Portrait
We are the Competence and Career Center for banks and financial institutions in French-speaking Switzerland.
In French-speaking Switzerland, the ISFB is dedicated to operationalizing initiatives for the banking and finance sectors: supporting the development of skills, assessing competencies, fostering career paths, and connecting industry stakeholders. Its goal is to cultivate and promote the expertise essential to the employability of professionals in the sector and the competitiveness of their employers, working in tandem with industry associations and other economic actors.
Mathias Baitan, General Manager
Our vocation is to support the development of the skills of all finance specialists operating in French-speaking Switzerland.
The Institut Supérieur de Formation Bancaire (ISFB) is the competence and career center for banks and financial institutions in French-speaking Switzerland. Founded in 1987 as a non-profit professional association, the ISFB today brings together over fifty banking and financial institutions throughout French-speaking Switzerland.
As the Competence and Career Center for banking and finance in French-speaking Switzerland, ISFB offers a comprehensive range of services designed to support industry specialists throughout their career.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Supporting the development of skills to meet the current and emerging needs of the banking and financial sector.
CERTIFICATIONS
Assess and certify technical and interpersonal skills in the field of banking and finance.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Support member institutions in managing their human resources and guiding the career development of employees in the sector at every stage.
RESEARCH & NETWORK
To bridge the gap between applied research , professional practice, and the financial community in French-speaking Switzerland in order to foster, share, and promote expertise.
OUR MEMBERS
By relying on the collective ISFB brand, our members demonstrate their commitment to the continuous development of their employees' skills and the competitiveness of the French-speaking financial center.
As members of our professional association, they account for nearly 80% of the sector’s salaried workforce.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is twofold. On the one hand, it consists of foster the development of specialists’ skills in the French-speaking financial center in order to help our institutional members maintain their attractiveness and competitiveness in the market. And, secondly, to support the career development of finance professionals throughout French-speaking Switzerland in order to help them maintain their employability.
OUR CLIENT BASE
Our clientele consists of banks and financial institutions, as well as individual clients,public organizations and companies active in the banking and finance sector, such as independent asset managers, or service providers who regularly collaborate with our members.
THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The ISFB’s training offerings are provided in accordance with the Federal Continuing Education Act (LFCo), which promotes the development and updating of skills throughout one’s professional career. As such, the Institute helps strengthen the qualifications of financial sector professionals by offering continuing education programs tailored to changes in the industry. Furthermore, the regulatory framework applicable to financial institutions also emphasizes the importance of maintaining professional competencies. The Financial Services Act (FSA) stipulates that financial service providers must ensure their employees possess the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to perform their duties (Art. 22). Similarly, the Financial Institutions Act (FIA) stipulates that qualified executives must ensure they maintain adequate training at all times to enable them to fulfill their responsibilities (Section 20).
OUR GOVERNANCE
Founded in 1987 as a not-for-profit professional association, the ISFB now brings together over fifty banking and financial institutions throughout French-speaking Switzerland.
OUR strategic positioning
The ISFB is the collective brand representing the French-speaking Swiss financial center’s commitment to the ongoing development of skills and careers.
Our stakeholders
ANNUAL REPORT
The Higher Institute for Banking Education (ISFB) has published its 2025 Annual Report. This document highlights a year marked by the consolidation of the Institute’s position as a center of expertise dedicated to the development of the banking and financial sectors in French-speaking Switzerland.
OUR VALUES
Our corporate values play an essential role in shaping the culture of ISFB and guide our behavior.
Each value is illustrated by four concrete commitments on the part of our permanent and contract employees, aimed at making these values tangible through our actions. These values are central to the concerns of our teams.
OUR QUALITY STANDARDS
Our training institute meets the highest current quality standards, holding SAQ (Swiss Association for Quality), ISO, and EduQua certifications. These certifications guarantee the excellence of our services and our commitment to high-quality training tailored to the needs of our members, clients, and partners. Our processes are based on four lines of defense:
Back office
The Finance & Administration department is our first line of defense, notably by carrying out monthly reconciliation procedures. Our trustee also acts as a first-level control.
Quality
Our Quality Manager is responsible for the internal control of our operations, and organizes sporadic audits that are not announced to the teams on a regular basis.
External audits
Our operational and administrative processes are audited once a year by two separate bodies, SQS and SAQ.
Auditors
Our financial activities are audited annually by an external auditor, who reports directly to the Board.
What sets us apart
THE ISFB ECOSYSTEM
Employers
Why?
- Develop your employer brand by affirming your company's support for employee skills development;
- Affirm its support for the development of skills in the French-speaking financial center;
- Issue your specialists with certificates recognized by all our member banks;
- Access to a vast network of expertise in technical and managerial skills across all banking professions;
- Enable your experts to make a personal commitment to skills development with our association;
- Contribute to the development of ISFB's offering by participating in our scientific committees;
- Access to a preferential rate reserved for members and their employees;
- Benefit from exclusive services reserved for member establishments.
Become a member
Are you a banking or financial institution based in Switzerland and would like to join our association? Join us and take part in developing the competitiveness and collective intelligence of the financial center.
