Building on a long tradition as a leading financial hub and with top technical universities and research institutes, the Greater Zurich Area offers ideal conditions and a dedicated legal framework for driving growth and innovations in Fintech. Today, Greater Zurich is one of the leading Fintech hubs in the world, on par with Singapore and London.
Fintech in the Greater Zurich Area at a glance
- Global leading Fintech hub
- Business-friendly regulatory environment, efficient licensing processes, and rich talent pool
- Thriving Fintech ecosystem with established companies and new successful start-ups, as well as necessary framework conditions, accelerators, and research
- Historically well-established banking and insurance sector combined with technological expertise and a well-developed infrastructure
- Low market entry barriers for Fintech companies
- The world’s first regulated exchange for digital assets, thus providing the necessary framework conditions for emerging technologies to thrive
- Growing focus on sustainable finance and green Fintech
The Greater Zurich Area (GZA) is one of the leading Fintech hubs both in Europe and worldwide. According to the Global Fintech Hub Ranking 2023, Zurich continues to have the second-largest potential worldwide for entrepreneurship, innovation and financial technologies – behind Singapore, but ahead of London, Stockholm, Amsterdam, New York City, San Francisco, Hong Kong, or Toronto.
10 reasons why Fintech companies choose the Greater Zurich Area
- Internationally renowned, reliable, and innovative financial hub with global network
- Deeply rooted acceptance of Fintech among authorities
- State-of-the-art technical infrastructure
- Deep pools of capital and straightforward access to funding
- Accessibility of venture capital financing and business incubators
- Protection of property, data protection laws, and confidentiality
- Low taxes and forward-thinking regulations for financial services (sandbox, banking license light)
- World-leading educational and research institutions
- World-class engineering talent and ability to attract top talent locally and from abroad
- Supportive start-up ecosystem with world-class service providers
Greater Zurich’s innovative Fintech ecosystem with successful companies
The Zurich region is the biggest financial center in Switzerland and one of the most important financial hubs worldwide. The canton of Zurich alone is home to 15,000 offices of various banking institutions, leading research institutes, and a cluster of entrepreneurs.
This leading role in traditional finance is also mirrored by the number of fintech enterprises in Zurich: the canton is the largest Fintech hub in Switzerland with 164 resident companies in 2022, while the neighboring canton of Zug boasts almost as many with 123 Fintech companies according to the IFZ Fintech Study 2023. Across all 11 GZA cantons and regions, the Greater Zurich Area has over 70 percent of the total 437 Fintech companies in Switzerland in 2022.
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Successful Fintech companies in the Greater Zurich Area
Over the years, the Greater Zurich Area has developed into a sophisticated Fintech ecosystem with numerous leading actors in academia, incubators, institutions, authorities, investors, associations and more. Discover the wide variety of Swiss Fintech companies with the interactive Swiss Fintech Map.
Static Swiss Fintech Map (PDF)
Already leading by example, the following selection of successful fintech companies shows, how the ecosystem in the Greater Zurich Area fosters fintech innovation and success in Switzerland and abroad.
Leonteq - Zurich
Leonteq - Zurich
A leading example of the prospering fintech development in the Greater Zurich region is the fintech-pioneer Leonteq. Within 10 years, the Zurich-based investment solution platform experienced tremendous growth and success and recently launched its new index for crypto assets. Based on proprietary modern technology, the company offers derivative investment products and services. Leonteq acts as both a direct issuer of its own products and as a partner to other financial institutions. The company has offices and subsidiaries in 13 countries, through which it serves over 50 markets.
Inventx - Grisons
Inventx - Grisons
Another success story with great momentum is the Grisons-based fintech company Inventx, which develops digital banking solutions for financial institutions. Inventx employs over 380 people and has recently invested over 40 million Swiss Francs in its headquarters in Chur.
Yokoy - Zurich
Yokoy - Zurich
Yokoy uses artificial intelligence to automate the entire corporate spend and corporate credit card processes. Founded in 2019 to simplify expense management, Yokoy already has over 500 customers and is expanding abroad rapidly. The start-up from Zurich has also been awarded as one of the 250 globally most promising fintech companies of 2022 by CB Insights.
Inyova - Zurich
Inyova - Zurich
Inyova is a start-up headquartered in Zurich that wants to create a more sustainable world through investing. The company offers "impact investing", allowing consumers to invest their savings into impact-focused businesses (renewable energy, diversity, healthcare). As a sustainable asset manager, Inyova handles its customer's diversified portfolios, which are designed for an attractive financial return.
Discover featured Fintech success stories
Fintech in the Greater Zurich Area: Innovative & forward-looking
Fintech material to download
Fintech & blockchain in the Greater Zurich Area
Fintech & blockchain in the Greater Zurich Area
Where world-class technology meets Swiss reliability
The Greater Zurich Area has evolved into a global Fintech and blockchain hub, thanks to factors like access to talent, leading research institutes, innovation-friendly regulators, investors and industry partners.
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