Alpian and Visa partner to offer digital payment solutions in Switzerland

By Edlyn Cardoza

Alpian SA, Switzerland’s first digital private bank, announced its partnership with Visa, a global leader in digital payments. With this step, Alpian has become a core member of Visa, allowing the company to issue its exclusive metal debit card in Switzerland.

With the partnership made official, Alpian can now issue its premium smart metal debit card offer throughout Switzerland. The combination of an exclusive metal debit card with a multi-currency checking account (CHF, EUR, GBP, and USD) and real-time currency exchange capabilities with no management fees provides each customer of the digital private bank with a unique, elegant, and cost-effective means to facilitate their daily banking needs both within Switzerland and abroad. As a member of the Visa network, the Alpian debit card is accepted in more than 200 countries and regions and more than 100 million merchants worldwide.

“At Alpian we are committed to offering a premium service to each and every one of our customers,” said Schuyler Weiss, CEO of Alpian. “The capabilities, sophistication and stability of the Visa company allows Alpian to offer just that in its card offering. Visa has been one of Alpian’s oldest and most trusted companies, and we are excited to take our next steps with them by our side.”

The official start of the partnership follows the granting of a full Swiss banking license by FINMA and the successful completion of a SERIES B+ financing round of CHF 19 million. Both milestones have allowed the digital private bank to launch its services for selected members of its waiting list, with a launch to the public in Switzerland scheduled before the end of 2022.

Santosh Ritter, country manager of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Visa, highlighted, “The joint journey with Alpian who now receives a full banking license from FINMA has been excellent. We look forward to seeing the first Visa debit cards issued by Alpian in the Swiss market and continuing the collaboration with this great partner to help them achieve their growth goals in providing innovative services for all regions of Switzerland.”

IBS Intelligence reported that Alpian SA and Fideuram, Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking had partnered to advance the digital wealth management offering for the clients of Fideuram-ISPB, leveraging Alpian’s knowledge in technology development mobile-first user experience for digital wealth management services.