FINANZ26: Moving into the future with renewed momentum

Media Release

On February 25 and 26, 2026, Switzerland's largest financial industry event will open its doors for the 27th time, offering a range of new features. After six successful editions as a trade fair, FINANZ is repositioning itself as a financial event. The organizers are thus placing the diverse program of roundtables, expert panels, specialist presentations, and the Open Forum, which has already proved very popular with professional visitors in previous years, at the center of the event. In addition, there will be plenty of opportunity for networking among sponsors, partners, and institutional investors. With the change from a trade fair to a financial event, FINANZ is returning to the Kongresshaus Zurich and has reorganized its team.

Zurich, February 11, 2025. The event motto «Disruption drives innovation» reflects the conviction that the fundamental change currently affecting global politics, the world economy, and society is simultaneously fueling innovation at all levels. Renowned speakers from the worlds of business and research will address this topic at roundtables organized by the event organizers at FINANZ26.

The first day of the fair will kick off with the roundtable «China in Transition: Growth, Structure, and New Realities». Uli Sigg, former Swiss ambassador to the People's Republic of China, North Korea, and Mongolia, will discuss this topic with Markus Herrmann Chen, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the China Macro Group, moderated by Mark Dittli, Managing Director of «The Market». On the same day, the roundtable «Debt Crisis: Risks and Consequences» is on the agenda. In conversation with Peter Fischer, Chief Economist of the NZZ, KOF Director Jan-Egbert Sturm will take a critical look at government debt.

On the second day of the fair, BILANZ Editor-in-Chief Dirk Schütz will welcome Karin Keller-Busse, President of UBS Switzerland, and Monika Bütler, Honorary Professor of Economics at the University of St. Gallen, to the roundtable «The Future of Switzerland as a Financial Center». The roundtable «New World Order» will conclude the event. Barend Fruithof, CEO of Aebi Schmidt Holding; Stefan Legge, Head of Trade & Tax Policy and Deputy Director at the Institute for Law & Economics at the University of St. Gallen; and Thomas Süssli, former Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces, will debate the topic moderated by Handelszeitung Editor-in-Chief Markus Diem Meier.

Experiencing expert knowledge live and networking with financial professionals

Sponsors and partners will discuss how professional investors can position themselves in an environment of constant uncertainty and groundbreaking trends in the financial world in curated expert panels, numerous expert presentations, and the Open Forum, which remains an integral part of the FINANZ event. The spacious networking zone, where sponsors and partners present themselves with modern sponsorship walls, offers opportunities to engage in personal conversations with experts.

FINANZ26 will also continue its cooperation with training partners from the financial sector. The CFA Society Switzerland, the Swiss Actuarial Association (SAA), and the Swiss Chamber of Pension Fund Experts (SKPE) award their members credit points for attending the event. A total of 15 industry and professional organizations are among the cooperation partners.

New format – new management

«The repositioning of FINANZ as an event is no coincidence», emphasizes Julian Malgiaritta, Managing Director of the event organizer JHM Finanzmesse AG, adding, «The changing needs and interests of our stakeholders have always spurred us on to continuously rethink and further develop our event concept». Julian Malgiaritta, who was previously responsible for exhibitor organization at the finance fair, has played a key role in the extensive overhaul of the event format. As part of long-term succession planning, the previous Managing Director, Bernhard Zosso, has now handed over the reins of FINANZ to him, but will continue to support him in an advisory capacity together with FINANZ Co-Founder Rolf Maurer and, newly, finance expert André Buck.

The detailed program and list of sponsors and partners are available on the new website

www.finanz-ch.ch.

For further information, please contact Julian Malgiaritta, +41 (0)44 241 30 60, j.malgiaritta@finanz-ch.ch. Editors of financial and business media can register for FINANZ26 online until Monday, February 23, 2026, at 4 p.m., or on site during the event.