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In Switzerland there are over 100 private banks. These usually only open their doors to very wealthy people and offer them a highly personalised service.
In 2019, the Alpian Bank which is changing this. Alpian positions itself as a digital private bank and also offers People with fewer assets very attractive services.
Up to 1.0% interest, extremely favourable exchange rates and personal advice are just a few examples. In this Alpian experience report, you can find out everything you need to know about the digital private bank Alpian!
The following Alpian advantages speak in favour of the offer:
You can imagine Alpian's positioning as a bridge between a modern digital bank and a private bank with personalised service. But what exactly is a private bank?
Traditional banks serve a broad spectrum of customers and can therefore only cater to individuals to a limited extent.
Private banks generally focus on a small number of wealthy individuals and offer them a highly individualised and customised service.
Alpian manages this balancing act through digitalisation. Instead of an expensive property on the Paradeplatz, the focus is on convenient, Customer advisors available in the app set.
The Alpian advisor can be contacted via chat or video call to discuss your own wealth situation from the comfort of your living room. When creating the portfolio, the Consultants even through artificial intelligence supported.
Only through this in-depth digitalisation can fair conditions and Alpian costs be made possible. So let's take a closer look at these two points.
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| CHF 0 - CHF 100'000 | 0.75% |
| CHF 100'001 - CHF 1'000'000 | 1.0% |
Tip: Alpian interest is only paid on account balances in Swiss francs. Balances in EUR, USD or GBP on the free multi-currency account do not earn interest.
It is therefore worth parking funds in Swiss francs and only changing them when necessary.
While until recently there were still ongoing Alpian fees for the Account management the Alpian costs in banking will have disappeared by the end of 2024! The Alpian account is now free of charge available.
The Investing with Alpian costs Of course, there are still fees (like almost everywhere else) and billing is very simple and uncomplicated:
| Annual fee Investment mandate | 0.75% per year |
|---|---|
Tips: If your total assets with Alpian exceed CHF 50,000, the quarterly fee is waived. If you have this amount in your Alpian account, you even benefit from 0.75% interest. All balances over CHF 100,000 earn interest at 1.0%. The total assets also include the invested capital and the account balances. The larger the total sum, the more favourable the Alpian costs.
In addition to the investment mandate fees, there are also product fees (depending on the personal strategy) and stamp duty, for example.
Alpian's transparency is striking. The fee structure is shown clearly and transparently on the website and in the Alpian app. This creates a feeling of security and control.
| Counselling sessions | Unlimited free of charge |
| Transactions from the multi-currency account in CHF, EUR, USD, GBP | Free of charge |
| Transactions in other currencies | 0.2% Monday - Friday; 0.5% on weekends |
| Cash withdrawal CHF in Switzerland | CHF 2 |
| ATM withdrawals outside Switzerland | 2.5% |
| Card replacement of the metal card | CHF 20 |
At the beginning you read that private banks traditionally target very wealthy customers. The Alpian bank fees roughly indicate which customer segment Alpian wants to attract.
To help you gain positive Alpian experience and find a good solution, you will find some useful options for use here:
The following Alpian strategies for asset management are possible:
| Guided by Alpian | Managed by Alpian | |
|---|---|---|
| Description of the | Advisory mandate: You manage your Alpian portfolio yourself after the risk assessment, but are supported by the professionals. | Management mandate: Alpian investment professionals actively manage your portfolio for you and make customised investment decisions based on the current market. |
| Minimum investment volume | CHF 10'000 | CHF 30'000 |
The Alpian investment strategies are passively orientated and are implemented with ETFs. We like this very much and it ensures favourable product fees. Also on Sustainability is taken into account and investments are selected according to ESG and your portfolio is assessed using an "impact score".
Incidentally, the securities are held in custody at Interactive Brokers in the USA, which is not a problem, but is nevertheless important to know.
The advisory mandate prepared for this test report was tailored to our risk profile and then presented in full detail.
The Product fees of most ETFs are very low and were in the range of a TER of 0.15% - 0.4% in this exemplary portfolio.
