--- title: "ibani vs Yuh: what does currency exchange cost, and why use both?" url: https://www.ibani.com/en/compare-exchange-rates/ibani-vs-yuh lang: en date_modified: 2026-10-21 author: "Brice DELHOME" --- ![ibani vs Yuh comparison β€” CHF EUR exchange cost 2026](https://www.ibani.com/images/ibani-alternative-compare.jpg) πŸ’± Service Comparison # ibani vs Yuh: what does currency exchange cost, and why use both? Yuh is a current account with a card, savings and investing. ibani is a currency exchange service with a transit Swiss IBAN. Here is what converting your francs costs on each side, what each one does better, and how to use the two together. ![Reading time](https://www.ibani.com/images/clock-white.svg) 6 min read | Updated 21 October 2026 By [Brice DELHOME](https://www.ibani.com/auteur/brice-delhome) πŸ“Œ At a glance: ibani vs Yuh - **Cost of currency exchange:** Yuh applies 0.95% on top of the interbank rate, whatever the amount. ibani applies 0.40% up to CHF 10,000, then a tiered margin down to 0.15% depending on the amount. - **On CHF 6,000 a month:** CHF 57 at Yuh, CHF 24 at ibani, a difference of CHF 396 a year. The SEPA transfer in euros is free on both sides. - **What Yuh does and ibani does not:** current account, free Mastercard, 13 currencies you can hold, investing and pillar 3a, deposit guarantee up to CHF 100,000. - **Both together:** Yuh for everyday banking, a free CHF transfer to your ibani IBAN for each sizeable conversion. CHF 684 Annual exchange cost at Yuh CHF 6,000 a month at 0.95% CHF 288 Annual exchange cost at ibani CHF 6,000 a month at 0.40% CHF 396 Difference over a year i.e. CHF 33 a month ## 1\. Comparison table Terms published by Yuh and by ibani, checked on 21 October 2026. | Criterion | ![ibani](https://www.ibani.com/images/logo-dark.svg) Currency exchange and transit IBAN | **Yuh** Current account, card, investing | | --- | --- | --- | | Exchange margin | 0.40% to 0.15% depending on the amount, on the real market rate | 0.95% added to the interbank rate, single rate whatever the amount | | Current account with a balance | βœ— No transit IBAN: funds are converted and then sent on (in manual mode, held until you give the signal) | βœ“ Yes Swiss IBAN, free account maintenance | | Payment card | βœ— No | βœ“ Free Debit Mastercard physical and virtual | | Currencies | 12 currencies to convert no foreign-currency balance held | 13 currencies you can hold free multi-currency account | | CHF transfer within Switzerland | βœ“ Free | βœ“ Free | | SEPA transfer in euros | βœ“ Free | βœ“ Free CHF 4 in another currency | | Minimum or maximum exchange amount | βœ“ None | Not stated on the pricing page | | Cash withdrawal | βœ— No | 1 free withdrawal per week in Switzerland, then CHF 1.90 CHF 4.90 abroad | | Investing and pillar 3a | βœ— No | βœ“ Yes stock market, crypto, 3a | | Deposit guarantee | βœ— No no deposit: pass-through account | βœ“ Up to CHF 100,000 assets held by Swissquote Bank Ltd | | Account opening for a resident of France, Germany or Italy | βœ“ Yes | βœ— Suspended opening restricted to residents of Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein | | Subscription | βœ“ None | βœ“ None for the account | *Sources: Yuh's pricing page and FAQ, Yuh's official list of authorised countries of residence; ibani's public pricing schedule. Checked on 21 October 2026, details in the Sources section. Terms may change.* ## 2\. What does currency exchange cost on each side? Both services start from a comparable reference: the interbank rate, that is, the rate at which banks exchange currencies with one another. Each adds a margin to it, and that margin is what makes up the cost of currency exchange. **According to the pricing published by Yuh, it is 0.95%, regardless of the amount or the currency.