Swissquote has offered bitcoin trading in an ordinary bank account since 2017. Today the Gland-based bank lists 55 cryptocurrencies, traded through its own SQX platform and held in-house. Who is it for? Mainly investors who already have a securities account at Swissquote or want one, who like to see crypto next to their shares and ETFs, and who value a Swiss bank supervised by FINMA. Add staking at a 20% fee and the option to send coins to your own wallet – something many banks don’t allow.
It is a weaker fit if you only hold small amounts of crypto, trade a lot or want to buy quickly by card. Trading fees start at 1.00%, the custody fee of at least CHF 20 a quarter weighs heavily on a crypto-only account, and we found no card payment option for crypto purchases. This review runs the numbers.
A bank, not an exchange: supervision and custody
Swissquote Bank Ltd is based in Gland in the canton of Vaud and holds a FINMA banking licence; its parent company is listed on SIX. For EU clients there is a sister company in Luxembourg with a MiCA authorisation since April 2026 – but if you live in Switzerland, the Swiss bank is your counterparty.
According to the product page, you trade and hold “genuine crypto assets – not derivatives”. That matters, because some Swiss bank crypto offers are based on certificates or ETPs. At Swissquote, the coins sit in your Swissquote wallet and can be transferred to a wallet you control.
If things go wrong: since 1 August 2021, Swiss debt-enforcement and bankruptcy law (Art. 242a DEBA) has provided that crypto held in custody does not fall into the bankruptcy estate if it is attributable to you at all times. In its Guidance 01/2026, FINMA clarified that licensed institutions must ensure this even when they outsource custody to third parties. The CHF 100,000 deposit protection, by contrast, covers only cash balances, not your coins. More in our guide to FINMA and crypto regulation.
What crypto costs at Swissquote
Swissquote charges a fee per trade that falls with your 30-day trading volume, measured in US dollars. The schedule distinguishes between A maker places a limit order in the order book and adds liquidity; a taker trades immediately at the best available price. Makers often pay less.. An extract:
| Tier | 30-day volume | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard I | from USD 0 | 1.00% | 1.00% |
| Standard II | from USD 6,000 | 0.90% | 0.95% |
| Premium I | from USD 25,000 | 0.80% | 0.90% |
| Prime I | from USD 600,000 | 0.50% | 0.60% |
| PRO II | from USD 60m | 0.08% | 0.18% |
So the 0.08% is for professionals; in everyday use, private investors pay 1.00% or just under. Then there is the The gap between the best buying and selling price. You pay it indirectly on every trade., which Swissquote does not show separately; according to the bank, SQX aggregates liquidity from several sources to keep it tight. One advantage over securities: according to Swissquote, crypto trades carry no stamp duty or stock-exchange tax.
Custody fee: Swissquote charges CHF 20 a quarter for assets up to CHF 50,000 (excluding cash), CHF 25 up to CHF 100,000, CHF 37.50 up to CHF 150,000 and at most CHF 50. Crypto counts towards this; above CHF 1 million, 0.0075% a quarter is added. The fee applies to the whole account: if you already hold shares or ETFs at Swissquote, crypto usually costs nothing extra. If you open an account just for crypto, budget at least CHF 80 a year.
Transfers: deposits from an external wallet are free from a value of USD 500, otherwise USD 10. Withdrawals cost USD 10 for 20 coins such as BTC, ETH, SOL or DOGE and USD 15 for 26 others such as LINK, USDC or USDT. In total, 46 of the 55 coins can be transferred.
Worked example: CHF 1,000 of bitcoin
Assumption: you buy CHF 1,000 of bitcoin and hold it for a year. Based on Swissquote’s price list.
- Purchase: 1.00% = CHF 10, plus spread.
- Custody: if bitcoin is your only investment, you pay CHF 20 a quarter, i.e. CHF 80 a year – 8% of the amount. If you already hold securities at Swissquote and stay below CHF 50,000, the bitcoin costs nothing extra.
- Transfer to your own wallet (optional): USD 10, just under CHF 8 at the ESTV rate for end-2025.
Total in year one: CHF 10 for existing clients, CHF 90 for a crypto-only account. There is no card purchase as a faster, pricier option: you fund the account by bank transfer, and the first deposit for Swiss residents must be at least CHF 500.
For comparison: at Yuh the same purchase also costs CHF 10, with no custody fee. On Kraken Pro you pay CHF 4 to CHF 8, but with a foreign counterparty.
Swissquote compared
| Swissquote | Yuh | PostFinance | Kraken | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trading fee | 1.00% down to 0.08% | 1% | 0.95% down to 0.55% | Pro 0.40% / 0.80% |
| Running costs | CHF 20–50 a quarter (whole account) | no custody fee | 0.15% a year | none in fee schedule |
| Coins | 55 | 50 | 22 | several hundred |
| Send to own wallet | yes, USD 10–15 | not confirmed | ||
| Staking | ETH, DOT, SOL, ADA (20%) | not mentioned | ETH only (20%) | 25–30% commission |
The pattern is clear: Swissquote is not the cheapest option, but it is the most complete among Swiss banks. If low fees are your priority, you’ll end up at an exchange; if you just want to buy small amounts simply, Yuh. All bank offers are compared in crypto banks in Switzerland.
