This transfer gave SERV full responsibility for connecting Swiss companies with large international infrastructure projects.
• KfW IPEX-BankcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 December 2025German bank KfW IPEX-Bank provided corporate financing for a waste processing plant in Medworth, UK. SERV secured the majority share of this financing for KfW IPEX-Bank, enabling the transaction.
• Atradius DSBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2025SERV and Atradius DSB cooperated successfully on a motorway project in Istanbul, Türkiye (Nakkaş–Başakşehir BOT motorway). Both ECAs co-insured the EUR 1.1 billion project financing, demonstrating successful cross-ECA collaboration on large infrastructure projects.
• Bartholet Maschinenbau AGminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2025Swiss company Bartholet Maschinenbau AG is building the first urban ropeway in Varanasi, India, with SERV's support. SERV accompanied the project and provided insurance coverage for the international export transaction.
• SWISSto12minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 June 2024SERV provided working capital facility insurance for SWISSto12, a Swiss company producing satellites based on 3D printing technology. This provided flexible growth capital to meet strong demand for its small GEO satellite HummingSat.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Allianz Trade (formerly Euler Hermes): German export credit agency (now part of Allianz Group) and the largest European ECA by volume. Directly comparable to SERV in product set (political risk, buyer credit, guarantees) and in serving SME and large-enterprise exporters through co-insurance partnerships.
• Coface: French-headquartered trade credit insurer that also operates as a public-interest ECA analogue for French exporters. Directly comparable in product mix (delcredere, political risk) and customer base (European exporters and banks).
• Atradius Dutch State Business (Atradius DSB): Netherlands' official ECA on behalf of the Dutch State. Direct functional peer to SERV and an active co-insurance partner (e.g., the EUR 1.1bn Istanbul motorway deal), making it both a peer and a collaborator.
• UK Export Finance (UKEF): United Kingdom's official export credit agency. Closely comparable mandate (political and buyer-credit insurance, project finance, infrastructure support) and shares SERV's ECA-of-the-Year recognition profile.
• SACE (Italy): Italian export credit and insurance group, now part of the CDP Group. Comparable in product scope (export credit, political risk, infrastructure guarantees) and in serving large infrastructure and SME exporters.
• Export Development Canada (EDC): Canada's official export credit agency. Comparable in mandate (insurance, guarantees, project finance) and in targeting mid-market and large-enterprise exporters with full-transaction cover from production to payment.
• Export-Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM): US official export credit agency providing loan guarantees, export-credit insurance, and working capital support. Directly comparable mandate and product architecture to SERV at a larger scale.

Regional players

• Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-SURE): Korea's official ECA providing export credit insurance and project finance guarantees. Functionally identical product set to SERV, but operating in a different geography and primarily serving Korean exporters.
• Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC): Japanese policy-based financial institution offering export finance, investment, and political-risk cover. Comparable in large-infrastructure deal capability but operating primarily in Asian markets.

Others

• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA): World Bank Group political-risk insurance affiliate. Not a direct competitor (it serves foreign investors in developing countries) but a closely related multilateral peer in the political-risk insurance space where SERV sometimes co-invests on Swiss export-related projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@serv-ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/serv-swiss-export-risk-insurance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 SERV