** At ibani, it is 0.40% up to CHF 10,000 per transaction, then it falls in tiers. ### Example: a CHF 6,000 salary converted into euros every month | Item | ibani | Yuh | | --- | --- | --- | | Margin applied | 0.40% | 0.95% | | Exchange cost on CHF 6,000 | CHF 24 | CHF 57 | | SEPA transfer in euros | CHF 0 | CHF 0 | | Cost over a year (12 conversions) | CHF 288 | CHF 684 | The calculation: CHF 6,000 Γ— 0.40% = CHF 24 a month at ibani; CHF 6,000 Γ— 0.95% = CHF 57 a month at Yuh. The difference is CHF 33 a month, or **CHF 396 over a year**. ### Example: a one-off payment of CHF 20,000 For a larger amount (a deposit for a property purchase, repaying a loan, moving savings), the gap widens, because ibani's margin drops to 0.35% between CHF 10,000 and CHF 50,000 while Yuh's stays at 0.95%: - **ibani:** CHF 20,000 Γ— 0.35% = **CHF 70**; - **Yuh:** CHF 20,000 Γ— 0.95% = **CHF 190**. #### ibani's tiered pricing Below CHF 10,000: 0.40%. From CHF 10,000 to CHF 50,000: 0.35%. From CHF 50,000 to CHF 100,000: 0.30%. From CHF 100,000 to CHF 250,000: 0.20%. From CHF 250,000 to CHF 1 million: 0.15%. Above CHF 1 million: tailor-made. The schedule is the same for individuals and for businesses, with no opening, account maintenance or transfer fees. [See ibani's pricing schedule](https://www.ibani.com/en/rates) These examples compare only the exchange margin published by each service. The interbank rate itself changes continuously; it is a comparable starting point for both. ## 3\. What Yuh does better than ibani Yuh is a full current account; ibani is not one. For everything to do with day-to-day banking, Yuh offers what ibani does not: - **A current account with a Swiss IBAN**, with no account maintenance fees, where your money stays available. - **A free Debit Mastercard**, physical and virtual, to pay in shops, online and abroad. - **13 currencies you can hold** (CHF, USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, CAD, SEK, HKD, NOK, DKK, AED, SGD) in a free multi-currency account: useful for keeping euros or dollars before a trip. - **Free transfers** within Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and SEPA transfers when they are in euros. - **Investing and pillar 3a**: stock market, crypto and 3a in the same app. - **The deposit guarantee**: according to Yuh, assets are held by Swissquote Bank Ltd and protected up to CHF 100,000. If you are looking for an account to receive your money, keep it, pay and save, ibani is not the answer: that is the role of a current account such as Yuh. ## 4\. What ibani does better than Yuh ibani does only one thing: convert currencies and transfer them. On that specific point, the published terms differ: - **A lower, tiered exchange margin:** 0.40% up to CHF 10,000, then 0.35%, 0.30%, 0.20% and 0.15% depending on the amount, against a flat 0.95% at Yuh. - **No minimum or maximum exchange amount**, and no limit on transfer frequency or volume. - **Automatic conversion on receipt:** funds received on your ibani IBAN are converted and sent on to the destination account with no action on your part. If you prefer to choose the moment, manual mode holds the funds until you give the signal. - **Timing:** funds received on a business-day morning are converted and sent on within half an hour. - **Payment of Swiss bills in CHF** (LAMal health insurance, pillar 3a) before conversion, free of charge. - **Access from abroad:** ibani is available to people who do not live in Switzerland, including in France, Germany and Italy (see the [Cross-border workers](https://www.ibani.com/en/cross-border-workers) page). How it works is described step by step on the [How it works](https://www.ibani.com/en/how-it-works) page. ## 5\. How to combine Yuh and ibani You do not have to choose. The two services overlap only on conversion, and that is the only step you hand over to ibani: 1. **Keep Yuh as your current account**: salary, card, savings, investments. 2. **Open an ibani Swiss IBAN** for the currency pair you need, for example CHF to EUR, and enter the destination account for the euros. 3. **When you have francs to convert, transfer them from Yuh to your ibani IBAN, in CHF.** According to Yuh's pricing, a CHF transfer within Switzerland is free. 4. **ibani converts** at the market rate plus its published margin, then sends the euros by free SEPA transfer. On CHF 6,000, the conversion then costs you CHF 24 instead of CHF 57, and you keep everything Yuh does well. The same approach works for a one-off sum: on CHF 20,000, CHF 70 instead of CHF 190. **Two precautions.