UBS, Zurich Cantonal Bank (ZKB) and Raiffeisen are identified as Switzerland’s three most prominent, trusted, and reputable banks by leading generative artificial intelligence (genAI) apps, according to a new research by the Institute of Financial Services Zug (IFZ).

The study, conducted in October 2025, measures the so-called “AI visibility” of banks in Switzerland, assessing how brands and institutions appear in genAI responses and providing a comparative analysis of Swiss banks’ performance. The report also distills key insights from these findings, identifying success factors and offering recommendations to help banks enhance their visibility in AI systems.

The research found that UBS, ZKB and Raiffeisen dominate the ranking, forming the “cornerstone” of the Swiss banking sector in genAI apps. These banks are mentioned regularly in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, and constantly appear across nearly all queries for either the largest banks in Switzerland, those the most suitable for private customers, or the most reliable institutions.

Neon, Yuh lead digital banking

The study also examined digital accounts and mobile banking apps, identifying Neon and Yuh as the market leaders within genAI systems. These brands are associated with simplicity, innovation, and Swiss security.

Neon is a Swiss neobank which operates a mobile‑first digital banking platform, offering customers a smartphone app to open and manage a bank account with a linked Mastercard. Neon is not a bank per se but works with the Swiss Hypothekarbank Lenzburg to provide Swiss deposit‑protected accounts. The company is said to serve about 237,000 customers.

Similarly, Yuh is a digital banking platform providing banking, payments, saving, and investing services. Owned by Swissquote, Yuh has grown rapidly, reaching over 340,000 users and profitability within four years.

In addition to Neon and Yuh, genAI results also highlight UBS and ZKB as established banks with solid mobile solutions.

ZKB is perceived as a stable digital bridge between traditional banking and innovation, positioned as a stable digital all-rounder.

UBS, meanwhile, is generally viewed as suitable for mobile use, though somewhat less customer-centric. In particular, ChatGPT and Perplexity portrayed the bank as an established but less agile provider, while Gemini highlighted UBS as the “most digital bank of 2025”, citing a study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (HSLU) and e.foresight.

This suggests a stronger use of external sources by Gemini, while ChatGPT and Perplexity relied primarily on customer reviews and app ratings.

Differences between genAI systems

The report also highlights notable differences among AI systems. ChatGPT was found to adopt a more narrative and customer-oriented approach, defining customer suitability through trust, accessibility, and everyday usability, while evaluating size through function and customer relationships.

Gemini, meanwhile, takes a more data-driven, ranking-based approach, equating suitability with market strength, awards, and reputation. Notably, Gemini was the only AI system to mention Appenzell Cantonal Bank (APPKB) as among the most reliable banks in Switzerland. The bank had received several awards in media rankings for above-average customer satisfaction and service quality.

Perplexity takes a source-rich, reputation-focused approach, relying heavily on customer satisfaction metrics and external evaluations. It integrates ratings and media references, and demonstrates the widest coverage, emphasizing diversity of sources.

Perplexity also provided the most differentiated response to the most suitable banks for private customers, naming Raiffeisen, ZKB, Bank Cler, and Migros Bank, and emphasizing empirical evidence.

Overall, these results highlight discrepancies between genAI applications, and underscore the wide range of factors these systems take into consideration when formulating responses. This means that AI visibility depends not only on economic size and financial metrucs but also on content availability, media presence, and clear positioning.

Recommendations for Swiss Banks

These findings suggest that visibility in traditional search rankings is no longer sufficient and must be complemented by recommendations and references in AI-generated responses. They also underscore the rising prominence of genAI apps in shaping public perception, brand awareness, and reputational standing within the financial sector.

Against this backdrop, the IFZ report outlines several recommendations for strengthening AI visibility, including developing clear semantic positioning for key topics, whether that’s sustainability, youth banking, and digital investments, and ensuring that offerings are aligned with personas, not just products. It also advises banks to focus on maintaining consistent online communication across websites, media, and third-party platforms.

In addition, IFZ recommends leveraging external validation, such as ratings, awards, studies, which are often used by AI systems as reference points, and optimizing content for AI readability, including structured data and clear language.

GenAI apps like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, are rapidly becoming preferred channels for researching information, products and services. Instead of just entering keywords into a search engine, users are now asking complete questions to genAI systems, expecting clear recommendations.

A recent Claneo study found that about 30% of German Internet users regularly use genAI for research and decision-making, especially younger demographics aged 18 to 35. While Google still dominates complex information research with a 40.29% market share, AI chatbots have already captured 38.55%, and AI-powered search engines 28.09%. These figures underscore the fact that digitally-savvy consumers are increasingly turning to AI systems when making financial decisions.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on images by alexgolovinphotography and iuriimotov via Freepik