1.0Market Snapshot
- 3,330
- Enterprises in NOGA 66.19 "other activities auxiliary to financial services" in 2024, BFS STATENT. No BFS class covers payments alone: this class includes payment processing and clearing together with other financial auxiliaries, so it is an upper bound for the payment sector.
- 25,363
- Employees in NOGA 66.19 in 2024 (22,196 full-time equivalents), BFS STATENT; 65% of them work in the canton of Zurich, where SIX, Worldline Schweiz and TWINT are registered.
- −0.5%
- Employment change in NOGA 66.19 in 2024 (25,486 to 25,363), BFS STATENT. Employment has been flat since 2020 (25,427).
- 901 million
- TWINT transactions in 2025, up 17% (31% in 2024); more than 6 million users — two out of three residents (TWINT, February 2026).
- 35%
- Share of point-of-sale payments made by debit card in 2024, ahead of cash (30%), payment apps (18%) and credit cards (14%) — SNB payment methods survey 2024.
According to Val Index analysis of Swiss commercial-register and federal data (2026), Switzerland counts 3,330 payment services & processing companies — Enterprises in NOGA 66.19 "other activities auxiliary to financial services" in 2024, BFS STATENT. No BFS class covers payments alone: this class includes payment processing and clearing together with other financial auxiliaries, so it is an upper bound for the payment sector..
2.0Industry Overview
Swiss payments are run by a small number of infrastructure companies and a larger field of payment service providers (PSPs), gateways and fintechs. The BFS does not have a class for payments alone: NOGA 66.19, which includes payment processing and clearing alongside other financial auxiliaries, counts 3,330 enterprises with 25,363 employees in 2024 (STATENT), almost two thirds of them in Zurich. Employment in the class has been flat since 2020. Market size in francs is not published; what is measured is how people pay.
3.0Industry Health Check (SWOT)
- Recurring, volume-based revenue on every transaction
- Small home market split across four languages
- Continued shift from cash to debit cards and apps→ §4.0
- Global PSPs (Stripe, Adyen) and big-tech wallets
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8.0Regional Clusters
Zurich
681 enterprises with 16,544 employees in 2024 (BFS STATENT, NOGA 66.19) — 65% of the class's employment. SIX, Worldline Schweiz, TWINT and Datatrans are registered in Zurich.
Central Switzerland
751 enterprises with 3,101 employees; Zug alone has 400 enterprises and 2,216 employees.
Western Switzerland
1,012 enterprises — the most of any region — but 2,612 employees: many one- and two-person firms.
Bern and Solothurn
174 enterprises with 1,373 employees; PostFinance (Bern) and Payrexx (Thun) are registered here.
Eastern Switzerland
278 enterprises with 655 employees.
Northwestern Switzerland
234 enterprises with 644 employees.
Ticino
200 enterprises with 434 employees.
Sources
Corrections
Figures and statements from the February 2026 edition that this edition withdraws or corrects, and why.
- "CHF 3.5B market" withdrawn: no source publishes the size of the Swiss payment services market, and the cited "SIX/SNB 2025" does not contain it.
- "~200 companies" and "~8,000 employees" replaced by BFS STATENT 2024 for NOGA 66.19 (3,330 enterprises, 25,363 employees), with the caveat that this class also covers other financial auxiliaries.
- "+8% growth" withdrawn: measured employment fell 0.5% in 2024. TWINT's transaction growth (+17% in 2025) is shown instead as a measured volume figure.
- "~45% cashless share (SNB Payment Survey 2025)" withdrawn: the SNB's 2024 survey shows cash at 30% of point-of-sale payments, meaning about 70% are cashless.
- Adyen, SumUp, Concardis/Nets and Cembra Money Bank removed from the key players: foreign groups without verified Swiss operations of this kind, or not payment companies. Wallee corrected to Wallee AG, Winterthur.
9.0Frequently Asked Questions
▶How much is a payment services company worth in Switzerland?
ValIndex's multiples table puts Swiss payment service companies at 7.0–10.0× EBITDA in transactions and 5.5–7.5× EBITDA on statutory valuations. Firms with recurring transaction revenue, integrated software and low merchant churn sit at the upper end; resellers dependent on one acquirer sit lower.
▶What drives the value of a Swiss payment company?
Buyers price: (1) recurring transaction volume and its growth; (2) merchant churn; (3) integrations with shop, point-of-sale and booking software; (4) licences and compliance; (5) dependence on acquirers, schemes or large merchants; (6) technology and security.
▶How big is the Swiss payment services sector?
The BFS has no class for payments alone. NOGA 66.19, which includes payment processing with other financial auxiliaries, counts 3,330 enterprises and 25,363 employees in 2024 (BFS STATENT). The market size in francs is not published. TWINT alone processed 901 million transactions in 2025.
▶Who are the main payment companies in Switzerland?
The main companies are TWINT (payment app, owned by Swiss banks, SIX and Worldline), Worldline Schweiz (card acquiring, formerly SIX Payment Services), SIX Group (financial market infrastructure), PostFinance, and online payment providers such as Datatrans (Planet group), Payrexx and wallee.
▶What are the key trends in Swiss payments?
Five trends: (1) the debit card overtook cash at the point of sale in 2024; (2) TWINT reached 901 million transactions in 2025, with slowing growth; (3) Worldline is restructuring and raised about EUR 500 million in 2026; (4) payments are increasingly sold with software; (5) employment in the sector has been flat since 2020.
▶What are the main risks when buying a Swiss payment company?
The main risks are: (1) competition from global processors and big-tech wallets; (2) fee pressure; (3) dependence on a few acquirers or merchants; (4) regulation and compliance costs; (5) fraud, cyber attacks and outages. Due diligence should check merchant churn, contracts with acquirers and card schemes, and licences.
▶How do people pay in Switzerland?
According to the SNB's 2024 survey, 35% of point-of-sale payments are made by debit card, 30% in cash, 18% with payment apps and 14% by credit card. For remote payments, apps such as TWINT are the most used. 95% of the population wants cash to remain available.
▶Where are Swiss payment companies located?
Zurich dominates: 16,544 of 25,363 employees in NOGA 66.19 in 2024 (65%). Central Switzerland follows with 3,101 employees (Zug 2,216), then Western Switzerland (2,612), Bern and Solothurn (1,373), Eastern Switzerland (655), Northwestern Switzerland (644) and Ticino (434).