** Transfer **francs** from Yuh, not euros you have already converted: otherwise you pay Yuh's margin before ibani's. And for small foreign-currency spending, when travelling for example, the Yuh card remains simpler: ibani does not provide a card. ## 6\. Cross-border workers: who can open a Yuh account? As of 21 October 2026, Yuh's FAQ states that account opening is currently suspended for people who live outside Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. Yuh's official list of authorised countries of residence, consulted on 21 October 2026, says the same, with no date for reopening. The pricing page still mentions residents of France, Germany and Italy, but the FAQ and the list of countries are more precise on this point. A cross-border worker who lives in France, Germany or Italy therefore cannot open a Yuh account for the time being. The options that remain open to cross-border workers are covered in our guide [Yuh alternatives for cross-border workers](https://www.ibani.com/en/guides/yuh-alternatives-cross-border-workers). ## 7\. Who provides what: status of the two services Yuh - Yuh Ltd publishes the app. According to Yuh's FAQ, all the banking and financial services offered in the app are provided by **Swissquote Bank Ltd**, a bank authorised by FINMA. - Assets benefit from the deposit guarantee up to CHF 100,000. - Yuh was created by Swissquote and PostFinance. According to a PostFinance press release of 4 July 2025, Swissquote took over PostFinance's 50% stake and now owns 100% of Yuh. ibani - ibani SA, in Geneva since 2018, is a Swiss **financial intermediary** affiliated with the self-regulatory organisation **SO-FIT**. - **ibani is not a bank**: no deposit account, no credit, no card. - The ibani IBAN is a transit IBAN: sums received for a currency exchange transaction are not deposits and do not fall under the deposit guarantee. ## Conclusion: a current account on one side, a currency exchange service on the other **Yuh** covers most of what you need from a current account in Switzerland: IBAN, free card, currencies you can hold, investing and deposit guarantee. Its currency exchange costs 0.95%, whatever the amount. **ibani** does not replace that account. It handles the conversion: 0.40% up to CHF 10,000, less and less above that, with no amount limit, and automatic forwarding to the account of your choice. As soon as you convert regular or large sums, routing those francs through ibani reduces the cost of currency exchange without giving up Yuh. [Open my ibani Swiss IBAN β€” Free](https://www.ibani.com/en/app) No opening or account maintenance fees Β· Affiliated with SO-FIT (SRO) Read also: [ibani vs Neon](https://www.ibani.com/en/compare-exchange-rates/ibani-vs-neon) Β· [ibani vs Revolut Standard](https://www.ibani.com/en/compare-exchange-rates/ibani-vs-revolut) Β· [ibani vs a traditional bank](https://www.ibani.com/en/compare-exchange-rates/ibani-vs-traditional-bank) Β· [Exchange rate comparison](https://www.ibani.com/en/compare-exchange-rates) ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ### What does CHF/EUR currency exchange cost at Yuh and at ibani? According to Yuh's pricing page, currency exchange costs 0.95%, added to the interbank rate, whatever the amount. At ibani, the margin is 0.40% up to CHF 10,000, then it falls in tiers to 0.15% from CHF 250,000. On a salary of CHF 6,000 converted every month, that comes to CHF 57 at Yuh and CHF 24 at ibani, a difference of CHF 396 over a year. ### Can I keep my Yuh account and use ibani for currency exchange? Yes. The two services do not do the same thing. You keep Yuh for your current account, card and savings, and you transfer the amounts to be converted from Yuh, in francs, to your ibani Swiss IBAN. This CHF transfer within Switzerland is free at Yuh. ibani converts at the market rate plus its published margin, then sends the euros by free SEPA transfer to the account of your choice. ### Can