Gvb Services Sa
Gebäudeversicherung Bern (GVB) is the statutory building insurance monopoly for the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, providing mandatory fire and elemental damage coverage. It also runs the GVB Privatversicherungen AG voluntary insurance subsidiary, digital self-service portals, and integrated fire-prevention and emergency-response oversight services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1807
- HeadquartersUttigen, Switzerland
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Gvb Services Sa does
Gebäudeversicherung Bern (GVB), legally operating under the name Gebäudeversicherung Bern with French-language trade name Assurance immobilière Berne (AIB), is the statutory building insurer for the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, providing mandatory fire and elemental damage insurance on every building in the canton under cantonal law. As a quasi-governmental cantonal institution headquartered in Ittigen, GVB is the monopoly provider of compulsory building insurance, supplemented by mandatory construction-period insurance, voluntary building insurance through its wholly owned subsidiary GVB Privatversicherungen AG (offered nationwide), the Stiftung EKV foundation for municipal intervention-cost coverage, and supporting foundations such as the Kulturstiftung and Präventionsstiftung. Beyond underwriting, GVB performs integrated public-safety functions including supervision of approximately 160 firefighting organizations, chimney sweep licensing, fire-protection inspections, and lightning-protection certification with subsidies up to CHF 2,500.
The technology stack centers on customer-facing and partner-facing digital platforms: the myGVB self-service portal for policy management, claims reporting and document retrieval; the Heureka and HeurekaPlus fire-protection information platforms built on VKF (Vereinigung Kantonaler Feuerversicherungen) standards and tailored to Canton of Bern regulations; the myFeuerwehr platform for fire-service management; the Wetter-Alarm weather application; and an online shop for fire-safety products. The most recent AI deployment is the Voicebot 'Berna' (built with AdNovum AG and subcontractor SPitch AG), which handles inbound customer-service calls via speech recognition and natural-language processing, with voice recordings deleted after 30 days and transcriptions retained for contractual and legal compliance.
GVB's business model is a regulated subscription model anchored in mandatory recurring premiums calculated on insured building value, construction type, and risk factors, billed annually. Go-to-market is statutory rather than commercial: customers are automatically enrolled through cantonal property registration, with self-service via myGVB and assisted support via a phone customer service center. Voluntary insurance from GVB Privatversicherungen AG adds a non-mandated revenue stream available across Switzerland, distributed through the same digital channels. Marketing is institutional and informational rather than promotional, with limited outbound commercial activity given the captive legal customer base.
Gvb Services Sa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gvb Services Sa
- Legal name
- Gebäudeversicherung Bern
- Website
- https://gvb.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1807
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Gebäudeversicherung Bern (GVB) is the statutory building insurance monopoly for the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, providing mandatory fire and elemental damage coverage. It also runs the GVB Privatversicherungen AG voluntary insurance subsidiary, digital self-service portals, and integrated fire-prevention and emergency-response oversight services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gvb Services Sa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Property Insurance
- NAICS
- Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126), Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (524), Fire Protection (922160)
- SIC
- Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial General Liability (CGL) (FSAJADAA)
Keywords
Where Gvb Services Sa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Uttigen
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gvb Services Sa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Mandatory Building Insurance: GVB operates as the statutory building insurer for the Canton of Bern, providing mandatory fire and elemental damage insurance for all buildings as required by Swiss cantonal law. This is a compulsory insurance with premiums based on building value and risk assessment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Premium rates based on building insurance value and risk factors |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Gvb Services Sa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GVB Services SA operates as the statutory cantonal building insurer for the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, providing mandatory fire and elemental damage insurance for all properties. Beyond the statutory insurance product (GVB Standard), the company offers mandatory construction period insurance, a voluntary insurance subsidiary (GVB Privatversicherungen AG), digital policy management via the myGVB customer portal, fire protection information platforms (Heureka and HeurekaPlus), fire department oversight, chimney sweep licensing, lightning protection services, and natural hazard prevention coordination.
Product overview
Gvb Services Sa (Gebäudeversicherung Bern / Assurance Immobilière Berne) operates as the cantonal building insurer for the canton of Bern, Switzerland. The offering consists of a core mandatory building insurance product (GVB Standard), mandatory construction period insurance, and a portfolio of complementary services. The product portfolio includes the myGVB customer portal for online policy management and damage reporting; the Heureka/HeurekaPlus information platforms providing fire protection prescriptions; myFeuerwehr for fire department management; fire prevention services (Brandschutz); natural hazard protection; lightning protection; and fire service coordination through the Fire Brigade Inspectorate. The company also operates the GVB Privatversicherungen AG subsidiary offering voluntary building insurance across Switzerland, and the EKV Foundation for municipal intervention cost insurance. A Wetter-Alarm weather app and online shop provide additional consumer-facing services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Wetter-Alarm: Weather app for weather information in Switzerland
- myGVB
- Stiftung EKV
- Fondation FFICSE
Products and services
- GVB Standard (Mandatory Building Insurance) The mandatory building insurance for properties in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. This is the core statutory product that GVB provides as the cantonal building insurer, covering all buildings against fire, explosion, and natural hazards as required by cantonal law.
- Obligatorische Bauzeitversicherung (Mandatory Construction Period Insurance) Mandatory construction period insurance covering buildings during the construction phase in the Canton of Bern, providing coverage for new builds, conversions, extensions, and other construction activities.
- GVB Privatversicherungen AG (Voluntary Building Insurance) Voluntary building insurance products offered across all of Switzerland through the wholly-owned subsidiary GVB Privatversicherungen AG, providing extended coverage beyond statutory mandatory requirements.