It was noticeable that a small position of 1% was immediately Bitcoin was suggested via the Bitcoin ETP from 21Shares. This has slightly higher fees, but can certainly be seen as a very exciting addition.
Since the Freely customisable portfolio it is not presented in detail here. The proposed portfolio in the Alpian Test was initially intended for the Schwiizerfranke investment philosophy somewhat too high positions in European equities and, in particular, too many bonds in foreign currencies.
Overall, however, the investment proposal looks sensible and harmonised, and details can of course be easily adjusted if necessary.
Instead of analysing a single portfolio proposal, we therefore prefer to look at a comparison with the alternative providers.
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
How does Alpian compare to other digital banks like Neon or robo-advisors like True Wealth? Here are some observations:
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
The journey with Alpian began with the Registration processwhich is remarkably Simple and intuitive took place. The app was downloaded and the verification process completed within a few minutes. No waiting for appointment confirmations or paperwork. Within a very short time, the Alpian account was ready for use and a few days later there was a surprise in the post.
A black letter not only contained the black Alpian metal card, but also an additional surprise - which I don't want to take away from you, of course, so this will remain a secret.
The Alpian app is user-friendly and offers innovative functionsthat take the banking experience to a new level. For example, you can conveniently chat with support at normal times.
Questions about the investment mandate were then referred to the video call. With Alpian, video calls can be booked and held directly in the app. So you don't need a zoom or anything like that. In the late afternoon, the next possible appointment for this Alpian test report was the following day. Of course, I forgot about the counselling call straight away, so I wasn't in the app. But that wasn't a problem, because the advisor simply called me on the phone and asked whether we wanted to continue the call and if so, whether we wanted to hold it on the phone or via video call directly in the Alpian app.
Personalised advice - a digital experience with a human touch
We switched to the video call and were even able to discuss individual details of the risk profile and the investment proposal in the app together.
A The highlight of the Alpian experience is definitely the personal advisory service. Although Alpian is a digital bank, the customer service felt very personal. The advisors were easily accessible, endeavouring and friendly. In a world where digital banking can often be impersonal, this was a welcome change.
Whenever new digital solutions come onto the market today, they are usually not yet fully developed at the beginning. For example, Alpian is still missing a few important functions that many customers would like to see.
Virtual Subaccountsown TWINT app (so far only via the prepaid TWINT app) and other aspects could be listed here. However, Alpian has only had its own banking licence since 2022 and is therefore still very young and will certainly soon appear with more functions.
Who many Cash withdrawals could be bothered by the fees. In this case, a second bank would make sense as a supplement.
Fees: Alpian fees were not initially attractive for smaller account balances, but now the ongoing account management fees have disappeared.
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
The conclusion to the Alpian experience report? Alpian is an exciting option for all those who want a Mixture of digital convenience and personalised service search
Alpian Bank is aimed at more discerning clients who value customised financial services and personal advice.
Especially for larger sums Alpian is an attractive place to start. It offers up to 1,00% interest on the account and the account management fees are even waived completely.
Not to mention all the other benefits, such as the favourable exchange rates on the multi-currency account.
Alpian can therefore also be a very attractive addition for savers or people who travel a lot.
Of course, some important banking functions are still missing, but the bank is still young, so let's give it some time. The Alpian account can be particularly exciting as a supplementary second bank.
What's your situation? Have you already had Alpian experience? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
19 responses
I refused to open an account because they asked me for a salary statement and I hid the figures on it. They wanted to know exactly how much I earned.
No thanks! I don't want a mortgage.
Registration super, quick and painless, one of the best so far.
not (yet?) received the 75 on the first deposit.
Email address only 2 digits before the domain did not work (interesting but of course not so important)
I find only a 4-digit security code (or fingerprint) a bit too insecure.
Thanks for sharing, Jürg. The CHF 75 will certainly arrive soon. Otherwise ask support and say hello from me 🙂
Many thanks for the comprehensive review of the Alpian range.
