bob Finance

What bob Finance does

bob Finance is a Swiss digital lender operating as a branch (Zweigniederlassung) of Valora Schweiz AG, providing personal installment loans to Swiss residents through a fully online platform. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Zürich, the company offers unsecured consumer credit (bob credit) ranging from CHF 3,000 to CHF 80,000 over 6 to 120 months at effective annual interest rates of 4.7% to 9.9%, with specialized variants for vehicles, renovation, relocation, education, and furniture. Its digital lending stack automates credit decisions by querying Swiss credit bureaus (ZEK, IKO, CRIF), supporting the application with video identification (IDnow), e-signing, and a customer portal (MyCockpit / portal.bob.ch).

The business monetizes primarily through interest income on its personal loan book, supplemented by commissions from AXA-issued residual debt insurance (Restschuldversicherung), white-label fees from the PostFinance Privatkredit partnership, and B2B partner fees from bob zero 0% merchant financing and the bob zero Marketplace (100+ partners). Adjacent products include bob invoice BNPL, bob pay cash-at-kiosk payments across 900+ k kiosk locations, and the zer000 Apple device installment platform. Distribution combines direct digital channels (bob.ch, credit.bob.ch) with white-label partnerships (PostFinance, Glarner Kantonalbank), B2B point-of-sale financing, affiliate networks, and referral intermediaries.

bob Finance serves a single, well-defined segment: Swiss private individuals aged 18–64 with fixed employment, a Swiss bank account, and clean credit history, and increasingly B2B merchants via bob zero. Operations are entirely Switzerland-based and regulated under the Swiss Consumer Credit Act (KKG), Data Protection Act (DSG), and Telecommunications Act (FMG). The company is privately held within the Valora corporate group, with no public listing or external venture funding disclosed; leadership transitioned in February 2024 when Tim Ackermann, a founding COO and Risk Officer, was appointed CEO.

Name

bob Finance

Legal name

bob Finance, Zweigniederlassung Valora Schweiz AG

Website

https://bob.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

bob Finance is a Swiss digital lender and branch of Valora Schweiz AG offering personal installment loans (CHF 3,000–80,000) to Swiss consumers via a fully online platform, with B2B financing products and white-label distribution through PostFinance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Lending

NAICS

Nondepository Credit Intermediation (5222), Sales Financing (522220)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Bank & Credit Union Personal Loans (Unsecured Installment) (FSAKAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-Store / In-Person BNPL (POS) (FSAKACAB), Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) (CRAFALAD), BNPL Servicing, Billing & Collections (FSAKACAH)

Keywords

• Consumer lending services
• Personal loan products
• Digital lending platform
• Point-of-sale financing
• Buy now pay later

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income on Personal Loans: bob Finance earns interest revenue on personal loans (bob credit) extended to Swiss consumers. Loans range from CHF 3,000 to CHF 80,000 with effective annual interest rates of 4.7% to 9.9%, calculated based on individual creditworthiness. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Commission Income from Credit Protection Insurance: bob Finance earns commissions from AXA Versicherungen AG for selling optional residual debt insurance (Restschuldversicherung) to borrowers, protecting against involuntary unemployment, disability, and inability to work.
3. White-Label / Private Label Credit Fees: bob Finance earns revenue through its white-label PostFinance Privatkredit partnership, where PostFinance markets and sells bob Finance's credit products in exchange for a revenue or commission arrangement.
4. B2B Partner Fees (bob zero): bob Finance generates revenue from B2B partners using the bob zero 0% financing solution, where partners offer interest-free monthly installments to end consumers at point of sale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

bob Finance provides Swiss consumers with fully digital personal installment loans (bob credit) ranging from CHF 3,000 to CHF 80,000 over 6 to 120 months, with effective annual interest rates of 4.7% to 9.9% determined by individual creditworthiness. The company also offers purpose-specific loan variants (car, motorcycle, renovation, relocation, education, furniture), a 0% B2B point-of-sale financing solution (bob zero) for retailers, a buy-now-pay-later invoice product (bob invoice), an offline cash payment service (bob pay) at k kiosk locations, optional residual debt insurance, and a white-label personal loan product for PostFinance.

