Radicant Review 2025 – Pros & Cons
| Updated: |(Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links)
Radicant is a new digital bank with banking and investment features. It is a subsidiary of Basel Land Kantonal Bank and aims to be the most sustainable digital bank in Switzerland.
In this review, we will see precisely what is Radicant and how it compares with similar offers. By the end of this review, you will know whether you should use Radicant.
| Monthly fee | 0 CHF |
|---|---|
| Users | N/A |
| Card | Virtual or Physical Visa Debit |
| Currencies | CHF |
| Withdrawals in Switzerland | 12 Free per year, then 2 CHF |
| Withdrawals abroad | 5.0 CHF |
| Currency exchange fee | 0.00% |
| Investing fees | 0.90% – 1.30% |
| Languages | English, and German |
| Custody bank | Radicant |
| Depositor protection | 100’000 CHF |
| Established | 2023 |
| Headquarters | Zürich, Switzerland |
Radicant
Radicant was created as a subsidiary of the Basel Land Kantonal Bank (BLKB). However, they act independently. In 2023, Radicant got a banking license from FINMA.
A beta was launched in March 2023. In August 2023, the app was launched to the public.
Radicant is only available as a mobile app on Android and iPhone. They claim they are 100% in the cloud (in Google Cloud, Zurich, with a backup in Frankfurt). They want to break even by 2026.
Currently, the app is only available in German and English. You need to be a Swiss resident to open an account. And the account opening is limited to some citizenships (mostly in Europe).
So, let’s see what features and fees this new digital bank account offers its users.
Banking Features
First, we should look at the banking features.
Radicant offers all the essential features that each bank account provides:
- Receive money.
- Send money to other bank accounts.
- Pay bills (QR bills and standard transfers).
- View the balance of your account.
- View the transactions from your account.
On top of that, the rest of the features are focused on mobile banking:
- Google Pay
- Apple Pay
- TWINT (with their own app)
In November 2023, they added support for e-bills.
As of December 2024, Radicant added support for EUR. You can get a secondary EUR account with its own IBAN. With that, you can do SEPA transfers in EUR. On the other hand, you cannot do transfer in other currencies than EUR and CHF.
It is interesting to note that this account does not come with a physical card by default. Since they focus on sustainability, the account comes with a virtual Visa debit card. However, you can order a physical Visa debit card, which will be made of recycled plastic.
Radicant interest rate is 0.25% up to 100'000 CHF, 0.50% up to 250'000 CHF and 0.25% above that (as of December 2024). You get this on your entire account, there is no need to create a savings account for this.
It is also probably worth noting that some cash deposited at this bank will be invested in green bonds. The idea is that your deposits will support sustainable projects worldwide. Moreover, they will restore 1 square meter of mangrove in Kenya whenever you spend 500 CHF with the card.
You also get a carbon footprint tracker as a small utility. It is not useful for me since it can only track a portion of your expenses. But it is a start, and some people may like these features.
Radicant proposes all the features most people need in a bank account. However, some people may be blocked by not having international transfers.
Investing features
Radicant offers investing features as well, directly from the app.
Radicant focuses solely on sustainable investing. Interestingly, they are using different factors than other companies. Instead of using the standard ESG criteria, Radicant uses Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as criteria. These criteria are developed by the United Nations (UN). There are 17 SDGs as of this day. Here are a few examples:
- Gender Equality
- Child Health
- Zero Hunger
- Sustainable cities
- Peace
To make sure their investment products are following these goals accurately, Radicant has developed its own products. These funds are managed by Radicant and issued by other banks, such as the Zurcher Kantonal Bank (ZKB). Currently, they have eight investment products, covering up to 3 SDGs for each fund. Here are a few examples again:
- Societal Progress
- Gender Equality
- Healthy Ecosystems
On top of that, portfolios also invest in wider funds managed by Radicant:
- Global Sustainable Equities
- Global Sustainable Bonds
- Swiss Sustainable Equities
Interestingly, they are only using their own funds.
