What Der Bundesrat does

The Swiss Federal Council (Der Bundesrat / Le Conseil fédéral / Il Consiglio federale) is the seven-member supreme executive authority of the Swiss Confederation, headquartered at the Federal Palace in Bern. Established under the 1848 Federal Constitution, it governs collectively as a collegial body, with each councilor heading one of seven federal departments (Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Justice and Police, Defence/Civil Protection/Sports, Finance, Economic Affairs/Education/Research, and Environment/Transport/Energy/Communications). Its functional scope encompasses legislative proposal submission to Parliament, execution of federal policy, management of international relations (EU, US, Mexico, EFTA), national defense coordination, fiscal stewardship under the constitutional debt brake (Schuldenbremse), and administration of social welfare programs. Direct democracy instruments — federal referendums and popular initiatives — define its relationship with Swiss citizens, who participate in binding votes on constitutional and legislative matters.

The Council's digital product surface includes the admin.ch government portal (multilingual: German, French, Italian, Romansh), the VoteInfo mobile application for federal, cantonal, and communal votes with live results and push notifications, the News Service Bund (NSB) REST API replacing legacy RSS feeds for federal press release distribution, electronic voting trials operated via Swiss Post across cantons of Basel-Stadt, St. Gallen, Thurgovia, Graubünden, and as of June 2026 Lucerne, and the Digital Letter (Lettre Numérique) postal-integrated correspondence service. It does not own proprietary AI/ML systems; technology is principally platform-and-portal digital government infrastructure. Press communications span a YouTube channel (live-streamed press conferences archived since 2003), the @BR_Sprecher X account, Instagram @gov.ch, and email newsletters via abo.news.admin.ch.

The Federal Council is funded by federal taxation; the 2027 budget estimates 93.7 billion CHF in revenue against 93.8 billion CHF in expenditures, producing a ~180 million CHF structural surplus — the first debt-brake-compliant budget in seven years without extraordinary expenditure. Revenue is not commercially generated: services are free at point of use, distribution is via federal departments and 26 cantonal authorities, and pricing is non-applicable. The entity is a sovereign government, not a commercial enterprise, and therefore has no parent company, no private equity or venture backing, no subsidiaries, and no IPO applicability. Operational headcount of the Council itself is 7 councilors plus the Chancellor (Viktor Rossi); broader federal administration spans 11–50 in the firmographic range but extends well beyond this in practice.

Name

Der Bundesrat

Legal name

Swiss Confederation (Confédération suisse / Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft)

Website

https://admin.ch

Company type

Public

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Swiss Federal Council is Switzerland's seven-member supreme executive authority, headquartered in Bern, governing federal policy, international relations, and national defense while delivering multilingual digital public services to Swiss citizens through admin.ch, the VoteInfo app, and e-voting trials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Government and Public Administration

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (9211), International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (9281)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Office / Cabinet Secretariat (BPAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Central Government Policy, Strategy & Performance (incl. OMB-style functions) (BPAIAAAB)

Keywords

• Federal government administration
• Public policy governance
• Digital government services
• Executive authority
• Citizen participation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Der Bundesrat is the supreme executive authority of the Swiss Confederation, comprising seven Federal Councilors who collectively govern through a collegial consensus system. It oversees federal administration across seven departments, submits legislative proposals to Parliament, manages international relations, coordinates national defense and security, and administers public services. Citizens access government services through the admin.ch portal, the VoteInfo mobile application for elections, electronic voting trials, and the News Service Bund for federal press releases.

