For the eighth time, BILANZ, Handelszeitung, PME, and digitalswitzerland have recognised one hundred individuals shaping digital Switzerland.
Among them, the Fintechies category highlights ten leaders taking the financial industry to the next digital level.
The selection of the “Digital Shapers 2026” was made by a 12-member jury chaired by Marc Kowalsky, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of BILANZ and Project Lead for “Digital Shapers”.
The jury, which includes Christine Antlanger-Winter (Country Director, Google Switzerland), André Kudelski (CEO, Kudelski / President of Innosuisse), and Roland Siegwart (Professor of Autonomous Systems, ETH Zurich), reviewed nominations submitted at the end of 2025 and selected ten individuals in each category.
This year’s honourees in the Fintechies category are:
Kathrin Braunwarth, CIO, AXA Switzerland
She previously held senior IT leadership roles at Allianz Germany and served as Head of IT for Versicherungskammer, specialising in large-scale process management. With a doctorate in Business IT, she is now a key voice in the Swiss insurance sector on scaling generative AI from pilot projects to enterprise-wide production.
Pascale Bruderer, Founder, Swiss Stablecoin
A former prominent politician, she served as a Member of the Council of States and was President of the Swiss National Council before moving into the private sector. She now holds several influential board mandates, including Vice President of the ETH Board and an independent member of the Board of Directors at Galenica.
Riccardo Conti, Co-Founder, Fume
An EPFL-trained engineer, he has a diverse background that includes founding a “move-to-earn” startup and managing a digital asset investment fund. His work is now focused on the intersection of decentralised finance and institutional asset management to create more transparent financial infrastructures.
Johs Höhener, Independent Board Member
He is a veteran of Swiss financial infrastructure, having spent decades at Swisscom where he founded the Fintech Cluster and the “e-foresight” think tank. Since transitioning to independent advisory, he has become a fixture on the boards of innovative firms like Ti&m and was named Swiss Fintech Influencer of the Year 2024.
Igor Izraylevych, CEO & Founder, S-PRO
An entrepreneur with an engineering background and an MBA, he has spent over a decade building technology partnerships for global financial institutions. He is recognised for advocating a “hybrid” development model that combines Swiss strategic leadership with high-end engineering hubs in Eastern Europe.
Lidia Kurt, CEO, BX Digital & Seturion
She holds a PhD in Finance from the University of St. Gallen and authored the definitive textbook Digital Assets and Tokenisation. Her professional path includes tenure at J.P. Morgan and Swiss Re, with a specific focus on developing regulated secondary markets for tokenised securities.
Adriano Lucatelli, Founder & CEO, Descartes Finance
A former Managing Director at UBS and Credit Suisse, he is a senior figure in the wealthtech space and was an early investor in several successful Swiss fintechs. He also spent several years as a lecturer on international financial markets at the University of Zurich and is a widely published author on corporate governance.
David Riegelnig, CEO & Co-Founder, RULEMATCH
Over a 20-year career, he held senior management roles at Credit Suisse and led risk management at Bitcoin Suisse. He leveraged this deep institutional experience in risk and compliance to launch a specialized trading venue tailored exclusively for banks and securities firms.
Michael Stemmle, Founder, Additiv
He founded his company in 1998, evolving it from a niche think tank into a global leader in “Finance-as-a-Service” for major banking brands. Beyond his executive work, he is a dedicated patron of the arts and serves on the board of TONI Digital, which specialises in white-labeled insurance solutions.
Hans Peter Wolf, CTO, FNZ
He originally founded Appway in 2003, which became the industry standard for low-code banking automation before its high-profile acquisition. Today, he focuses on integrating “Advisor AI” and advanced workflow automation into global wealth management platforms serving trillions in assets.
Franziska Barmettler, CEO of digitalswitzerland, said:
“To advance the digital transformation in Switzerland, we need Digital Shapers who provide new impetus and inspire their environment. When the best minds from science, administration, and business from all parts of the country work together on solutions, we secure Switzerland’s competitiveness.”
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by jofreepik via Freepik