Product overview

bob Finance is a Swiss fintech company and branch of Valora Schweiz AG offering a comprehensive digital lending platform centered on the bob credit personal loan product. The core offering is an unsecured consumer credit (Privatkredit) ranging from CHF 3,000 to 80,000 with terms of 6-120 months and interest rates of 4.7%-9.9% APR. The company provides specialized loan variants including auto loans, renovation/construction loans, relocation loans, education loans, and motorcycle financing—all using the same underlying bob credit infrastructure with purpose-specific marketing. bob Finance extends its reach through white-label partnerships (PostFinance Privatkredit) and B2B solutions including bob zero 0% merchant financing, bob invoice BNPL payments, bob pay cash-at-kiosk payments, and the bob zero Marketplace aggregating 100+ financing partners. Supplementary services include Restschuldversicherung credit protection insurance (via AXA), loan top-ups, and digital onboarding tools (Video-Identifikation, E-Signing, Kundenportal/MyCockpit). The company operates exclusively digital processes with automated credit decisions supported by credit bureau integrations (CRIF, ZEK, IKO).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• bob credit: Personal loan product offering credit amounts from CHF 3,000 to CHF 80,000 with terms up to 120 months and interest rates from 4.7% to 9.9%.
• bob invoice
• bob zero
• bob pay
• PostFinance Privatkredit

Products and services

• bob credit (Personal Loan) Unsecured personal installment loan for Swiss consumers, available in purpose-specific variants including consumer credit, auto, motorcycle, renovation, relocation, education, and furniture financing — all using the same underlying bob credit infrastructure. Amounts from CHF 3,000 to CHF 80,000, terms 6 to 120 months, effective annual interest rate 4.7% to 9.9% based on creditworthiness. Fully digital application with video or post-office identification, e-signing, and credit bureau checks against ZEK, IKO, and CRIF.
• PostFinance Privatkredit White-label personal loan product distributed by PostFinance AG in cooperation with bob Finance. PostFinance markets and sells the loan online while bob Finance underwrites and services the credit. Same terms as bob credit: CHF 3,000 to CHF 80,000, 6 to 120 months, 4.7%-9.9% effective APR.
• bob invoice (Buy Now Pay Later) Purchase-on-invoice BNPL service for B2B retail partners and their end customers, splitting purchases into three monthly installments with no interest and no surcharge. Positioned as a widely used Swiss payment method.
• bob zero (0% B2B Financing) Zero-interest installment financing for B2B retail partners, enabling them to offer customers monthly payment options up to 48 months with no interest or fees. Designed for point-of-sale integration.
• bob zero Marketplace Digital marketplace aggregating over 100 zero-interest financing providers across categories including bicycles, wellness, home, furniture, mobility, and electronics. Connects consumers with B2B merchants offering 0% installment financing.
• bob pay (Offline Cash Payment) Payment solution for B2B e-commerce partners that allows end customers to pay for online purchases offline with cash at over 900 k kiosk locations across Switzerland. Bridges online and offline retail payment.
• zer000 (Apple Device Installments) Online platform for purchasing iPhones and iPads via monthly installments with 0% interest, 0 CHF down payment, and no mobile subscription requirement. Also offers a smartphone trade-in service for cash credit.
• Restschuldversicherung (Residual Debt Insurance) Optional payment protection insurance for bob credit borrowers, underwritten by AXA Versicherungen AG, covering involuntary unemployment, disability, and inability to work. Premium is added to the monthly credit payment, calculated based on loan amount and term.
• Krediterhöhung (Loan Top-Up) Service allowing existing bob credit borrowers to top up their active loan up to a maximum total of CHF 80,000, subject to a renewed creditworthiness assessment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Loan amounts from CHF 3,000 to CHF 80,000 with terms up to 120 months; effective annual interest rate from 4.7% to 9.9%
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PostFinance AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Per immediately, PostFinance offers the PostFinance Privatkredit in cooperation with bob Finance. PostFinance markets the credit product online on behalf of bob Finance, extending PostFinance's product portfolio and enabling access to personal loans with competitive conditions for PostFinance customers. bob Finance underwrites and services the loans; PostFinance receives a commission.
• B360 Education PartnershipsminorOthers · 1 January 2019bob Finance partners with B360 education partnerships to support knowledge development in African countries south of the Sahara. Since August 2019, bob Finance has employed IT interns from Namibia and Zambia as part of this project.
• Valora Schweiz AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015bob Finance is a branch (Zweigniederlassung) of Valora Schweiz AG, the leading Swiss Foodvenience provider (k kiosk, avec, Brezelkönig). Valora provides the corporate umbrella, operational infrastructure, and brand association for bob Finance's financial services business.
• AXA Versicherungen AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015bob Finance partners with AXA Versicherungen AG (General-Guisan-Strasse 40, 8400 Winterthur) to offer optional residual debt insurance (Restschuldversicherung) to credit customers. The insurance covers involuntary unemployment, disability, and inability to work. AXA handles claims processing and acts as the insurer.
• Glarner KantonalbankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2015Glarner Kantonalbank partners with bob Finance, referring customers to bob Finance for personal loan products. glkb.ch redirects to bob.ch for loan applications.
• CRIF AGcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015CRIF AG (Zurich) is a key credit data partner for bob Finance, providing creditworthiness information and scoring data used in automated loan decisions alongside ZEK and IKO data.
• ZEK (Zentralstelle für Kreditinformationen)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015The ZEK is a central credit information bureau in Switzerland. bob Finance queries ZEK to check existing credit commitments and negative entries before approving loans. bob Finance also reports all new credit contracts and payment arrears to ZEK.
• IKO (Informationsstelle für Konsumkredit)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015IKO is the Swiss consumer credit information agency. bob Finance queries IKO during credit applications and reports new loans and qualified payment arrears. IKO data feeds into bob's automated creditworthiness assessment.
• zer000.ch (iPhone/iPad Installment Platform)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2015zer000.ch was a platform for purchasing iPhones and iPads with monthly installment payments (0% interest, 0 CHF deposit, 0 mobile subscription). Launched in 2019. Allows customers to acquire Apple products with flexible financing.
• Stiftung St. JakobminorOthers · 1 January 2015bob Finance has partnered with Stiftung St. Jakob in Zurich for several years to support social integration of people with disabilities by providing work and development opportunities. bob Finance awards contracts to the foundation.
• Connects GmbH (Affiliate Network)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015bob Finance uses the Connects affiliate network (Connects GmbH, Theilerstrasse 7, 6300 Zug) for conversion tracking and affiliate marketing. Cookies track web visits from affiliate referrals for commission calculation.
• Valora (Parent Brand)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015bob Finance belongs to Valora Schweiz AG, which also includes k kiosk, avec, and Brezelkönig. bob is presented as part of Valora's strong partner network on bob.ch, leveraging Valora's consumer brand recognition and retail footprint in Switzerland.
• budgetgroup.ch GmbH (Credit Intermediary)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2015When bob Finance cannot offer a credit product, customers may optionally consent to having their application forwarded to credit intermediary budgetgroup.ch (operating budgetkredit.ch) for review by alternative lenders with different credit criteria.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bank-now: Swiss consumer and vehicle financing specialist (originally part of Credit Suisse, now owned by Toyota Financial Services). Directly competes with bob's personal loan and auto financing products, with similar digital onboarding.
• Cashgate: Swiss online consumer credit provider offering personal loans with similar digital application flows. Direct competitor in the Swiss digital lending space with comparable loan size ranges.
• Cembra Money Bank: Switzerland's leading specialist consumer credit provider, offering personal loans and credit cards. Closest direct competitor to bob Finance's core bob credit offering, with deeper balance sheet and broader product set.

