Vereinigung Kantonaler Gebäudeversicherungen

What Vereinigung Kantonaler Gebäudeversicherungen does

Vereinigung Kantonaler Gebäudeversicherungen (VKG) is the Swiss umbrella federation of the 19 cantonal building insurers, operating as a public law corporation (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) headquartered in Bern. Founded in 2016 and marking its 10-year anniversary in 2026, it coordinates mandatory building insurance for roughly 2.3 million buildings — approximately 85% of the Swiss building stock — and is explicitly not subject to FINMA supervision. Its primary customers are the 19 cantonal member insurers; end beneficiaries are Swiss property owners across all cantons.

VKG's core activities span three layers: (1) coordination of a solidarity-based risk-balancing and collective reinsurance system, including CHF 2 billion in earthquake coverage provided twice yearly across the federation and pooling of CHF 2,800 billion in insurance capital; (2) centralized prevention investment of CHF 190 million annually, supplemented by CHF 260 million in fire brigade support and CHF 45 million in concrete prevention measures; and (3) production of binding technical standards, most notably the PPI 2026 Swiss fire protection regulations, plus consumer-facing tools such as the Wetter-Alarm weather warning app (extended to worldwide forecasts in 2023) and the Element Hero educational materials package and flood protection product directory (launched 2024).

VKG is funded by member assessments from the 19 cantonal insurers rather than commercial insurance premiums; it does not underwrite direct policies and has no disclosed commercial revenue. Governance is shared via its assembly of member representatives and a rotating presidency, with Serge Depallens elected President in 2024 and Jürg Solèr appointed Director effective June 2026. The organization employs 51–100 staff in Bern. Its economic footprint is best understood at the federation level — it administers prevention and reinsurance flows that ultimately mobilize hundreds of millions of Swiss francs annually across the cantonal building insurance system.

Name

Vereinigung Kantonaler Gebäudeversicherungen

Legal name

Vereinigung Kantonaler Gebäudeversicherungen (VKG)

Website

https://vkg.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VKG is the Bern-based Swiss public-law federation of 19 cantonal building insurers, founded in 2016. It coordinates mandatory building insurance covering ~2.3 million buildings (~85% of Swiss stock), manages a CHF 2,800 billion insurance capital pool, and channels CHF 190 million annually into fire and natural hazard prevention.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Insurance

NAICS

Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126), Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (524)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Homeowners Insurance (FSAJACAA)

Keywords

• Building insurance services
• Fire protection regulations
• Natural hazard prevention
• Earthquake coverage pool
• Insurance federation coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Others, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Building Insurance Premiums: The 19 cantonal building insurers collect insurance premiums from property owners for fire and natural hazard coverage. Buildings are insured at replacement value (Neuwert), enabling reconstruction without losses. Premiums vary by canton and are based on risk assessment.
2. Reinsurance Services: The Intercantonal Reinsurance Association (IRV) provides reinsurance products and services to cantonal building insurers, covering major risks and balancing long-term loss fluctuations. This creates mutual risk sharing among member insurers.
3. Earthquake Coverage Pool: The Swiss Earthquake Coverage Pool (SPE/PSDS) provides up to CHF 2 billion twice per calendar year in case of earthquakes, enabling member insurers to partially cover damages and support affected property owners.
4. Publication Sales: Sale of fire protection regulations, checklists, guidelines, and educational materials through the VKG shop. Products include fire protection regulations (CHF 270), control books, checklists (CHF 1.90 each), information leaflets (CHF 1.80 each), and various prevention materials.
5. Training and Certification: VKF provides federally recognized training and certification programs for fire protection specialists and natural hazard experts, including professional certificates and federal diplomas.
6. Fire Brigade Support Contributions: Annual contributions of CHF 260 million from cantonal building insurers support fire brigade training, vehicles, and equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

VKG is the umbrella association of 19 cantonal building insurers (KGV) in Switzerland, coordinating a "triple protection" model of prevention, intervention, and insurance for buildings. It provides strategic coordination, standardization, reinsurance (via IRV), fire protection regulations and registers (via VKF), training and certification (via VKF Ausbildung), the Swiss Earthquake Coverage Pool (via SPE), and natural hazard prevention research (via PS). The 19 member insurers collectively insure approximately 2.3 million buildings (about 85% of Swiss building stock) at replacement value against fire and natural hazards.