Portfolios are made based on your impact and investment focuses. You can choose whether to focus on the world or Switzerland. Based on your risk profile, you will be assigned one of five strategies:
- Cautious: 20% stocks
- Conservative: 40% stocks
- Balanced: 60% stocks
- Dynamic: 80% stocks
- Growth: 98% stocks
Investing up to 98% in stocks is a great thing. And you can start to invest with a minimum of 1000 CHF.
If you are investing in their offer, you may then be part of their Saveback program:
- If you have more than 10’000 CHF and invest more than 1000 CHF per month, you will get back 1% on your eligible debit card transactions.
- If you have more than 1’000 CHF and invest more than 150 CHF per month, you will get back 0.25% on your eligible debit card transactions.
The cashback is credited to your investment portfolio. You will only get cashback on spending below 2000 CHF per month and all transactions that are cash transfers are not eligible (TWINT and PayPal for instance).
Overall, the investing features are good. Since they only focus on sustainable investment, these features are only suited for investors who want to focus on sustainable investing. The SDGs also look a bit too complicated, but they also seem more ambitious than simple ESG goals.
These features make Radicant work like a Robo-advisor, not a broker. This is important because many banks will act like brokers, but not Robo-advisors. It is probably closer to a hybrid Robo-advisor because the funds themselves are actively managed. So, this is a Robo-advisor on top of actively managed funds.
Banking fees
The fees for the banking features of Radicant are pretty simple.
The good thing is that there are no base management fees. So, you will not pay anything to keep your account open. Paying your bills and doing bank transfers in Switzerland is free, as is mobile payment in CHF in Switzerland.
If you want the physical Visa debit card, you must pay 10 CHF.
If you want to withdraw CHF, you get 12 free annual withdrawals in Switzerland. After this, you will pay 2 CHF per CHF withdrawal in Switzerland. If you withdraw abroad, you will pay 5 CHF, and if you withdraw EUR in Switzerland, you will also pay 5 CHF.
If you pay abroad or in foreign currencies with your card (virtual or physical), Radicant will use the interbank exchange rate. This is as good as it gets. On top of it, Radicant has no surcharge. This is an excellent exchange rate for the card!
On the other hand, if you do a currency conversion within your account (CHF to EUR), you will pay 0.90%. This is average within Swiss banks. But I wished they did better.
These fees are mostly great! I just wish they did a little better for currency transfers.
Investing fees
We can now look at the investing fees of Radicant.
Radicant has a management fee based on the invested amount:
- 0.90% per year from 1000 CHF to 24’999 CHF
- 0.80% per year from 25’000 CHF to 99’999 CHF
- 0.65% per year from 100’000 CHF to 249’999 CHF
- 0.50% per year from 250’000 CHF
Moreover, we must add the product costs. Based on your portfolio, these will vary from 0.40% to 0.47%. It is worth mentioning that stamp duty is included in the management fee, contrary to many Robo-advisors.
For their launch, they offer a 50% discount on the account fees if you invest until the end of December 2024. This only reduces the management fee, not the product costs. In January 2025, they plan new fees.
Here is a summary of all the total fees, with and without the discount:
| Portfolio | Total Fee without discount | Total Fee with discount |
|---|---|---|
| 1’000 to 24’999 | 1.30% – 1.37% | 0.85% – 0.92% |
| 25’000 to 99’999 | 1.20% – 1.27% | 0.80% – 0.87% |
| 100’000 to 249’999 | 1.05% – 1.12% | 0.725% – 0.795% |
| From 250’000 | 0.90% – 0.97% | 0.65% – 0.72% |
Overall, I feel like the fees with the discount are good for a Robo-advisor investing sustainably. However, the fees without discount are pretty high. There are many cheaper alternatives, even for sustainable investing.
The good thing about these fees is that they are very transparent and simple.
Alternatives
We should look at some alternatives and compare them with Radicant. It is difficult to compare since Radicant is both a bank and a Robo-advisor. Since I do not know any other service that does both, we will compare it with a bank and a Robo-advisor.
