At a glance
- Available online, on the go or by phone
- Purchase foreign currencies for your international payments
- Benefit from exchange rate fluctuations
Currency/foreign exchange
Use price fluctuations to your advantage
Protect yourself against foreign currency risks or benefit from exchange rate fluctuations. Exchange any currency for nine other currencies. To do this, select the product that matches your needs. Our specialists are also happy to take your orders over the phone.
Convert currency/foreign exchange directly
Would you first like to compare all the options, or are you interested in the currency/foreign exchange for business customers?
Account transfer
- Available 24/7 at the daily rate
- Online currency exchange between accounts
- Execute immediately or on a specific date
Currency/foreign exchange
- At the real-time rate
- Exchange ten currencies online
- Spot transactions
Order by telephone
- Specialists are available to help
- Spot, forward and swap transactions
- Query exchange rates and place orders
Compare all options
Currency/foreign exchange Account transfer
Currency/foreign exchange Spot
Currency/foreign exchange Forward
Currency/foreign exchange Swap
Or do you need cash?
Order cash for your trip: we will send Swiss francs or foreign currencies in banknotes to your home address. Order conveniently online – delivered in just a few days.
Currency/foreign exchange in detail
- You need PostFinance accounts in the currencies you would like to exchange
- Choose the appropriate service: account transfer, spot, forward or swap
- Place the order via e-finance, the PostFinance App or by telephone, depending on availability
- You will receive an order confirmation upon completion
- You will receive a credit/debit notification for your currency/foreign exchange
- If there is a collective signing right, see additional information below
Procedure for collective signing right
If the transaction is to be debited to an account subject to a collective signing right , you will require additional authorization. You can order this as an additional right called “Approval of foreign exchange trading orders” by using the form “The link will open in a new window Registration/change for e-finance user” before you enter your first order in e-finance.
More information
You can choose from ten currencies. Open the appropriate accounts depending on the currencies you want to exchange.
CHF – Swiss francs |
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EUR – Euro |
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AUD – Australian dollar CAD – Canadian dollar DKK – Danish krone GBP – Pound sterling JPY – Japanese yen NOK – Norwegian krone SEK – Swedish krona USD – American dollar |
Private account in foreign currency You require a separate account in each currency. |
Open accounts online now
Examples of accounts required
You would like to exchange EUR and USD. You require:
- A private account in EUR
- A private account in a foreign currency. When opening the account, select the currency USD
You would like to exchange GBP and USD. You need:
- Two private accounts in a foreign currency
- Open an account in GBP and one in USD
PostFinance foreign exchange transactions are offered as an “execution only” service (execution without consultation). The Customer makes decisions and foreign exchange transactions independently. All foreign exchange transactions are executed at the Customer’s own risk.
The Customer is aware that foreign exchange transactions entail considerable risks. Significant price fluctuations may arise, which could result in unlimited loss potential and entail corresponding reserves. Potential negative financial consequences of foreign exchange transactions shall be borne exclusively by the Customer.
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- Exchange rate margin: we include a market-standard exchange rate margin in the exchange rates. This depends on the type of transaction, the currencies exchanged and the amount ordered. The exchange rates we display online or offer you over the phone already include this margin.
- Account management: the account management for foreign currency accounts is included in the price of your banking package.
- Statements: if you receive electronic account statements, the credit and debit statements from foreign exchange trading are free of charge for you. We charge paper statements separately.
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The term “currency” usually refers to the official payment method of a country or currency area, regardless of the form in which it is held or transported.
“Foreign exchange” means receivables or credit in a foreign currency that exist in the form of book money.
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Both terms refer to services used by companies or private individuals to buy or sell foreign currencies – for example, when Swiss francs are exchanged for euros to pay invoices in euros, or when income in US dollars is exchanged for Swiss francs. This allows you to secure your international payments and manage liquidity in a targeted manner.
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With e-finance – our online banking – or the PostFinance App, you can trade currencies independently. You have two options for this:
- An account transfer enables you to exchange currencies at daily rates and is available 24/7.
- With spot transactions, real-time exchange rates are used. Executed transactions are binding.
Both services are suitable if you require liquidity at short notice in a specific currency. All you need are accounts in the currencies you require and online access to them.
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In addition to account transfers and spot transactions, PostFinance also offers foreign exchange forward contracts:
- Forward contract: you fix an exchange rate today for a future transaction. This lets you protect yourself against price fluctuations and helps you to plan better
- Swap transactions: you exchange foreign currencies immediately and at the same time agree to re-exchange the currencies back at a fixed rate in the future. The reverse is also possible.
Both variants support you in cash management and help to reduce exchange rate risks. You can order foreign exchange forward contracts over the phone.
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The calculation depends on the current exchange rate, maturity and interest rate differences of the currencies involved. You can keep up to date at all times with the exchange rate applied online in e-finance or with the PostFinance App, as well as by telephone.
When you conclude a forward or swap transaction, a margin is reserved on your account. During the maturation period, the margin (i.e. the margin of safety stored to cover the exchange rate risk) is continually adjusted to market conditions.
Would you like to order a foreign exchange transaction over the phone, or do you have any questions?
Our staff will be happy to help you from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All conversations are recorded.