Product overview

Vereinigung Kantonaler Gebäudeversicherungen (VKG) operates as a federation of 19 cantonal building insurers providing a 'triple protection' system combining prevention, intervention, and insurance. The core product portfolio centers on fire protection regulations (VKF-Brandschutzvorschriften) and the associated fire protection register (VKF-Brandschutzregister), which form Switzerland's legally binding fire safety framework. Supporting products include the Element Hero educational program for schools, the Alarme-Météo weather warning app, the 'Schutz vor Naturgefahren' natural hazard information platform, and the VKF specialist training and certification programs. The organization also manages the Schweizerischer Pool für Erdbebendeckung (SPE) earthquake coverage pool. An online shop offers publications, checklists, and educational materials produced by VKF and the Beratungsstelle für Brandverhütung (BFB).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alarme-Météo / Wetter-Alarm: Free weather alert mobile application providing forecasts, webcam images, and severe weather warnings in Switzerland. Available in German, French, Italian, and English. Award-winning app with over 2 million downloads.
• Element Hero / Héros des éléments
• BFB / CIPI – Beratungsstelle für Brandverhütung

Products and services

• VKF-Brandschutzvorschriften (Fire Protection Regulations)
• VKF-Brandschutzregister (Fire Protection Register)
• VKF-Fachpersonenregister (Specialist Register)
• Alarme-Météo / Wetter-Alarm App
• Element Hero / Héros des éléments
• VKF-Ausbildung (Training Programs)
• SPE – Schweizerischer Pool für Erdbebendeckung (Swiss Earthquake Coverage Pool)
• Schutz vor Naturgefahren (Natural Hazard Protection) Platform
• Building Insurance Coverage (Fire and Natural Hazards)
• IRV Reinsurance Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual building fire damage averaging approximately CHF 320 million is covered by the cantonal insurers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IRV (Interkantonaler Rückversicherungsverband / Union intercantonale de réassurance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRV is the joint reinsurer of the cantonal building insurers, providing products and services related to risk management and risk transfer. It covers major risks and balances long-term loss fluctuations among member insurers. The unique solidarity system enables efficient risk balancing among participants.
• VKF (Vereinigung Kantonaler Feuerversicherungen / Association des établissements cantonaux d'assurance incendie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVKF supports member cantonal insurers in prevention, covering both fire protection and natural hazard prevention. It develops fire protection regulations and the fire protection register, and trains specialists in both fields.
• SPE (Schweizerischer Pool für Erdbebendeckung / Pool suisse pour la couverture des dommages sismiques)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPE provides up to CHF 2 billion twice per calendar year in case of earthquakes, enabling cantonal building insurers to partially cover damages and support affected property owners. It also advocates for mandatory earthquake insurance.
• PS (Präventionsstiftung / Fondation de prévention)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe prevention foundation promotes applied research projects in prevention, damage and risk analysis, protection measure development, and communication. Project funding focuses exclusively on natural hazards.
• FKS (Feuerwehr Koordination Schweiz / Coordination suisse des sapeurs-pompiers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFKS ensures coordination and handling of political, organizational, technical, and financial questions for fire services in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
• BFB (Beratungsstelle für Brandverhütung / Centre d'information pour la prévention des incendies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBFB/CIPI raises awareness about fire hazards, is funded by cantonal building insurers, and engages in prevention on their behalf. Publishes educational materials and safety guidelines.
• SwissolarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss solar industry association. Collaborated on developing a state-of-the-art paper (branchenübergreifende Lösung) for photovoltaic installations on roofs. Currently developing a state-of-the-art paper for photovoltaic installations on facades.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user227595621
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vereinigung-kantonaler-gebaeudeversicherungen-vkg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Vereinigung Kantonaler Gebäudeversicherungen