Product overview

The Swiss Federal Council operates a unified digital government portal (admin.ch) providing official information, services, and access to federal administration. The main digital offerings include the VoteInfo application for voting information and results, the News Service Bund API for news distribution, electronic voting systems for cantonal trials, and the digital letter service. The portal is organized around the seven federal departments and provides access to press releases, popular votes, official communications, and citizen services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Admin.ch Government Portal The official Swiss Federal Council portal providing information on government decisions, council activities, popular votes, and access to federal administration services for Swiss citizens in four national languages.
• VoteInfo Mobile Application Mobile application for iOS and Android providing information on federal, cantonal, and communal votes and elections, including explanations, videos, live results on voting days, and push notifications for Swiss citizens.
• News Service Bund (NSB) Federal news aggregation service providing press releases, speeches, and government communications through REST APIs, RSS feeds, and export interfaces for programmatic access to federal news.
• Electronic Voting (E-Voting) System Digital voting system provided by Swiss Post allowing cantons to conduct electronic voting trials for federal referendums. Currently authorized in cantons of Basel-Stadt, St. Gallen, Thurgovia, Graubünden, and Lucerne for Swiss citizens abroad.
• Digital Letter (Lettre Numérique) Digital postal service integrated into the universal postal service, allowing citizens to send and receive official digital correspondence through the postal system.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2026President of the Confederation Guy Parmelin visited Mexico on July 8, 2026, meeting President Claudia Sheinbaum. Discussions focused on bilateral relations, trade policy, and geopolitical situation. Both sides reaffirmed support for modernizing the free trade agreement between EFTA and Mexico, concluded 25 years ago. Mexico is Switzerland's second largest trading partner in Latin America and Switzerland ranks sixth among investors in Mexico.
• Germany and ItalycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026The solidarity agreement on gas between Switzerland, Germany, and Italy entered into force on May 22, 2026. In case of gas shortage, Switzerland can request gas deliveries from Germany or Italy after exhausting all domestic measures. The gas is intended to supply households, hospitals, and emergency services. Switzerland can also provide solidarity measures to Germany and Italy in case of emergency.
• European Union (EU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026Switzerland negotiated a comprehensive package of agreements (Bilatérales III) with the EU to stabilize and develop bilateral relations. The package includes continuation of existing market access agreements and three new agreements on electricity, health, and food safety. The package was submitted to Parliament on March 13, 2026, and requires ratification through a national referendum expected no sooner than next year.
• United StatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2025Switzerland and the United States signed a joint declaration of intent on November 14, 2025, for stabilizing trade relations. On June 29, 2026, the Federal Council published a declaration on implementation of certain elements including recognition of US standards in conformity assessment bodies, medical devices, passenger cars, and public procurement. The Federal Council's objective remains the conclusion of a binding trade agreement.
• European Free Trade Association (EFTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwitzerland participates in EFTA through which it maintains free trade relations with various countries. The EFTA-Mexico free trade agreement modernization is being pursued.
• Swiss Post (La Poste Suisse)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe Federal Council authorized e-voting trials using Swiss Post's electronic voting system. The system is currently used in cantons of Basel-Stadt, St. Gallen, Thurgovia, and Graubünden since June 2023, and in Graubünden since March 2024. The canton of Lucerne was authorized for trials in June 2026.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The White House: The executive office of the US federal government. The Swiss Federal Council and the White House both serve as the chief executive authority of a federal republic, with comparable functions including policy direction, international relations, and constitutional governance.
• Bundesregierung (Germany): The German federal cabinet serves as the executive authority of a neighboring federal republic. Both governments manage federal-state coordination, EU relations, and economic policy, sharing demographic and structural similarities.
• Government of Canada: Canada's federal government operates as a federal parliamentary democracy similar to Switzerland in structure. Both manage federal-provincial/cantonal coordination, multilingual services, and complex international trade relationships.
• Élysée Palace (France): The French executive operates from the Élysée Palace in Paris. Both governments are neighboring European executives that manage EU relations, defense policy, and bilateral economic ties, with comparable functions in foreign affairs and budget oversight.
• Government of Norway: Norway's Statsministerens kontor is the executive office of a small European parliamentary democracy. Both share comparable scale and a non-EU status, with strong fiscal discipline and active engagement in international cooperation.
• Government of Sweden: Sweden's Regeringskansliet is the executive office of a small European parliamentary democracy. Both governments share comparable scale, fiscal discipline, and active engagement in international affairs, though Sweden is an EU member.
• Austrian Federal Government: Austria's federal government is the closest structural peer to the Swiss Federal Council—both are small federal republics with collegial executive traditions, similar fiscal frameworks, and both navigate relations with the EU from outside the bloc.
• Government of Netherlands: The Dutch executive is the government of a small European parliamentary democracy. Both governments share comparable scale, multilingual populations, and active engagement in EU and international affairs.
• UK Government: The UK Government operates as the executive authority of a mature parliamentary democracy. Both governments are stable, multilingual/multinational, and share comparable executive functions including international trade and fiscal policy.
• Government of Denmark: Denmark's Statsministeriet is the executive office of a small European monarchy. Both governments share comparable scale, EU-neighboring status (Denmark is an EU member), and active engagement in international cooperation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BR_Sprecher
• YouTubeyoutube.com/derschweizerischebundesratleconseilfederalsuisseilconsigliofederalesvizzero
• Instagraminstagram.com/gov.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stab-sicherheitsausschuss-des-bundesrates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Der Bundesrat