Across our business lines Lending and Payments, we serve over 2 million customers in Switzerland and employ more than 900 people from over 40 different countries. We have our headquarters in Zurich and operate across Switzerland through our network of branches and our online distribution channels, as well as through our credit card partners, independent intermediaries and car dealers.

We have been listed as an independent Swiss bank on the SIX Swiss Exchange since October 2013. Cembra is rated A- by Standard & Poor’s and is included in the MSCI ESG Leaders Index and in the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.

Products

We offer a broad range of financing solutions in Switzerland:

• Personal loans: Cembra is a leading provider in the highly competitive personal loans market. We are offering a personalised premium service and our products are available through our branches across Switzerland, through independent intermediaries and online.
  
  
• Auto loans and leasing: Cembra is a large brand-independent auto loans and leasing provider in Switzerland. Our products are sold via a distribution network of around 3,700 car dealers, who act as intermediaries. A dedicated sales force of 26 field agents, together with the employees at our four service centres, provide a personalised, flexible and efficient service.
  
  
• Credit cards: We are one of the leading credit card providers in Switzerland, with about 1 million cards issued. We offer a range of credit cards through partner programmes with Conforama, FNAC, IKEA, LIPO, SPAR, TCS, as well as our own credit cards. The cards offer a range of attractive features, such as loyalty points, cash back, personalised designs and no annual fees.
  
  
• Buy now pay later: Through CembraPay we offer invoice financing services and flexible payment options for both online and point-of-sale channels.
  
  
• Insurance products: We provide access to various insurance products. Alongside our personal loans and auto loans and leasing, insurance provides financial protection in case of involuntary unemployment, accident, illness or disability. We also intermediate travel and card protection insurance for our credit card customers as well as car insurance.
  
  
• Savings and deposits: We provide savings and deposit products at competitive interest rates for both retail customers and institutional clients.

History

The roots of Cembra date back to 1912, when Banque commerciale et agricole E. Uldry & Cie. was founded in Fribourg. This bank later became Bank Prokredit. In 1999, GE Capital merged Bank Prokredit with Bank Aufina, which it had acquired in 1997. In October 2013, the Bank separated from its parent company GE, went public and was rebranded as Cembra Money Bank AG. In 2020, we changed our brand name to Cembra. We strengthened our market position by several acquisitions, including the purchase of the consumer finance provider cashgate in 2019.

The Bank is named after the Swiss cembra pine (Pinus cembra), a sturdy and resilient tree with strong roots. It symbolises our Bank’s strength and our origin.