ComparisonLast checked 8 November 2026

yapeal vs ZKB

A digital Swiss business account with a CHF account, EUR sub-accounts and Visa Debit cards for employees, on four plans from free to CHF 119 a month. A CHF business account from Zürcher Kantonalbank, sold to SMEs and start-ups in the KMU-Package with two accounts, two Visa Debit cards and eBanking, free in the first year. We also show Incard, our pick for businesses whose main costs go on cards.

By the editorial team. How we make money.

Where Incard beats both

You spend thousands a month on cards, especially on advertising, software or travel
You're comfortable with safeguarding instead of FSCS cover

cashback a year on Incard's £0 Free plan from £5,000 a month of eligible ads, software and travel spend. Simple arithmetic, not a forecast.

£600

Apply for Incard on incard.co

We may earn a commission if you apply.

yapeal suits you if

You want a free plan and make few domestic payments
You need CHF and EUR accounts in one app
You give Visa Debit cards to employees and set limits per card
You pay by card abroad: YAPEAL passes on the Visa rate 1:1

ZKB suits you if

You want a cantonal state guarantee on top of esisuisse cover
You make many payments: 600 electronic transactions a month are free
You deposit cash at ZKB branches or machines
You want card terminals from your bank

At a glance

**Table notes:** correct as of 8 November 2026, from each provider's own pages listed under Sources. “Not listed” means the provider's pages we checked don't say.
	yapeal	ZKB	Incard
Type and protection	E-money · safeguarded, no FSCS	Bank · esisuisse cover	E-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
Who can open one	Swiss GmbHs and AGs and Swiss sole traders	Swiss GmbHs and AGs and Swiss sole traders	UK sole traders, UK limited companies, LLPs, Swiss GmbHs and AGs and Swiss sole traders
Cheapest plan	Free: CHF 0 a month	Free for the first year, then CHF 7 a month	Free: £0 a month
Plans (monthly)	Free CHF 0, Essential CHF 9, Grow CHF 49, Business CHF 119	Firmenkonto CHF 7 a month; KMU-Package free in the first year	Free £0, Grow £49, Plus from £199
Card cashback	On Grow and Business, depending on transaction volume; rate not listed	Not listed	Free: 1% on ads, software and travel, 0.5% on other eligible spend. Higher on Grow and Plus. Uncapped
Card payments in other currencies	Visa exchange rate passed on 1:1; no card FX fee in the price table	1.25%, up to CHF 1.50 per Visa Debit transaction	1.8% on Free, 1.5% on Grow and Plus
Domestic transfers	5 a month on Free, then CHF 0.30; unlimited on paid plans	600 electronic transactions a month free, then CHF 0.20	100 included on Free, 250 on Grow, then £0.30 each
International transfers	SEPA free on paid plans (CHF 2 on Free); SWIFT CHF 4 out (CHF 27.50 on Free)	SEPA within the free allowance; other payments abroad CHF 4	3 included on Grow; otherwise from £5 (SHA) or £20 (OUR)
ATM withdrawals	CHF 2 in CHF and CHF 5 in EUR in Switzerland; 1.5% abroad	Free at ZKB and other cantonal bank ATMs, CHF 2 at other Swiss ATMs, CHF 5 abroad	2% in the UK, 2.5% abroad
Cash deposits	Not listed	CHF notes free at ZKB machines and counters; coins 3% at the counter	Not listed
Currencies you can hold	CHF and EUR	CHF; foreign-currency current accounts, including EUR, USD and GBP	GBP, EUR and USD, with IBANs
Accepting card payments	Not listed	EFT/POS terminals and e-commerce payments offered (ZKB Ready); price not listed	Not listed

Where they differ

Based on what each provider lists on its own pages. If a feature isn't listed, check with the provider before you rule it out.

Only ZKB lists cash deposits and card payments from customers.
Only Incard lists accounts for UK sole traders, accounts for UK limited companies and accounts for LLPs.

What each one is, and who can open one

yapeal

YAPEAL AG, Zurich (UID CHE-485.125.244), holds a FINMA fintech licence under Art. 1b of the Swiss Banking Act. It is not a full bank. No esisuisse depositor protection: YAPEAL says its fintech licence doesn't provide it. It must hold 100% of customer money and deposits it with the Swiss National Bank.

Who can open one: Partnerships, AG, GmbH, foundations and associations registered in the Swiss commercial register; YAPEAL's support pages also describe opening for sole proprietorships. Activation needs a first payment from a Swiss account in the company's name, or in your own name for a sole proprietorship. Full yapeal profile.

ZKB

Zürcher Kantonalbank is an independent public-law institution of the Canton of Zurich (UID CHE-108.954.607), licensed as a bank by FINMA under the Swiss Banking Act. Deposits are covered by esisuisse up to CHF 100,000 per customer per bank, with all accounts added together. The Canton of Zurich also guarantees ZKB's liabilities, except subordinated ones, if the bank's own funds are not enough.

Who can open one: Companies based in Switzerland, associations and federations. ZKB's company-founding pages cover AG, GmbH and sole proprietorships (Einzelfirma) and point founders to the KMU-Package. Domiciliary companies and firms domiciled abroad pay a higher account fee. Full ZKB profile.

Incard

Incard Ltd is authorised by the FCA as an electronic money institution (firm reference number 1027309). It is not a bank. Safeguarded: Incard keeps customer funds separate from its own money, in accounts with authorised credit institutions, and doesn't lend or invest them. Funds are not protected by the FSCS.

Who can open one: UK limited companies and LLPs, UK sole traders and freelancers registered with their local authority, and Swiss GmbH, AG and sole-trader businesses. EEA onboarding is paused until an expected restart in 2027. Public sector bodies, cooperatives, charities, foundations and trusts aren't accepted, and a long list of industries is restricted. Full Incard profile.

Our e-money vs bank account guide explains what safeguarding and FSCS cover mean if a provider fails.

When Incard isn't the answer

Incard isn't the right account if

Your business is registered outside the UK and Switzerland. EEA onboarding is paused until an expected restart in 2027
You're a charity, cooperative, foundation, trust or public body, or work in one of Incard's restricted industries