- myGVB Customer Portal Online customer portal enabling homeowners in the Canton of Bern to access property files, review coverage and contract documents, report damages online via smartphone, and request insurance sum adjustments.
- Heureka (Fire Protection Information Platform) Information platform providing fire protection prescriptions and planning aids for building usage and construction projects, based on VKF (Association of Cantonal Fire Insurance Companies) standards and Canton of Bern-specific regulations.
- HeurekaPlus Enhanced fire protection information platform that provides tailored recommendations based on answers to questions about planned construction projects, serving building owners and professionals seeking personalized fire protection guidance.
- myFeuerwehr Digital platform for fire departments providing access to specialist technical information and fire service management tools, serving the 160 firefighting organizations supervised by GVB in the Canton of Bern.
- Blitzschutz (Lightning Protection) Lightning protection services including external lightning protection, combined surge protection (with up to CHF 250 financial support), and lightning protection systems (with up to CHF 2,500 financial support), delivered through certified specialist firms.
- Wetter-Alarm App Weather application for Switzerland providing weather alerts and forecasts, offered in partnership to complement GVB's natural hazard protection services.
Companies that use Gvb Services Sa
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Gvb Services Sa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
Gvb Services Sa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- GVB Privatversicherungen AGcoreSubsidiary company offering voluntary building insurance products for customers across all of Switzerland, complementing GVB's mandatory cantonal insurance.
- Wetter-AlarmminorWeather application partnership providing weather alerts and information services for Switzerland, complementing GVB's natural hazard protection services.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gvb Services Sa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Swiss Re: Leading global reinsurer headquartered in Zurich. Cantonal building insurers like GVB rely on reinsurance capacity for catastrophic natural hazard layers; Swiss Re is a likely reinsurance counterparty and a benchmark on property risk pricing and climate-driven loss trends.
- AXA Switzerland: One of Switzerland's largest general insurers, providing building, household and property coverage to private and commercial customers nationwide. A direct competitor to GVB Privatversicherungen AG in voluntary building insurance.
- Die Mobiliar: Largest Swiss mutual insurer offering property, building and contents insurance nationwide. Competes with GVB Privatversicherungen AG in the voluntary building segment across Switzerland and offers overlapping coverage on building fire and elemental damage.
- Bâloise Holding (Baloise): Swiss-headquartered multi-line insurer with significant property and building insurance offerings for residential and commercial customers. Competes in the same voluntary building insurance market that GVB Privatversicherungen AG targets.
- Insurance Switzerland (Helvetia): Major Swiss composite insurer offering property and building insurance across Switzerland. A relevant comparable on voluntary building economics and a competitor to GVB Privatversicherungen AG in the same nationwide market.
Direct peers
- Gebäudeversicherung Kanton Zürich (GVZ): Statutory building insurer for the Canton of Zurich, the largest Swiss cantonal building insurer by policy base. GVB's closest functional peer: identical monopoly mandate, identical fire-prevention and prevention-services portfolio, same VKF-aligned standards - a direct comparable on scale, premium model and product mix.
- St. Gallische Gebäudeversicherung: Mandatory cantonal building insurer in St. Gallen with parallel fire prevention responsibilities. Closely comparable to GVB in mandate, product set (fire, elemental damage, natural hazards), and integration with local fire brigades.
- Aargauische Gebäudeversicherung (AGV): Cantonal building insurer for Aargau with the same statutory monopoly structure as GVB. Operates mandatory fire/elemental damage insurance and fire prevention/inspection services in its canton, making it a direct functional and structural peer for benchmarking premium, prevention service economics and regulatory dynamics.
- Gebäudeversicherung Luzern: Lucerne's cantonal building insurer operating the same mandatory building insurance + fire prevention mandate as GVB. Comparable on customer base, statutory rate supervision, and the integrated insurance-prevention business model.
- Basler Gebäudeversicherung (BGV): Statutory building and fire insurer for the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Offers mandatory building insurance plus prevention/Brandschutz services under the same VKF-aligned model as GVB; a relevant peer for dense urban building portfolios and small-canton economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights8 records
Customer concentration
Gvb Services Sa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gvb Services Sa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Gvb Services Sa subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Gvb Services Sa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gvb Services Sa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gvb Services Sa
What does Gvb Services Sa do?
GVB Services SA operates as the statutory cantonal building insurer for the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, providing mandatory fire and elemental damage insurance for all properties. Beyond the statutory insurance product (GVB Standard), the company offers mandatory construction period insurance, a voluntary insurance subsidiary (GVB Privatversicherungen AG), digital policy management via the myGVB customer portal, fire protection information platforms (Heureka and HeurekaPlus), fire department oversight, chimney sweep licensing, lightning protection services, and natural hazard prevention coordination.
Is Gvb Services Sa a public or private company?
Gvb Services Sa is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Gvb Services Sa founded?
Gvb Services Sa was founded in 1807.
Where is Gvb Services Sa based?
Gvb Services Sa is headquartered in Uttigen, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Gvb Services Sa make money?
One revenue line is on record: mandatory Building Insurance.
Who are Gvb Services Sa's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Swiss Re, AXA Switzerland, Die Mobiliar, Bâloise Holding (Baloise) and Insurance Switzerland (Helvetia). Direct peers are Gebäudeversicherung Kanton Zürich (GVZ), St. Gallische Gebäudeversicherung, Aargauische Gebäudeversicherung (AGV), Gebäudeversicherung Luzern and Basler Gebäudeversicherung (BGV).
Does Gvb Services Sa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gvb Services Sa.
What industry is Gvb Services Sa in?
Gvb Services Sa's product category is Property Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAJADAA, Commercial General Liability (CGL). Its NAICS code is 524126 and its SIC code is 6331.