Banque Alternative Suisse
Banque Alternative Suisse is a Swiss cooperative bank providing ethical retail, commercial, and organizational banking services in Switzerland, offering savings, mortgages, payments, and investment products to individuals, enterprises, and public-utility non-profits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Banque Alternative Suisse does
Banque Alternative Suisse (BAS) is a Swiss cooperative bank founded in 1990 and headquartered in Lausanne, operating exclusively within Switzerland. The bank is structured as a société coopérative, where customers and supporters can acquire shares ("Acquérez une part de la BAS") through public subscription, providing full-service retail and commercial banking under an explicit ethical, ecological and social mandate. BAS serves three primary customer segments — private individuals (Personnes privées), enterprises (Entreprises), and public-utility organizations (Organisations d'utilité publique) — with a clearly stated credit policy that excludes certain industries from financing while encouraging sustainable projects.
The product portfolio is anchored by a digital banking stack built on the E-banking BAS web platform and the ABS Banking mobile app (iOS and Android), with the app providing integrated two-factor authentication. Core products include savings accounts (including a children's savings account at 0.3%), credit cards (Silver and Gold tiers) and a prepaid card via Viseca, a Debit Mastercard, Pillar 3a pension accounts (Libre passage BAS 2 and Prévoyance BAS 3), security-deposit accounts, and investment advisory across stocks, bonds, funds, structured products and alternatives. The mortgage book includes a Climate Mortgage (ecological renovation) and the new "Hypothèque Logements Équitables BAS" (Fair Housing Mortgage) launched 6 May 2026. Payments are handled through QR-facture processing via SIX Group, eBill integration, and TWINT mobile payments. The bank also publishes the moneta sustainability magazine three times per year as a flagship content-marketing and stakeholder-engagement asset.
Revenue derives from traditional banking sources: interest spreads on savings accounts, mortgages (including business credit) and lending; account-management, transaction, card and e-banking fees; investment advisory and product placement fees; and pension/savings-product margins. Distribution combines a 24/7 self-serve digital channel, an online desk (guichet en ligne) for account opening and service requests, and a consultative direct advisory sales motion covering mortgages, investments and business banking. BAS is a member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) and the European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks (FEBEA), and is affiliated with the Financial Services Ombudsman (FINSOM) for dispute resolution under Swiss financial services law.
Banque Alternative Suisse firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Banque Alternative Suisse
- Legal name
- Banque Alternative Suisse
- Website
- https://bas.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Banque Alternative Suisse is a Swiss cooperative bank providing ethical retail, commercial, and organizational banking services in Switzerland, offering savings, mortgages, payments, and investment products to individuals, enterprises, and public-utility non-profits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Banque Alternative Suisse industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Retail Banking
- NAICS
- Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)
- SIC
- Savings Institutions, Not Federally Chartered (6036)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mutual Savings Banks & Mutual Thrifts (FSABAEAD)
Keywords
Where Banque Alternative Suisse is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Banque Alternative Suisse business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Interest Income: Traditional banking revenue from interest spreads on savings accounts, mortgages, and business loans
- Account and Transaction Fees: Fees for account management, payment transactions, card services, and e-banking services
- Investment Services: Investment advisory and placement services for private and institutional clients
- Pension and Savings Products: Libre passage (pension) accounts and retirement savings products (BAS 2, BAS 3 accounts)
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Children's Savings Account (Compte d'épargne enfant) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Savings Account (Compte d'épargne) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Credit Cards (Argent and Or tiers) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Banque Alternative Suisse product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Banque Alternative Suisse is a Swiss cooperative bank offering full-service ethical and sustainable banking. It provides savings accounts, mortgages (including climate and fair-housing variants), payment cards (debit, prepaid, credit), investment advisory, pension products (Pillar 3a), and digital banking via its e-banking platform and ABS Banking mobile app. The bank serves private individuals, enterprises, and public-utility non-profit organizations, and applies a published exclusion list to avoid financing harmful industries.
Product overview
Banque Alternative Suisse (BAS) operates as a values-based cooperative bank offering a comprehensive suite of banking products. The core digital banking experience centers on the E-banking BAS platform and ABS Banking App, which provide account management, payments, and two-factor authentication. The product portfolio includes savings products (regular and children's savings accounts), payment cards (Debit Mastercard, prepaid and regular credit cards), and mobile payment solutions including TWINT integration. For payments, BAS offers QR-facture processing and eBill integration. The bank provides investment products across stocks, bonds, funds, structured products, and alternatives, along with mortgage products including climate-focused and fair housing mortgages. Additional offerings include pension accounts (Pillar 3a) and a quarterly sustainability magazine (moneta).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- moneta: The bank's sustainability magazine published three times per year, covering social and environmental themes.
Products and services
- E-banking BAS Online banking platform that lets customers manage accounts, process payments, view transaction history, and exchange encrypted messages with the bank.