Radicant vs Neon
All the services you need to pay, save and invest, in a neat package, with extremely good prices!
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- Pay abroad for free
- Invest with great fees
First, we can compare Radicant with Neon, another digital bank account.
Both bank accounts are free of any monthly charge. And all the basic features are free.
However, Radicant has an advantage when spending abroad or in foreign currencies. Indeed, Neon will offer the Mastercard exchange rate without any surcharge. This makes about 0.40% total markup against no markup for Radicant. This makes Radicant slightly cheaper for use abroad.
Neon has the advantage of partnering with Wise to make outgoing transfers in foreign currencies. On the other hand, Radicant does not even support international transfers.
Neon also offers investing services, but as a broker, not as a Robo-advisor, so comparing them does not make sense.
Overall, both Radicant and Neon are great as bank accounts. They both have advantages and disadvantages and will offer a nice bank account. However, I feel like the Neon account is more advanced as a bank account, with more features.
Radicant vs Inyova
A very good Robo-Advisor, with a strong focus on impact investing and sustainable investments.
- Very sustainable
- Affordable for large portfolios
We can also compare Radicant and Inyova, another Robo-advisor focusing on sustainability.
As far as I know, Inyova is the most sustainable Robo-advisor available in Switzerland. It makes it a suitable candidate for comparison with Radicant.
They have different approaches to sustainability. Inyova focuses on impact investing with a focus on both the handprint and footprint of companies. Radicant focuses on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. I cannot say which is the most sustainable. They are probably on the same level.
One significant difference is that Inyova uses single shares they picked, while Radicant uses managed funds. This allows a greater level of customization for Inyova’s portfolio.
Inyova has the following management fee based on the invested value:
- Below 50’000 CHF: 1.2% annual fee
- Between 50’000 and 150’000 CHF: 1.1% annual fee
- Between 150’000 and 500’000 CHF: 1.0% annual fee
- Above 500’000 CHF: 0.9% annual fee
Since Inyova invests in single stocks, there is no extra product cost.
Both services have around the same fees, with a slight advantage for Inyova.
Given that Inyova is a more established Robo-advisor and its fees are better generally, I would recommend Inyova. Radicant may be interesting if you are especially interested in UN SDGs and can get discounted fees.
FAQ
What is the minimum amount to invest with Radicant?
The minimum is 1000 CHF.
Is Radicant a broker?
No, they have investing features like Robo-advisor, but you cannot choose your shares.
How much does it cost to pay abroad with Radicant?
You should not have to pay any fees for paying abroad or in foreign currencies. Radicant uses the interbank exchange rate.
Who is Radicant good for?
Radicant is quite nice if you want a very cheap bank account, especially to use abroad. And it is among the most sustainable options for banking and investing.
Who is Radicant not good for?
Radicant is not great if you want the cheapest bank Robo-advisor.
Summary
Radicant
Radicant is a digital bank with Robo-advisor features, focusing on sustainability.
Product Brand: Radicant
3.5
Pros
- Transparent pricing
- No monthly management fee for the bank account
- Good discount for starting
- Deep focus on sustainability
- Excellent for paying abroad
- Uses the interbank exchange rate
- Good interest rate
Cons
- Expensive investing fees without the discount
- Can only invest sustainably
- Limited choices for investing
- No support for international transfers
Conclusion
Overall, it is good to see a new digital bank account with a strong focus on sustainability. It is also interesting to see that it does not focus on ESG but on the UN Sustainable Development Goals instead. The fact that they use actively managed funds makes them different from other Robo-advisors.
Thanks to using the interbank exchange rate, Radicant is an excellent bank account. Using it abroad and in Switzerland is very cheap.
As a Robo-advisor, it does not offer many advantages over other services. Compared with a sustainable Robo-advisor, it does not provide a significant advantage. And when compared with a cheap Robo-advisor, its fees are not good enough. However, it will be more sustainable than most Robo-advisors.
If you are looking for outstanding digital bank accounts or Robo-advisors, you can read these two reviews:
What do you think about this new product? Where do you think it fits in the current market?
