Bank Cler
A Basel-based Swiss retail bank serving private customers and small and medium-sized businesses. A comprehensive financial group in Switzerland.
Last updated October 30, 2026
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Overview
Bank Cler is a Swiss retail bank headquartered in Basel and operating primarily in the domestic Swiss market. Its principal customers are private individuals and small and medium-sized companies. The institution originated in the cooperative banking movement and was established on 30 October 1927 by the Association of Swiss Consumers, now associated with Coop, together with the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions. It began as a cooperative central bank under the name Genossenschaftliche Zentralbank, with corresponding French and Italian names. The bank's legal and commercial identity changed several times as its ownership and organizational structure evolved. In 1970, the members' delegates approved the transformation of the cooperative into a stock corporation. The institution adopted the name Coop Bank in 1995, reflecting its historical connection with the consumer cooperative movement. On 20 December 1999, Basler Kantonalbank acquired a controlling interest. The bank was renamed Bank Coop in 2001, marking a further stage in its development within the Basel cantonal bank's ownership structure. For much of the 2000s and 2010s, the shares remained publicly traded while Basler Kantonalbank was the dominant shareholder. At the end of 2009, Basler Kantonalbank held 57.6% of the shares, while Coop held 10.4%, Swiss trade-union associations held 5.1%, and the bank held a further 1.1% in its trading portfolio and financial investments. The balance was in free float. Coop sold its remaining shares to Basler Kantonalbank in March 2017, consolidating the cantonal bank's ownership. On 20 May 2017, the institution completed a comprehensive rebranding and became Bank Cler. The name is derived from a Romansh word associated with the ideas of transparency, simplicity and clarity. The bank also uses Banque Cler in French and Banca Cler in Italian, reflecting Switzerland's multilingual market. The rebrand positioned the institution as a straightforward, accessible retail bank rather than as a cooperative-branded bank tied directly to Coop. Basler Kantonalbank announced in June 2018 its intention to acquire the remaining shares and take Bank Cler fully private. SIX approved the delisting of the shares in November 2018, and Bank Cler subsequently became a wholly owned subsidiary of Basler Kantonalbank. In October 2018, the bank was certified as climate neutral. From September 2019, payment transactions were outsourced to Swisscom, another important operational change in the bank's recent history. Bank Cler's business scope is centered on conventional retail banking: accounts and payment services for private customers, financing and related services for households, and banking relationships for small and medium-sized enterprises. The available reference material does not provide a complete current product catalogue, detailed financial results, current executive roster or a precise branch network count. Bank Cler should therefore be understood as a Swiss domestic banking brand within Basler Kantonalbank Group, rather than as an internationally diversified bank.
History
Bank Cler traces its origins to the Swiss cooperative movement. On 30 October 1927, the Association of Swiss Consumers, now associated with Coop, and the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions established a cooperative central bank called Genossenschaftliche Zentralbank. The organization also operated under French and Italian names reflecting Switzerland's multilingual financial environment. Its initial identity was therefore rooted in collective economic organization rather than in a conventional shareholder-owned commercial bank. A major structural change took place in 1970, when the delegates representing the cooperative membership approved the conversion of the institution into a stock corporation. The change created a legal structure more compatible with conventional banking ownership and capital-market participation. In 1995, the bank adopted the name Coop Bank. Four years later, on 20 December 1999, Basler Kantonalbank acquired a controlling stake. The institution was renamed Bank Coop in 2001, combining its historical Coop association with its new relationship to the Basel cantonal bank. The ownership structure remained mixed for much of the following decade. At the end of 2009, Basler Kantonalbank held 57.6% of the shares. Coop retained 10.4%, Swiss trade-union associations held 5.1%, and the bank itself held 1.1% in its trading portfolio and financial investments; the remainder was publicly held. This arrangement preserved elements of the institution's original cooperative background while placing effective control with Basler Kantonalbank. The Bank Coop period also included two significant controversies. In 2013, errors associated with a new customer-statement format caused documents to be sent with incorrect recipient information. The incident affected thousands of customers and raised questions about implementation controls and data handling. In 2014, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority reprimanded Bank Coop for purchases of its own bearer shares made between 2009 and 2013. FINMA concluded that the purchases had supported the share price and constituted serious violations of market-manipulation and organizational obligations. Former chief executive Andreas Waespi, who had left the bank in August 2014, received a three-year professional ban. Coop sold its remaining shares to Basler Kantonalbank in March 2017. On 20 May of that year, the bank introduced the Bank Cler brand through a comprehensive rebranding. The name comes from Romansh and conveys the concepts of clarity, simplicity and transparency. The institution uses Banque Cler in French and Banca Cler in Italian. The rebrand separated the bank's public identity from the Coop name while emphasizing an uncomplicated domestic banking proposition. Basler Kantonalbank announced in June 2018 that it intended to acquire all remaining shares. SIX approved the delisting in November 2018, and Bank Cler became a wholly owned subsidiary of Basler Kantonalbank. Other developments in this period included climate-neutral certification in October 2018 and the outsourcing of payment transactions to Swisscom from September 2019. Today, Bank Cler is best characterized as a Swiss retail-banking brand within Basler Kantonalbank Group. Its stated principal activity is serving private individuals and small and medium-sized companies. The available reference material does not establish a complete list of current products, branches, financial results or current executives, so those details are not expanded beyond the documented business scope.
- 2019
Payment operations outsourced
[1]Payment transactions were outsourced to Swisscom from September 2019.
- 2018
Full acquisition and delisting process
[1]Basler Kantonalbank announced a plan to take full ownership, and SIX approved the delisting of Bank Cler shares later that year.
