# PostFinance (Switzerland)

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/postfinance
> research date 2026-05-30 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [PostFinance — official](https://www.postfinance.ch/)

## Key details

- **Parent:** customer count

## Overview

**PostFinance** is **Swiss Post Ltd subsidiary + Switzerland's #5 retail bank by customers (largest retail bank by customer count)** + **Swiss government-owned via Swiss Post** + **2.7M+ customers** + **restricted from issuing mortgages + commercial loans due to Swiss law** <sup>[1][1], [Switzerland report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/CH)</sup>.

## History

**1906 — Swiss Postal Service launches postal banking services**.

**1998 — PostFinance founded as Swiss Post subsidiary**.

**Jun 26 2013 — PostFinance full Swiss banking license post-FINMA approval** distinctive Swiss postal-bank licensing milestone.

**2010 — PostFinance mobile banking app launch**.

**2017-2024 — PostFinance + Swiss Post strategic review + potential banking license expansion debate**.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **PostFinance Ltd** (Swiss Post Ltd subsidiary).

**Major shareholders**: **Swiss Post Ltd (Swiss government-owned post + logistics) fully owned + Swiss Confederation indirect ownership**.

**Regulators**: **FINMA Switzerland**.

## Technical integration

PostFinance app (iOS + Android; 2.7M+ customers) + postfinance.ch online + PostFinance postal network distribution via Swiss Post + PostFinance Visa + Mastercard + Maestro cards; SEPA + SEPA Instant + EPC-QR + TWINT (Switzerland; PostFinance is TWINT founding member) + Swiss QR-bill standard.

## Implementations & partners

**TWINT founding member**: [TWINT](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/twint) (Swiss bank-consortium A2A mobile wallet; CH #1 mobile-payment; 6M+ users >half CH population; PostFinance + UBS + Raiffeisen + Zürcher Kantonalbank + SIX Group founding consortium).

**Major Swiss banking + payments competitors**: [UBS (post-Credit Suisse acquisition)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/ubs) (UBS Group; SIX: UBSG; world's largest wealth manager post-Mar 2023 Credit Suisse acquisition for ~CHF 3B) + Raiffeisen Switzerland (Raiffeisen Switzerland; Switzerland's #3 retail bank + cooperative banking model) + [Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/zurcher-kantonalbank) (Zürcher Kantonalbank ZKB Switzerland's largest cantonal bank) + [Julius Bär (Switzerland)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/julius-baer) (Julius Bär; SIX: BAER; one of the largest pure-play wealth managers globally) + [Pictet Group (Switzerland)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/pictet) (Pictet Group Swiss partnership private banking) + Lombard Odier (Lombard Odier Swiss private banking) + [Migros Bank (Switzerland)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/migros-bank) (Migros Bank Swiss commercial bank; Migros Federation cooperative supermarket group subsidiary) + [TWINT](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/twint) (Swiss bank consortium A2A mobile wallet).

**Regulator**: FINMA Switzerland.

## Status

**Active, Swiss Post Ltd subsidiary + Switzerland's #5 retail bank by customers + 2.7M+ customers + restricted from issuing mortgages + commercial loans due to Swiss law + TWINT founding member** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.postfinance.ch/ "PostFinance — official"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PostFinance "PostFinance — Wikipedia"
[ch-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/CH

- [1] [PostFinance — official][1]
- [2] [PostFinance — Wikipedia][2]
- <sup>[Switzerland report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/CH)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/CH-switzerland.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [postfinance.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/postfinance). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.