Zug is where most crypto companies are based, and Lugano is where bitcoin works at the most tills. Zurich offers private individuals the widest choice: the most crypto ATMs in Switzerland, a cantonal bank with bitcoin in e-banking, a bitcoin shop a few minutes from the main station and a community that meets every other Wednesday. Whether you have just moved here or have lived in the city for years, this page sorts out what you can actually use – and flags where the information gets thin.
Buying bitcoin in Zurich: your options
At Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB)
Since 4 September 2024, ZKB customers can trade cryptocurrencies directly in e-banking and the mobile app, around the clock. Bitcoin and ether were available at launch; solana and chainlink have since been added. Orders are executed by Crypto Finance, part of Deutsche Börse Group. According to finews, around 88% of trading volume is in bitcoin.
The conditions are clear but tight. You need a Swiss residence, a ZKB securities account with an execution-only agreement, and a signed crypto agreement. Purchases are always made in US dollars. ZKB holds the keys, so you cannot currently send coins to your own wallet or deposit them from elsewhere, and staking is not offered. Fees are listed in ZKB's investment price list. ZKB also offers the service to other banks, starting with Thurgauer Kantonalbank. For a comparison with PostFinance, Zuger KB or LUKB, see our overview of Swiss crypto banks.
Apps from Zurich
Two well-known Swiss crypto products come from Zurich and its surroundings. Relai, founded in 2020 and based at Hardturmstrasse 161, sells bitcoin only. The app charges a 1% fee plus spread, the minimum purchase is CHF 50 and the bitcoin goes straight to your own wallet; there is no counter to visit (Relai review). BitBox is made by Shift Crypto AG in Adliswil near Zurich: the BitBox02 is a hardware wallet for keeping coins offline in Holding coins in your own wallet and controlling the private keys yourself, instead of leaving them with a bank or exchange. (BitBox review).
A common misconception: Swissquote and Yuh are not Zurich firms. Swissquote Bank is based in Gland in the canton of Vaud, and Yuh has been wholly owned by Swissquote since July 2025.
Online by bank transfer
For most people, an exchange or app funded by a franc transfer is the most direct route. After Know Your Customer: identity checks with ID and selfie that financial intermediaries must run under anti-money-laundering law. you transfer money and buy; from CHF 1,000 within 30 days, a Swiss provider has to identify you in any case.
- CEX.IO has operated since 2013; group entities are registered in the US (FinCEN) and the UK (FCA). Swiss residents, however, contract with CEX OVRS LLC in Nevis, which names no regulator. There is no CHF: you fund via SEPA in euros, SWIFT or card (CEX.IO review).
- Kraken accepts Swiss francs via SIC through Bank Frick, free of charge.
- PostFinance offers 22 coins in e-finance with trading fees from 0.95%, if you have a Swiss tax domicile and a B, C or C1 permit or Swiss ID.
The steps are explained in our guide to buying crypto by bank transfer. None of the exchanges, banks or apps we checked accepts TWINT for crypto purchases; the workarounds via P2P marketplaces and vouchers are covered on our TWINT and crypto page.
No ZKB securities account and no wish to hunt for an ATM? An online account takes just a few steps.
Operating since 2013Group registered with FinCEN (US) and the FCA (UK)
Bitcoin ATMs in Zurich
Zurich has the highest ATM density in Switzerland, but there is no reliable, current count. Coin ATM Radar listed around 40 machines in the city (Cointelegraph, May 2024), or 41 in the city and 46 in the canton (via HelloSafe, undated); we could not access the Coin ATM Radar site ourselves. According to BTC Map (btcmap.org), 13 ATMs are listed within five kilometres. Numbers and locations change constantly.
Listings with an address on BTC Map include:
- House of Satoshi, Zwinglistrasse 35 (see below)
- Värdex, Baslerstrasse 50, Altstetten
- Värdex at The Dolder Grand hotel, Kurhausstrasse 65
- machines labelled "Rothbard" on Badenerstrasse 230, Seefeldstrasse 178, Langstrasse 116 and Limmatstrasse 197
Värdex describes itself as Switzerland's largest crypto ATM operator, with more than 80 machines, and is supervised by the VQF. At its ATMs you can buy and sell bitcoin and ether from CHF 50; cash purchases without ID are possible up to CHF 1,000 per person per 30 days. The fee is built into the exchange rate and not published – Värdex itself admits it is higher than with online services.
According to a press report, Rothbard is an intermediary rather than the operator; we could not establish who runs those machines. Three Bity listings have no address, and Bity no longer presents ATMs on its website. At the main station and the airport we found no currently confirmed crypto ATM; a Värdex machine used to stand in the Hilton Zurich Airport. At the main station, though, the SBB ticket machines work: they sell bitcoin and ether as paper wallets for CHF 20 to 500 (how the SBB machine works).
- Check the fee and rate on screen before inserting cash – ATMs rarely publish their prices.
- Have your own wallet address ready, ideally as a QR code.
- From CHF 1,000 within 30 days you will need to show ID.
- Keep the receipt or transaction ID for your tax return.
- Check the operator's location finder before you go – machines get removed or moved.
Operators, limits and selling at an ATM are covered in our bitcoin ATM guide.
House of Satoshi: the bitcoin shop in the Langstrasse district
House of Satoshi was founded by Rino Borini and describes itself as the first Swiss shop dedicated to bitcoin. At the end of June 2026 it moved within the Langstrasse district from Langstrasse 136 to Zwinglistrasse 35, a few minutes' walk from the main station. There is a bitcoin ATM on site, and the shop offers coaching for beginners. Opening hours vary between directories and some still show the old address, so check the shop's website before you go.