- 2017
Coop exits the shareholder structure
[1]Coop sold its remaining shares to Basler Kantonalbank in March 2017.
- 2017
Bank Cler brand launched
[1]The bank completed its rebranding as Bank Cler on 20 May 2017.
- 2001
Renamed Bank Coop
[1]The institution adopted the Bank Coop name.
- 1999
Basler Kantonalbank acquires control
[1]Basler Kantonalbank purchased a controlling stake on 20 December 1999.
- 1995
Renamed Coop Bank
[1]The bank changed its name to Coop Bank.
- 1970
Converted into a stock corporation
[1]The cooperative's delegates approved a change from cooperative form to a stock corporation.
- 1927
Cooperative central bank founded
[1]The Association of Swiss Consumers and the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions founded Genossenschaftliche Zentralbank on 30 October 1927.
Products and positioning
A transparent, simple and accessible Swiss retail bank serving households and small and medium-sized businesses, operating as part of Basler Kantonalbank Group.
Retail banking
Private customer banking
Bank Cler's core business is retail banking for private individuals in Switzerland. This broad category covers the everyday banking relationship of households, including accounts, deposits, payment services and other personal financial services. The reference material identifies private customers as a principal target group but does not provide a complete current product catalogue or individual product names.
Business banking
SME banking
The bank also serves small and medium-sized companies. Its SME activity forms part of the institution's domestic banking proposition and may include business accounts, payments and financing relationships, although the available reference material does not enumerate individual products or service packages.
Payments
Payment and transaction services
Payment transactions are part of Bank Cler's operating scope for both private and business customers. From September 2019, the bank outsourced payment transactions to Swisscom. The reference material does not specify the full range of payment channels, instruments or current service names.
Lending
Household and real-estate financing
Financing is a typical component of a Swiss retail bank serving households, but the supplied reference does not identify specific Bank Cler mortgage or lending products. This entry is therefore limited to the documented retail-banking scope rather than asserting particular product specifications.
Controversies
2014
FINMA finding on manipulation of Bank Coop shares
FINMA reprimanded Bank Coop after finding that the bank had made substantial purchases of its own bearer shares from 2009 to 2013 to counteract a decline in the share price. The regulator described the conduct as a serious breach of market-manipulation restrictions and associated organizational obligations.
2013
Incorrect distribution of customer statements
A programming error introduced during a change to the bank statement format resulted in customer annual statements being enclosed with material belonging to other recipients. Bank Coop later said a Deloitte investigation identified multiple contributing circumstances and insufficient controls.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Bank Cler rebranding
Switzerland
The institution replaced the Bank Coop identity with Bank Cler through a comprehensive rebranding. The new name, drawn from Romansh, was intended to convey clarity, simplicity and transparency, with Banque Cler and Banca Cler used in the country's other major language markets. The rebrand established the current Bank Cler identity and differentiated the bank from its former Coop-branded positioning.
Outcome. The rebrand established the current Bank Cler identity and differentiated the bank from its former Coop-branded positioning.
Brand decisions
2019
Outsource payment transactions to SwisscomStrategyBackground
The bank pursued a change in the operating model for payment processing.
Action taken
Payment transactions were outsourced to Swisscom from September 2019.
Aftermath
Payment processing became an externally provided operational function; the reference material does not describe later performance or customer effects.
2018
Move toward full ownership by Basler KantonalbankM&ABackground
Basler Kantonalbank already controlled the institution and announced an intention to acquire the remaining shares.
Action taken
Basler Kantonalbank announced the planned acquisition of 100% of Bank Cler, while SIX approved the subsequent delisting process.
Aftermath
Bank Cler became a wholly owned subsidiary and ceased to be a publicly traded bank.
2017
Adopt the Bank Cler identityStrategyBackground
Coop had sold its remaining shares to Basler Kantonalbank, and the bank sought a distinct identity after its long Bank Coop period.
Action taken
The institution launched a comprehensive rebrand on 20 May 2017 and adopted the Bank Cler name, with French and Italian variants.
Aftermath
Bank Cler became the continuing customer-facing brand and was positioned around clarity, simplicity and transparency.
Recent events
- 2019
Payment transactions outsourced to Swisscom[1]
Other
Bank Cler outsourced its payment transactions to Swisscom from September 2019 as part of an operational and technology-services arrangement.
- 2018
Basler Kantonalbank announces plan to take full ownership[1]
M&A
Basler Kantonalbank announced its intention to acquire 100% of Bank Cler, moving the bank toward full integration as a wholly owned subsidiary.
- 2018
Bank Cler receives climate-neutral certification[1]
Regulation · Other
Bank Cler was certified as climate neutral in October 2018.
- 2018
SIX approves delisting of Bank Cler shares[1]
M&A · Regulation
SIX approved the delisting of Bank Cler's shares in November 2018 as the bank moved toward wholly owned status under Basler Kantonalbank.
- 2017
Bank Coop rebrands as Bank Cler[1]
Campaign · Product launch
The bank completed a comprehensive rebranding on 20 May 2017, adopting the Bank Cler name and corresponding French and Italian versions.
- 2017
Coop sells its remaining Bank Coop shares[1]
M&A
Coop sold its remaining shareholding to Basler Kantonalbank, further consolidating the cantonal bank's ownership of the institution.
- 2001
Bank adopts the Bank Coop name[1]
Other
The institution changed its name from Coop Bank to Bank Coop after Basler Kantonalbank had become its controlling shareholder.
- 1999
Basler Kantonalbank acquires a controlling stake in the bank[1]
M&A
Basler Kantonalbank purchased a controlling interest in the institution on 20 December 1999, beginning its long-term ownership relationship with the bank.
Sources2 sources
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