Banks in Graubünden
Graubünden is a Southeast canton of Switzerland with 0.20 million people. Banking is dominated by national groups, cooperative networks and regional savings banks.
Banks headquartered in Graubünden
Graubündner Kantonalbank
Bank
Cantonal bank of Graubünden.
Raiffeisen Graubünden
Bank
Regional cooperative network.
Bank Engiadina
Bank
Regional bank in Engadin valley.
How to open a bank account in Graubünden
- 1Residence permit or passport.
- 2Proof of address.
- 3Valid ID.
- 4Apply online or in branch.
- 5Minimum deposit may apply.
Worth knowing
- Graubünden is Switzerland's largest canton by area.
- Tourism is the main economic driver; seasonal workers need flexible accounts.
Regional laws and practices
- Largest canton by area; tourism (St. Moritz, Davos) drives seasonal banking.
- Romansh-language services in some valleys.
Banking in Switzerland: what applies everywhere
Banking rules in Switzerland are set nationally, so they are the same whether you live in Graubünden or anywhere else in the country. Only the practical detail changes.
| Official languages | German, French, Italian and Romansh are all official at federal level. The language that matters for your paperwork is the one spoken where the branch is, not the one spoken in Bern. |
|---|---|
| Deposit protection | Deposits are protected up to 100,000 CHF per depositor, per institution. The scheme is funded by the banks themselves and triggered by FINMA. Crucially it is per institution, not per account: two accounts at the same bank share one 100,000 CHF limit, while accounts at two separately licensed banks each get their own. |
| Regulator | FINMA (Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) |
| How money moves | Switzerland is not in the EU but is a full member of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) for credit transfers. A SEPA transfer into a Swiss account in euros typically lands the same or next business day; a transfer in Swiss francs goes through the Swiss Interbank Clearing system and is usually same-day for domestic payments. Since 2024 Swiss banks have been migrating domestic payments from the legacy orange/red payment slips to QR-bills, so a landlord or utility may ask you to scan a QR code rather than fill in a slip. |
| Identification | Swiss residence permit or passport |
| Tax reporting | Swiss banks apply the automatic exchange of information (AEOI) standard, so account data is reported to your country of tax residence. Switzerland's historic banking secrecy no longer shields accounts from a foreign tax authority in the way it did before 2017. |
Graubünden specifically
- Local nameGraubünden / Grischun
- Language you will actually meetGerman, with Romansh and Italian in parts of the canton
- What makes it differentSwitzerland's largest canton by area and its only trilingual one. Romansh is an official national language, and in the Engadin valley Italian is the everyday language. Banking paperwork may be German even where Romansh is spoken at home.
Questions people ask about Graubünden
Does my canton affect which bank I can use?
No. Every bank licensed in Switzerland can serve a resident of any canton, and a cantonal bank will normally open an account for someone living outside its own canton. In practice most people use a cantonal bank for local branch access and a national or digital bank for fees.
Is a cantonal bank safer than a private bank?
Not because of any legal difference in deposit protection — both are covered by esisuisse up to 100,000 CHF per institution, with no state top-up beyond the scheme. Cantonal banks do generally carry explicit or implicit cantonal state backing, which affects their credit rating rather than your deposit guarantee.
What is the QR-bill and do I have to use it?
Swiss banks have been replacing the old payment slips with QR-bills since 2022. When you receive a bill, it will carry a QR code you scan in your banking app, which pre-fills the payment. Paper-based payments still work, but the QR route is now the default and fewer businesses accept the old slips.
Do I need a Swiss residence permit before I can open an account?
Most banks want one, and virtually all require a Swiss address. A small number of institutions offer genuine non-resident accounts, generally with high minimum balances and sometimes an in-person visit. If you are arriving to work, your permit application receipt is often accepted while the permit is being issued.
Sources and further reading
- FINMA (Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority)Prudential regulator and licensing register.
- esisuisseThe deposit guarantee scheme, including its per-institution limit.
- Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA)Settlement rules for euro credit transfers and direct debits.