Recommended reading
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- More articles about Save
- Alpian Review 2025 – Pros & Cons
- Freiburger Kantonalbank (FKB) Review 2025
- Interview of Julius Kirscheneder, Founder of The Neon Bank
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I’m coming just to let people know they just opened the new euro account. I like this bank because the seem to be pretty accessible and humble when you write them and ask to add a new feature or function. On the bad side I have to mention that in the opening of the new euro account they mention that fees may apply in the conversion of currencies, something that with the card supposedly does not happen.
What do you people think?
Hi Manu
Thanks for sharing. I will have to update this article to mention. Unfortunately, the currency conversion fee between CHF and EUR is not good at 0.90%. I wish they would have done it better.
I did some currency exchange tests today (Wednesday) in Poland and tbh – I was quite disappointed with Radicant:
– amount: 84 PLN
– Wise: 18.30 CHF
– Revolut: 18.31 CHF
– Radicant: 18.34 CHF
– Neon: 18.35 CHF
Tested all of them practically at the same moment. So generally slightly better than Neon, but still worse than Revolut and Wise (which was even better than Revolut, that was pretty surprising…). I will do some tests during weekend as well, but I guess Wise would be a general winner anyway.
Hi robber,
Thanks for sharing these results. For Wise, did you take the fee into account?
In theory, Radicant should be better than Wise because Wise has fees and Radicant supposedly has none. It is really weird that they would be worse than both Revolut and Wise.
Sure, that was the final price from Wise. Also checked today one more time:
– Wise: 18.34 CHF (18.30 CHF + 0.04 CHF fee)
– Revolut: 18.35 CHF
Revolut, in theory, doesn’t have a fee as well, but it’s still worse. But that shows why they don’t use a term “interbank rates” anymore 😉 But Radicant does, so it seems their interpretation of that term is rather “relaxed”.
Revolut uses the “Revolut Exchange Rate”, which is the marketing way of saying “we do what the hell we want” :)
Agreed that if Radicant advertises interbank and does not deliver, it’s an issue.
Hah, I’ve just asked Radicant and almost immediately received such an answer:
“I’ve reviewed the payment you’re referring to, and it appears that it has not yet been fully processed. If you click on the payment, you’ll notice the status reads “Final booking pending.” As a result, the exchange rate applied is still provisional and includes a Visa mark-up. This mark-up will be removed once the payment is finalized”.
I will provide an update when the final price is established then 😉
Interesting, thanks for sharing! It’s a bit dumb that they do not remove the Visa mark-up in the app itself to avoid the confusion.
Okay, one more update – yesterday (06.12) the payment in Radicant changed its status to “Booking completed” and the amount decreased to 18.31 CHF. So eventually – we have the same amount as in Revolut and slightly worse than in Wise. But what is important – there’s a notice that exchange rate used is “at the time of booking”, so 2 days after the payment. If we tried to convert that amount in Revolut and Wise on 06.12 – we would get sth like 18.32 CHF, so most likely Radicant would win indeed, but because of the 2-day delay – the rate was already worse and that’s why Wise was the best choice in that case.
So to sum up – Radicant delivers their promise to use a market rate, but because there’s a noticeable delay between a payment date and booking date – that could mean it won’t be the best choice in all the cases if the rate would be worse on a booking date than on a payment date (ofc the opposite scenario would be beneficial for Radicant 😉).
I will do additional tests during a weekend, but most likely – I will stay with Wise as the main payment card abroad (because of transparency and decent rates on both weekdays and weekends), with Radicant as a backup on weekends, and Radicant & Revolut as backups on weekdays.
PS I don’t know if that 2-day delay is the standard one – maybe it depends on a day or currency, I will observe.
Hi Robber,
Thanks for sharing all the results!
It’s good indeed that they deliver on their promise. But I think they could improve the app to make it clearer (at least remove the fee and mention that rate can change).
The fact that they use the rate from two days later is not a huge deal because on average, it should be the same as using the rate now on average.