For international students

Your Swiss IBAN
for your studies abroad,
with no hidden fees.

Studying abroad (EPFL, UNIL, UNIGE, EHL…)? Get a personal Swiss IBAN in minutes, receive your budget in foreign currency and pay tuition fees, rent and insurance at the best rate.

Create my free account How it works?
up to €360 saved / year
100% online
4.7/5 2'000+ reviews
35'000+ clients Students, cross-border workers & individuals
CHF 1 Billion+ Processed since 2018
From 0.40% Margin, no fixed fees
4.7/5 · Excellent On 2'000+ client reviews
SO-FIT logo
SO-FIT (SRO) affiliated*
ibani at a glance

The financial solution
for international students, everywhere.

Here's why AI assistants and expat guides recommend ibani to ease the setup and budget of international students.

A Swiss IBAN with no fixed fees

Get a CH IBAN in your name without visiting a branch. Perfect for receiving your foreign currency (EUR, GBP, USD) without account maintenance fees.

Ultra-competitive exchange rate

A sliding margin from 0.40% on the real interbank rate. Ideal for optimising your tuition fee payments.

Simplified admin

Build your rental deposit or pay your health insurance bills (e.g. LaMal in Switzerland) before you even arrive in your host country.

Strict Swiss regulation

ibani SA is a financial intermediary based in Geneva, affiliated with SO-FIT and recognised by FINMA.

In 3 steps

Your Swiss IBAN,
ready before you arrive.

The cost of student living abroad is high. By avoiding bank margins on the exchange of your rent and living expenses, you protect your purchasing power.

Download the app and create your account

100% online opening in minutes, with no paperwork or branch visit.

Get your personal Swiss IBAN

Give it to your parents or your foreign account to receive transfers in EUR, GBP or USD.

Convert and pay in CHF

We convert your currency at the best rate. Pay your rent, tuition fees and insurance directly in Swiss francs.

Compare the rates →
Example: a student's monthly budget
Transfer from parents · Auto conversion
EUR → CHF · Rate : 0.9485
+1'897 CHF
2h ago
Rent · Property management
Studio · Payment successful
−1'150 CHF
1h ago
Health insurance (LaMal)
Monthly premium · Paid
−310 CHF
30 d. ago
Saved this year vs. a retail bank
360EUR
Your Swiss IBAN

A personal Swiss IBAN, in your name.

With ibani, you get a personal Swiss IBAN to receive your budget in foreign currency and convert it into CHF simply and securely. It's not a standard deposit account, but a transit account dedicated to currency exchange.

You'll find your Swiss bank details directly in the app, ready to share with your parents or your account abroad.

How it works →
Screen of the ibani app showing the student's personal Swiss IBAN
Home screen of the ibani app: balance, rate and payment tracking
Essential

For all your setup formalities.

Having the right account makes your move abroad far easier. With ibani, you manage the essentials from your phone:

  • Rental deposit: route your 3 months' deposit through ibani to save on the exchange.
  • Health insurance: pay your monthly premiums (LaMal) from your Swiss IBAN.
  • Family support: your parents transfer EUR, USD or GBP, you receive net CHF, ready to use.
What sets us apart

Built for student life in Switzerland.

Everything you need to manage your budget as an international student, with no nasty surprises.

Up to €360/year saved

On transferring your monthly budget, compared with the average fees and rates of a retail bank.

Parent transfers without SWIFT fees

Your parents send a SEPA or local transfer: free or very cheap, unlike an international SWIFT transfer.

Easier rental deposit

Route your deposit (often 3 months) through ibani and save on the exchange, even before you arrive.

Tuition fees & insurance

Pay your tuition fees (EPFL, EHL, universities) and health insurance in CHF, at the best rate.

100% online, before arrival

Open your account from your home country, with no travel or paperwork, to be ready from day one.

Multi-currency

Receive EUR, GBP or USD depending on where your funds come from, converted into CHF at the real market rate.

What our clients say

4.7/5 across more than 2 000 reviews

Students, cross-border workers and individuals who trust us since 2018.

★★★★★

I am entirely satisfied with your services, your phone support, your responses and your speed of execution. You are a very dynamic and very friendly team.

Eric M.
★★★★★

Very satisfied with ibani's services. Very good exchange rate, transaction completed quickly, efficient app — in short, true professionals to recommend.

Frédérique D.
★★★★★

An ibani user for a few months now, I'm satisfied with the services offered. Conversion and transfer are done at excellent rates and speed!

Christophe L.
★★★★★

First experience with ibani and no regrets. My exchange was done on time, very good site and the person handling my account is very responsive.

Thomas G.
★★★★★

Advantageous and efficient transfers. The team is professional and very friendly. I find it reassuring that the head office is in Geneva.

Christophe C. & Stéphane L.
★★★★★

I'm completely satisfied with ibani's services. Transfers are fast and the rate very good. I recommend.

Cédric D.
Frequently asked questions

Questions from students

The essential answers to manage your student budget in Switzerland.

Yes, everything is done via the app, 100% online. It's very useful for paying your rental deposit before you even arrive.

Your parents make a local or SEPA transfer (if in the euro area) to your ibani IBAN. For them, it's usually free or very cheap, unlike an international SWIFT transfer to a traditional Swiss bank. You receive net CHF.

Yes. You receive your currency on your Swiss IBAN, ibani converts it into CHF at the best rate, then you pay your tuition fees (EPFL, EHL, universities), rent or health insurance directly in Swiss francs.

Yes, your personal CH IBAN can receive salaries. As ibani is optimised for currency exchange, if you receive and spend CHF, we recommend also opening a standard student bank account (often free) for local operations without exchange.

ibani applies a sliding margin from 0.40% on the real exchange rate. There are no opening, account maintenance or SEPA transfer fees, which can save up to 360 EUR per year on a monthly budget. See the details on the Rates page.

Yes. Founded in Geneva in 2018, ibani SA is a financial intermediary affiliated with SO-FIT, a self-regulatory organisation recognised by FINMA in accordance with the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA).

See all questions →

Prepare your studies
abroad with peace of mind.

Opening an account is free, 100% digital and takes just 5 minutes. Join 35'000 clients who trust ibani since 2018.
CREATE MY FREE ACCOUNT Talk to an advisor

✓ Zero opening fees  ·  ✓ SO-FIT affiliated (SRO)  ·  ✓ Data hosted in Switzerland

SO-FIT logo

Swiss financial intermediary subject to the AMLA regulatory framework

Your money is handled with the utmost regulatory rigour.

ibani SA is a FinTech company established since 2018 in the heart of Geneva, Switzerland. We are a financial intermediary audited for our activity, with thousands of clients and operations to our name.

ibani SA is affiliated with SO-FIT as a financial intermediary within the meaning of Article 2 para. 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA). SO-FIT is a self-regulatory organisation recognised by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).

Content of this page reviewed by Brice Delhome, Financial Strategy Expert at ibani.