a cross-border worker open a Yuh account? Not at the moment if they live in France, Germany or Italy. As of 21 October 2026, Yuh's FAQ and its official list of authorised countries of residence state that account opening is suspended for people who live anywhere other than Switzerland, Austria or Liechtenstein. Yuh gives no date for reopening. ibani remains available to people who do not live in Switzerland. ### Can ibani replace a Yuh account? No. ibani offers no payment card, no deposit account for holding a balance in foreign currencies, no interest, no investing and no pillar 3a. The ibani Swiss IBAN is a transit IBAN: funds received are converted and then sent on to the destination account (in manual mode, they are held until you give the signal). To pay day to day, keep money or invest, you need a current account, such as the one Yuh offers. ### Are funds covered by the Swiss deposit guarantee? At Yuh, yes: according to its FAQ, assets are held by Swissquote Bank Ltd and protected by the deposit guarantee up to CHF 100,000. At ibani, no: ibani is not a bank and the sums received for a currency exchange transaction are not deposits. They therefore do not fall under the deposit guarantee. To hold capital, you need a current account or a savings account. ### Is ibani a bank? No. ibani SA, based in Geneva, is a Swiss financial intermediary within the meaning of Article 2 para. 3 of the Federal Act on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Anti-Money Laundering Act, AMLA), affiliated with the self-regulatory organisation SO-FIT. ibani carries out no banking activity: its service covers the conversion and transfer of currencies. SO-FIT is a self-regulatory organisation recognised by FINMA. ## Sources - Yuh, pricing page (exchange margin, account, card, transfer and withdrawal fees, list of currencies): [yuh.com/en/pricing](https://www.yuh.com/en/pricing/), accessed 21.10.2026. - Yuh, FAQ (services provided by Swissquote Bank Ltd, deposit guarantee, suspension of account opening outside Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein): [yuh.com/en/help/faq](https://www.yuh.com/en/help/faq/), accessed 21.10.2026. - Yuh, official list of authorised countries of residence (PDF): [List of authorised countries of residence](https://links.imagerelay.com/cdn/2958/ql/9dcc9b0ea6dc461d8de5dbabb3929af2/List_authorised_countries_residence_EN.pdf), accessed 21.10.2026. - PostFinance, press release of 04.07.2025 on the sale of its stake in Yuh to Swissquote: [postfinance.ch](https://www.postfinance.ch/en/about-us/media/newsroom/postfinance-yuh-swissquote.html), accessed 21.10.2026. - ibani, pricing schedule and how the service works: [Rates](https://www.ibani.com/en/rates) and [How it works](https://www.ibani.com/en/how-it-works), accessed 21.10.2026. **ibani's status and legal framework.** ibani SA is affiliated with SO-FIT as a financial intermediary. SO-FIT is a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) approved by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) for the supervision of the financial intermediaries referred to in Article 2 para. 3 of the Swiss Federal Act on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in the Financial Sector (Anti-Money Laundering Act, AMLA). ibani SA is not a bank and carries out no banking activity. Sums entrusted in the course of a currency conversion and transfer are not deposits and do not fall under the Swiss deposit guarantee. *Comparison provided for information purposes, based on the terms published by Yuh and by ibani as of 21 October 2026. Each provider's terms may change: check them on their official pages before any transaction. [SO-FIT β€” self-regulatory organisation](https://so-fit.ch/organisme-autoregulation/)* ## Still have a question? To run the numbers on your own situation, our Geneva-based team is available by [email](https://www.ibani.com/en/contact), by [phone](https://www.ibani.com/en/contact) (Mon–Fri 9am–6pm), on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibani) or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ibani_change).