Paying with bitcoin in Zurich
According to BTC Map (btcmap.org), 48 places within five kilometres accept bitcoin, most of them verified by volunteers. That is a lot for German-speaking Switzerland and little compared with Lugano's 255. The best-known address is the luxury hotel The Dolder Grand: the hotel and restaurants such as Saltz, Mikuriya and the Canvas Bar accept bitcoin according to BTC Map.
Day to day, it is mostly small businesses: Kafi Binz (Binzstrasse 12), Espresso Racer Coffee (Sihlfeldstrasse 127), Restaurant Bar Miracle (Fröhlichstrasse 37), the gallery Peyer Fine Art (Pfalzgasse 2), goldsmith Yves Betschmann (Brunngasse 14) and Asatru Records (Seestrasse 353). There are also nine Spar stores, for example on Dolderstrasse, Hottingerstrasse and at Toblerplatz, which accept bitcoin via A payment layer on top of the Bitcoin blockchain that moves small amounts in seconds for a fraction of a cent. through the nationwide solution from Zug-based DFX.
Meetups, universities and conferences
Zurich has the most active bitcoin meetup culture in German-speaking Switzerland. The Bitcoin Association Switzerland meets roughly every other Wednesday at 7 pm at Insider Bar, Löwenstrasse 64, a few minutes' walk from the main station. Entry is free, everyone pays for their own drinks, and tips can be paid over Lightning. The Bitcoin Switzerland Meetup group has more than 8,600 members. Around the city there are Einundzwanzig meetups in Uster and Winterthur.
At the University of Zurich, the UZH Blockchain Center carries out research and teaching, runs the "Deep Dive into Blockchain" summer school every July and offers a CAS in blockchain. At ETH Zurich, Prof. Roger Wattenhofer's Distributed Computing Group works on topics including Bitcoin and distributed systems.
CV Summit, organised by Zug-based CV Labs and CV VC, now takes place at the Kongresshaus Zürich and is one of the larger industry events in the country. The Crypto Valley Association also holds events in Zurich, such as a Web3 Banking Symposium. According to CV VC, the canton is home to 264 blockchain companies; the 2026 IFZ study puts 26% of Swiss crypto-asset firms in the canton, just behind Zug.
- 2014
Bitcoin Suisse is cleared to operate bitcoin ATMs in Zurich.
- Apr 2018
Trust Square opens on Bahnhofstrasse 3 as a blockchain hub; it later moves to Paradeplatz and refocuses on deep tech.
- 2019
The University of Zurich sets up the UZH Blockchain Center.
- 2020
Relai is founded in Zurich; a crypto ATM is installed at The Dolder Grand.
- Sep 2024
ZKB launches bitcoin and ether trading and custody in e-banking.
- Jun 2026
House of Satoshi moves to Zwinglistrasse 35.
- Sep 2026
Eleventh CV Summit at the Kongresshaus Zürich.
Crypto in your Zurich tax return
The Zurich cantonal tax office covers cryptocurrencies in its tax manual (Zürcher Steuerbuch, ZStB 16.5). Holdings are subject to Annual cantonal tax on your net assets as of 31 December – crypto holdings count towards it. and are declared in the securities list as "other assets", naming the cryptocurrency. A printout of the wallet at the end of the tax period serves as proof. Valuation uses the Swiss Federal Tax Administration's year-end rate, and for coins not on its list, the rate of the most widely used exchange.
Private capital gains are tax-free. Paid mining counts as self-employment income. How staking, airdrops and the line with professional trading are treated today is explained in our guides on crypto tax in Switzerland and declaring crypto on your tax return. If you are filing your first Swiss return as an expat, note that crypto belongs in the securities list, not under bank accounts.
Winterthur, Baden and Uster
Winterthur is less well served than its size suggests. According to BTC Map (btcmap.org), there are six listings within 4.5 kilometres, such as Duftbar (Neustadtgasse 16), the Spar Express on Wartstrasse 2 and the organic farm shop Hofladen Taggenberg, but no listed crypto ATM. The community meets as "Bitcoin Winti" within the Einundzwanzig network. ZHAW in Winterthur offers courses and research on blockchain applications.
Baden in Aargau has a surprisingly active scene for a small town: the Bitcoin Baden community, the Baden Bitcoin Club and, according to BTC Map, eleven listings, including two Värdex ATMs without an address, Nouba Lounge (Obere Gasse), the Avalon restaurant (Weite Gasse) and three Spar stores in Wettingen and Dättwil.
Uster has an Einundzwanzig meetup. Elsewhere around the lake or in the Oberland, you buy online like everyone else. And Crypto Valley is half an hour away by train (Crypto Valley Zug).
Zug (Crypto Valley)
Zug, Switzerland's Crypto Valley, beyond the hype: a cantonal bank with crypto, taxes payable in bitcoin up to CHF 1.5m, Lightning at Spar and the real numbers.
Bitcoin ATMs
Bitcoin ATMs in Switzerland: who runs them, how many there are in Zurich, Geneva, Basel or Lugano, what a purchase at Värdex costs and how selling for cash works.
Relai
Relai review: Zurich bitcoin app with a 1% fee, a CHF 50 minimum and a CHF 100,000 yearly cap. What the savings plan costs and how Pocket and DFX compare.
BitBox02
BitBox02 Nova from Adliswil: Bitcoin-only or Multi, Bluetooth, microSD backup, open source – what the Swiss hardware wallet does well and where it stops.