Broad incumbents

• Klarna: European BNPL and consumer credit leader. Comparable in the bob invoice BNPL and 0% financing product category; much larger scale, broader merchant footprint, and stronger brand globally.
• Affirm: US-listed BNPL and consumer credit provider with point-of-sale installment products. Comparable in the BNPL/0% POS financing category that bob zero competes in; serves as a benchmark for embedded credit at scale.
• Migros Bank: Swiss retail bank affiliated with Migros cooperative, offering consumer credit as part of broader banking services. Larger incumbent with similar customer demographic and overlap in personal lending.

Emerging players

• Zopa: UK-based digital consumer credit and savings challenger. Comparable business model as a digital-first personal lender; relevant as a European benchmark for scaling a pure-play digital credit platform.
• Cashare: Swiss peer-to-peer lending platform offering consumer and SME credit. Comparable Swiss-market fintech competitor with smaller scale and different underwriting model (P2P marketplace).

Regional players

• Valiant Bank: Swiss regional cantonal bank offering consumer credit alongside core banking. Comparable in personal loan product offering to Swiss consumers, though distributed primarily through branch network rather than digital-first.
• Hypothekarbank Lenzburg: Swiss regional bank offering consumer and mortgage credit. Comparable in Swiss consumer lending; demonstrates how regional banks compete with digital lenders in the Swiss market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/google
• Facebookfacebook.com/bobfinance
• Instagraminstagram.com/bob_ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bob-finance

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 bob Finance