- ABS Banking Mobile App Smartphone banking application for account management, transfers, and card controls on the go; also serves as the second factor for e-banking two-factor authentication.
- Compte d'épargne (Savings Account) Savings account for private individuals targeting short to medium-term goals such as vacations, taxes, or other personal savings objectives.
- Compte d'épargne enfant (Children's Savings Account) Youth savings account offering a preferential 0.3% interest rate and e-banking access to help children start building a financial future.
- Debit Mastercard Debit card for cash withdrawals, cashless payments, and online purchases with funds debited directly from the customer's account.
- Carte de crédit Prepaid (Prepaid Credit Card) Prepaid credit card providing full budget control without cash, accepted worldwide and at many online stores.
- Cartes de crédit (Credit Cards) Credit cards offered in Silver or Gold tiers for worldwide payments, with free Viseca one-digitalservice online portal for real-time transaction visibility and electronic statements; credit limits based on annual income and assets held at BAS.
- QR-Facture (QR Bill) Swiss QR-bill payment service replacing traditional red and orange payment slips, supporting QR-IBAN with reference, IBAN without reference, and IBAN with reference for efficient payment processing.
- Mobile Payment Solutions (incl. TWINT) Mobile payment options enabling fast, simple, contactless payments from mobile phones, including TWINT integration.
- Hypothèque BAS climat (Climate Mortgage) Mortgage product dedicated to ecological renovation and sustainable building practices, supporting energy-efficient housing upgrades.
- Hypothèque Logements Équitables BAS (Fair Housing Mortgage) Encouragement mortgage for sustainable construction projects led by public-utility developers, designed to support fair and affordable housing initiatives.
- Investment Products Investment offering covering stocks, bonds, money market funds, investment funds, structured products, alternative investments (gold, real estate, private equity, private debt), and derivatives for private and institutional clients.
- Comptes de prévoyance (Pension Accounts - Libre passage BAS 2 & Prévoyance BAS 3) Pillar 3a retirement savings accounts including Libre passage BAS 2 and Prévoyance BAS 3 for private retirement planning.
- Compte garantie de loyer (Security Deposit Account) Dedicated account for holding rental security deposits for tenants.
Quantifiable outcome
- Hunziker Areal project: 400 apartments, 1,200+ residents, 6,000 m2 commercial space, 2000-Watt certified sustainable development
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Banque Alternative Suisse
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Banque Alternative Suisse technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature3 records
Banque Alternative Suisse partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.
- Card Security / LINDA Anti-Phishing CampaignsupportingBAS participates in the Card Security initiative featuring LINDA (a Swiss anti-phishing mascot). This police-industry partnership promotes card security awareness and fraud prevention among Swiss financial institution customers.
- Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV)coreBAS is a member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, a network of banks committed to sustainable banking. GABV promotes values-based banking principles globally.
- FebeacoreBAS is affiliated with Febea (European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks), promoting ethical banking standards across Europe.
- SIX GroupsupportingSIX Group operates Switzerland's financial market infrastructure. BAS uses SIX's QR-facture (QR-bill) system and processes payments through SIX's payment infrastructure.
- eBillsupportingBAS supports eBill integration in its e-banking platform, allowing customers to receive and pay invoices directly through the bank's digital channels.
- Financial Services Ombudsman (FINSOM)supportingBAS is affiliated with FINSOM for investor protection and mediation services, as required under Swiss financial services law (FinSA). Located at Avenue de la Gare 66, 1920 Martigny.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Banque Alternative Suisse competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Banque Alternative Suisse social profiles
Digital presenceBanque Alternative Suisse financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Banque Alternative Suisse leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Banque Alternative Suisse funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Banque Alternative Suisse M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Banque Alternative Suisse
What does Banque Alternative Suisse do?
Banque Alternative Suisse is a Swiss cooperative bank offering full-service ethical and sustainable banking. It provides savings accounts, mortgages (including climate and fair-housing variants), payment cards (debit, prepaid, credit), investment advisory, pension products (Pillar 3a), and digital banking via its e-banking platform and ABS Banking mobile app. The bank serves private individuals, enterprises, and public-utility non-profit organizations, and applies a published exclusion list to avoid financing harmful industries.
Is Banque Alternative Suisse a public or private company?
Banque Alternative Suisse is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Banque Alternative Suisse founded?
Banque Alternative Suisse was founded in 1990.
Where is Banque Alternative Suisse based?
Banque Alternative Suisse is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Banque Alternative Suisse make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Interest Income is the primary driver. The others are account and Transaction Fees, investment Services and pension and Savings Products.
Does Banque Alternative Suisse have an API?
No public API is recorded for Banque Alternative Suisse.
What industry is Banque Alternative Suisse in?
Banque Alternative Suisse's product category is Sustainable Retail Banking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAEAD, Mutual Savings Banks & Mutual Thrifts. Its NAICS code is 5221 and its SIC code is 6036.