However, I would like to point out that this article mentions several times that there is a higher interest rate for balances of CHF 50,000 or more (currently 1.25%). This is not correct. From CHF 50,000, the account management fees are indeed cancelled, but only from CHF 100,000 is there a higher interest rate.
This was recently changed by Alpian, thanks for pointing it out! It has now also been updated in the article.
Alpian has now adjusted the interest rates (downwards). Currently there are still
Amount up to CHF 100,000 1%
Amount over CHF 100,000 to CHF 1,000,000 1.25%
Hello Eric
I really like your blog and have already made several decisions based on your reports.
I have just opened an account with Alpian, but I am now a little confused. According to your report, I understood that if you have more than CHF 50,000 in your account, everything earns interest at 1.5%. However, I received the information from Alpian that the 50'000 earns interest at 1% and only the amount above that at 1.5% (e.g. if I had 60'000 in my account, 50'000 would earn interest at 1% & 10'000 at 1.5%). It wasn't as clear on the Alpian website as it was after closing. I don't think it's as transparent as they advertise themselves. Can you confirm this with the interest rates? You write, for example: Tip: If your total assets with Alpian exceed CHF 50,000, the quarterly fee is waived. If you have this amount in your Alpian account, you will even be credited with 1.5% interest. I clearly understand that this applies to all assets, not just to the amount exceeding 50,000. Could you clarify that? If I had been aware of this, I would have opened a savings account instead of this account.
Hello Jürg,
Thank you very much for your tip!
It was already clearly shown in the table, but thanks to you I have now formulated it more clearly so that it is easier to understand.
The 1.5% is only credited on amounts above CHF 50,000. Below that, 1.0% interest will be credited. Also remember that these are not fixed interest rates, they may change in the future (especially because the base rate has been lowered).
If it is still unclear, please ask Alpian again for confirmation.
Best regards and many thanks for your support,
Eric
Eric, thank you for your reply and clarification. Yes, it was already written before, but it could be interpreted either way. Now it's clear.
After opening an account with Alpian, I also came across a table that clearly showed it. But I didn't find it before (or I didn't pay attention to it 🫣). To be on the safe side, I also asked Alpian directly, it is as you write in the answer.
PS: no offence, you (Schwiizerfranke) are and remain my No. 1 when it comes to finances!
Jürg
😀 wow, thank you so much for the great feedback, Jürg! That really makes me happy!
Best regards,
Eric
You call a quarterly fee of CHF 45 favourable? If you are a member of Raiffeisen (was a co-operative deposit of 200 over 20 years ago, currently earning interest at 6 %), then you pay exactly 0 francs in fees for the member private account. Only the Maestro card is charged, but you can do without it. And ZKB is now also offering a free account.
Hello Gerhard,
That's right, there are some Free accounts, as shown here.
However, Raiffeisen and ZKB do not offer interest rates on credit balances as high as those at Alpian.
The Alpian fees should of course be taken into account and the offer only makes sense if there are sufficient deposits to eliminate the fees.
Excellent writing as always!
I myself am a satisfied customer of Alpian. Initially, I only used the services for international transfers because they offer unrivalled conditions for FX transactions. However, I now also use Alpian for regular payments and have recently even opted for the investment mandate 🙂
The introduction went extremely smoothly, and the financial advisor was not only knowledgeable, but also extremely personable.
I recommend Alpian to anyone who is interested in investing but either doesn't have the time or expertise, or who is looking for a cost-effective solution for international payments or money transfers abroad.
Opening an account is very easy, even from abroad!
The only disadvantage is that the account only works via the app. However, the app is well structured and clear. Chats are also quick and uncomplicated.
overall absolutely recommended!
Thanks for your feedback, Jürg!
Hi,
Thanks for the report... Is there a withdrawal limit per year?
I am currently still with Wir bank where it has 1.8% but the withdrawal limit is 20000 per year which bothers me.
Greetings
Hello Alessandro,
No, there is no withdrawal limit at Alpian.
Thank you!
I was told Alpian works only on mobile phones... not on pcs or tablets... this could be a problem !
Hi Denis
yes, so far its a mobile solution.