Fintech sector is increasingly specializing in AI
Lucerne/Rotkreuz - The IFZ FinTech Study 2026 conducted by the Institute for Financial Services Zug (IFZ), which is part of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, has found that artificial intelligence (AI) is the dominant technology in Swiss fintech companies for the first time. Infrastructure has developed into the largest product segment.
The Swiss financial technology ecosystem has transitioned from a phase of growth to a new period of differentiation. The results of the recently published IFZ FinTech Study 2026 show that after ten years of significant annual growth, the focus now lies on consolidation, specialization, and technological repositioning of business models, according to a statement from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
The IFZ, based in Rotkreuz in the Swiss canton of Zug, counted a total of 529 fintech companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein at the end of 2025, which is 4 per cent more than in the previous year. Their number has tripled since 2015. For the first time, company startups, liquidations, mergers, and strategic realignments are now largely in balance.
In 2025, the technological focus of Swiss fintechs shifted. Until 2024, the technology group of process digitization, automation, and robotics was the most prevalent, although this declined steadily from 62 per cent in 2015 to 38 per cent. In 2025, most fintech companies (35 per cent) focused on analytics, big data, and AI for the first time, closely followed by blockchain (34 per cent). In terms of business areas, banking infrastructure became the largest product segment (39 per cent) for the first time in 2025, ahead of investment management (37 per cent). Overall, the Swiss fintech sector remains focused on international B2B strategies.
Switzerland, with its fintech hubs in Zurich and Geneva, ranks just behind Singapore in the global IFZ rankings. However, venture capital activity in the country is declining more sharply than elsewhere. «The underlying causes are not yet clear and open up a field for future research and in-depth analysis,» according to the authors of the study.