Membership conditions
- Swiss banks and financial institutions listed in the CR and registered with FINMA
- Other Swiss financial institutions
Employees in the industry
Why?
- Maintain employability by aiming for a certificate that is valued and recognized by the job market;
- Be part of a wide network of skills and local exchanges throughout French-speaking Switzerland;
- Access a dynamic catalog of high-quality services specific to the banking and finance sector;
- Access to exclusive benefits and advantages to encourage career development and help build a solid, long-term professional network.
Join the Hub
Are you a specialist working in the French-speaking part of Switzerland? The ISFB Hub offers a range of exclusive services and benefits to encourage career development and facilitate the building of a solid, long-term professional network.
ISFB Hub registration conditions
- Individuals currently enrolled in an ISFB service, or who have attended an ISFB service in the past
Local governments and private partners
Why?
- Affirm its support for the development of skills in the French-speaking financial center;
- Develop greater visibility in the field of skills management among member institutions and individuals;
- Participate in the implementation of ISFB's mission in the field, through publications, course design and participation in institutional conferences.
OUR CLIENTS AND PARTNERS
Reference and standard-setting players
The Swiss Bankers Association supports the ISFB offer.
The Director of the Fondation Genève Place financière sits on the ISFB Board.
ISFB is the only player based in French-speaking Switzerland authorized to produce and administer written and oral exams to SAQ CWMA standards.
OFPC: The ISFB is recognized as a public utility by the Canton of Geneva. The 14-day diplomas awarded by ISFB are co-signed by the State Councillor in charge of the Department of Public Education.
OCE: ISFB is the service provider of the Office Cantonal de l'Emploi (Cantonal Employment Office) for job-seekers in the banking and finance sector.
ISFB is the professional association representing continuing education in the banking and finance sector in Geneva.
ISFB is a member of the Swiss Federation for Continuing Education.
ISFB is an ordinary member of Swiss Assessment.
Our training partners
BDO is a member of the ISFB and is involved in several of the continuing education modules in our regulatory offering.
ACAD is a partner of ISFB in risk management training for bank directors.
ISFB and HEG-Geneva have signed a long-term partnership agreement for academic training in banking and finance.
ISFB and SRA share the same goal of excellence in risk management. This is why they have signed a partnership agreement for the ISFB Certificate in Internal Control and Risk Management.
ISFB and SPHERE Magazine are partnering to offer a specific skills refresher seminar for independent asset managers.
Member of the following associations or federations
ISFB is a member of the Fédération des entreprises romandes Genève.
ISFB is a member of the Conférence Romande de la Formation Continue.
ISFB is a member of the Swiss Society for Applied Research in Vocational Education and Training.
ISFB is a member of Swiss Sustainable Finance.
ISFB is a member of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services.
ISFB is a member of the Vaud Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
ISFB is a member of the Human Resources Association.
KEY FIGURES
OUR HISTORY OVER TIME
1987: collaboration between Geneva banks
The ISFB was founded in May 1987 by the member banks of the Association of Geneva Private Bankers and the Association of Credit Institutions in Geneva with the aim of establishing a higher education institute for banking and finance. The initial goal was to foster collaboration among banks, standardize existing training programs, and develop new ones. By 1989, two programs had been established: the Swiss Banking School’s Geneva Weeks and courses leading to the Federal Diploma in Banking Economics (better known as the banking master’s degree), in collaboration with the Association for the Promotion of Professional Training in Banks. The ISFB then moved into the Battelle premises in Carouge.
2000: A training institute for the Lake Geneva region
In 2000, the merger with IFCI Formation enabled the ISFB to become the leading professional training center for banks in Geneva and the Lake Geneva region, offering—in addition to the Federal Diploma—ISFB diplomas, à la carte courses, and customized in-house training programs. In 2005, following the closure of the training center of the Banquiers Privés Genevois, the ISFB took over the training programs previously offered by that institution. In 2006, the Institute moved into new premises within the new La Praille complex in the municipality of Grand-Lancy. Starting in 2013, the ISFB began offering its members HES-level training programs in partnership with other institutions and launched its first skills assessments for job seekers in 2014. Since 2018, the ISFB has positioned itself as the leading provider of training in French-speaking Switzerland for the SAQ CWMA certification, in both French and English.
2023: a Swiss-Romand Competence and Career Center
Starting in January 2023, the ISFB is launching a new initiative and refocusing its continuing education and certification offerings, while expanding its range of services designed to enhance the employability of professionals in the financial sector. Major partnerships are being reviewed, and a comprehensive overhaul of internal processes and IT system migrations is being implemented. The ISFB offers its members and their employees a full range of products and services related to career development: technical, managerial, and interpersonal continuing education; access to Swiss and international certifications; career development (recruitment, banking assessment, outplacement, coaching, skills assessment); and network outreach. The ISFB is now positioning itself as a Center of Competence and Career Development serving the French-speaking financial sector. The creation of the ISFB Observatory for Banking and Financial Skills in November 2025 marks the culmination of this new initiative, benefiting the industry in French-speaking Switzerland.