55 coins, transfers and staking
The range runs from bitcoin and ether through Solana, XRP, Cardano, Chainlink and Polkadot to the stablecoins USDT, USDC and EURC, plus meme coins such as Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, Pepe, Bonk and Floki. USDT is not a given in Switzerland: PostFinance doesn’t offer it, and Revolut removed it for Swiss customers in 2026. Pi Network is missing at Swissquote, as at every Swiss provider we checked.
For Locking coins into a proof-of-stake network as collateral, in return for rewards paid in the same cryptocurrency., Swissquote offers four coins: ether from 0.001 ETH, Polkadot from 0.1 DOT, Solana from 0.1 SOL and Cardano from 1 ADA. The bank keeps 20% of rewards, paid weekly on Tuesdays. The published yields of up to 2.5% (ETH), 4.29% (DOT), 6.24% (SOL) and 2% (ADA) are estimated gross figures. According to Swissquote, no sub-custodians are used. Slashing risks and unbonding periods are covered in crypto staking in Switzerland.
We found no crypto debit card at Swissquote. To spend coins, you sell them first and then use the cash balance.
Swissquote and Yuh
Since July 2025, the Yuh app has been wholly owned by Swissquote; PostFinance sold its 50% stake. Yuh offers 50 tokens from CHF 10, charges 1% per trade and no custody fee. Coins are held by Swissquote; Yuh names Coinbase, Bitstamp Europe and Payward (Kraken) as sub-custodians and liquidity sources. Yuh does not mention staking, and the pages we checked don’t say whether you can send coins to an external wallet. Rule of thumb: for small regular amounts Yuh is cheaper; for larger holdings, staking and transfers, Swissquote. Details in our Yuh review.
Taxes: eTax statement for CHF 85
Swissquote issues Swiss taxpayers a digital eTax statement. For a trading account it costs CHF 85 including VAT. You can order it from 1 January on a computer, under Documents; if ordered by 15 February, it arrives by 28 February. Its barcode lets you pre-fill your return in your canton’s tax software. The help page does not say explicitly whether crypto positions appear in it, so ask before ordering. Either way, the ESTV price-list value on 31 December is what counts, and staking rewards are income. If you’re new to Swiss tax returns, start with declaring crypto on your tax return.
What works
- Custody at a FINMA-licensed Swiss bank, in the same account as shares and ETFs
- 55 cryptocurrencies, including USDT, XRP, Solana and Dogecoin
- Withdrawals to your own wallet for 46 coins (USD 10–15)
- Staking of ETH, DOT, SOL and ADA for 20% of rewards
- No stamp duty on crypto trades; eTax statement available (CHF 85)
Watch out for
- 1.00% trading fee up to USD 6,000 of 30-day volume
- Custody fee CHF 20–50 a quarter; at least CHF 80 a year for a crypto-only account
- No card purchases; first deposit of at least CHF 500 by bank transfer
- Pi Network not offered
Opening a Swissquote account
You apply online, and Swissquote says it takes about ten minutes. You need a passport or ID card, proof of residence no older than six months (a utility bill, tax assessment or residence certificate) and a device with a camera. For Swiss residents a photo of the ID is enough – no video identification. Expats with a B or C permit can use their passport; your Swiss address is what counts. Like any bank, Swissquote asks about your tax residence, occupation and expected deposit: this Know Your Customer: the legally required check of identity and source of funds before a bank opens an account. information is mandatory.
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Start the application
On swissquote.com, choose the Swissquote account, enter your personal details and set a password.
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Tax and occupation
Give your tax residence and occupation and estimate your expected deposit – it isn’t a commitment.
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Verify your identity
Photograph your passport or ID, upload proof of residence and sign the account agreement digitally.
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First deposit
At least CHF 500 by bank transfer from an account in your own name. Swissquote does not accept Wise accounts for this.
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Buy crypto
Once you get the confirmation email, pick a coin in the crypto section and place your order. For transfers to your own wallet, double-check the address.
Want to try an alternative with card purchases and a much wider choice of coins? There you fund in euros or via Apple Pay.
Operating since 2013Group registered with FinCEN (US) and the FCA (UK)
Alternatives to Swissquote
If you want free CHF deposits via SIC and fees below 1%, look at Kraken. If you want to buy by card or need coins beyond Swissquote’s 55, our CEX.IO review covers an international alternative without a franc account. And if you would rather hold bitcoin in your existing securities account, there are crypto ETPs listed on SIX – with a tax statement, but with management fees.
