About i-vest by Alpian
About us
i-vest is the financial education platform published by Alpian, Switzerland’s FINMA-licensed digital premium bank. It exists for one purpose: to make Swiss finance, investing and wealth management genuinely understandable.
We write the kind of clear, useful, jargon-free explanations most people wish their bank had given them years ago, covering everything from savings and foreign exchange to ETFs, Pillar 3a and discretionary investment mandates.
i-vest at a glance
- Publishing since January 2020
- More than 1’000 articles across four languages: English, German, French and Italian
- Covering Swiss banking, saving, investing, wealth management and financial literacy
- Free to read. No subscription, no paywall, no registration required
- Published by Alpian, a FINMA-licensed Swiss bank and member of the esisuisse deposit guarantee scheme
What i-vest covers
The library is organised into four sections, each with a different job.
| Section | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Education | Explainers and step-by-step guides, including the free Investment Masterclass |
| Trends | Swiss market context: what is changing in rates, regulation and products, and what it means |
| Opinion | Signed editorial columns from Alpian’s leadership and invited voices |
| Glossary | Plain-language definitions of the financial terms you meet along the way |
Who writes i-vest
Most educational content is published under The i-vest Team byline: the editorial group responsible for the library, its accuracy and its upkeep.
Signed columns carry the name of their author. Gianmarco Bonaita, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alpian, writes on strategy and the future of Swiss banking. Roman Balzan, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, writes on technology, AI and how they are reshaping money. Investment and wealth management content is produced with the bank’s specialists, and guest contributors appear under Friends and Partners.
Our editorial standards
i-vest is published by a bank, and we think that makes transparency more important, not less. These are the rules we hold ourselves to.
How we work
- We verify before we publish. Factual claims are checked against primary sources such as the Swiss National Bank, the Federal Statistical Office and FINMA. Text inherited from an older version of an article is not treated as verified text.
- We date our work. Articles carry a verification date and are refreshed as rates, regulations and products change.
- We separate education from advice. i-vest is educational. It is not personalised financial advice and does not take your individual circumstances into account.
- We name our sources and link to them, so you can check the original.
- We disclose AI assistance. Articles are written and edited by our team. The German, French and Italian versions are translated from English with the help of artificial intelligence, and every translated article says so at the end.
- We correct openly. When something is wrong, we fix it.
About Alpian
Alpian is Switzerland’s digital premium bank for the mass affluent, built to make the quality of Swiss private banking accessible from a CHF 2’000 minimum rather than the six-figure minimums traditionally required. By building a fully digital product, Alpian removed the cost structure that put premium wealth management out of reach.
Alpian is a FINMA-licensed Swiss bank and a member of the esisuisse deposit guarantee scheme, which protects client deposits up to CHF 100’000. Alpian is part of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, one of Europe’s leading banking groups.
Contact us
We try to bring clarity and purpose to your financial world, and we are always trying to get better at it. For feedback, comments or a fresh conversation, write to media@alpian.com. Enquiries about sponsored content or advertising go to the same address.
Frequently asked questions
What is i-vest?
i-vest is the financial education platform published by Alpian, a FINMA-licensed Swiss digital premium bank. It publishes explainers, guides, market context and a glossary on Swiss banking, saving, investing and wealth management, in English, German, French and Italian. It has been publishing since January 2020 and is free to read.
Who writes i-vest?
Most educational content is published under The i-vest Team byline, the editorial group responsible for the library. Signed opinion columns carry their author’s name, including Gianmarco Bonaita, co-founder and CEO of Alpian, and Roman Balzan, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer. Investment content is produced with the bank’s specialists.
Is i-vest free?
Yes. There is no subscription, no paywall and no registration requirement. The free Investment Masterclass is also available by email at no cost.
Is i-vest financial advice?
No. i-vest is educational content. It explains how things work and what the trade-offs are, but it does not take your personal circumstances, goals or risk capacity into account, and it is not a personalised recommendation. For advice tailored to your situation, speak to a qualified adviser.
What languages is i-vest published in?
English, German, French and Italian. English is the source language. The German, French and Italian versions are translated with the help of artificial intelligence, and each translated article carries a note saying so.
Who is Alpian?
Alpian is a Swiss digital premium bank for the mass affluent, offering banking, multi-currency accounts and wealth management from a CHF 2’000 minimum. It is licensed and supervised by FINMA, is a member of the esisuisse deposit guarantee scheme, and is part of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group.