Swiss Marketplace Lending Conference 2026: Looking Beyond the Private Debt Headlines
The sold-out Swiss Marketplace Lending Conference 2026 brought together industry experts in Zurich to explore the opportunities, risks and investment considerations of Switzerland’s marketplace lending market.
On 4 November, participants gathered at UBS’ Grünenhof Conference Centre for an afternoon focused on what lies behind the private debt headlines. What role does Switzerland play in this market? Which risks can marketplace lending platforms mitigate, and which remain? How are borrowers and properties assessed? And what matters most to institutional investors such as pension funds considering these investments?
The presentations and panel discussion explored these questions from the perspectives of researchers, rating specialists, property valuation experts, platforms and institutional investors.
Access to Swiss private debt
One central takeaway was that marketplace lending provides access to private debt investments across Swiss businesses, real estate and public-sector organisations.
Prof. Dr. Simon Amrein of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) presented the Marketplace Lending Report 2026, setting the context for the afternoon’s discussions. For investors assessing this market, the platforms’ focus on Switzerland emerged as an important investment criterion.
Understanding risk starts with sound assessment
Assessing creditworthiness and property values was another key theme. Dr. Adrian Oberlin, CEO of fedafin, addressed the different purposes of public and private ratings. Roman Ballmer, Deputy CEO of IAZI, explored how data and models support property valuation and market transparency.
A key takeaway was that risk assessment in marketplace lending draws on established valuation methods also used by traditional banks. These methods provide a foundation for investment decisions, while investors still need to understand and assess the risks that remain.
Marketplace lending: risk or opportunity?
The panel brought together Kathrin Hediger (CFO of PFS Pension Fund Services), Dr. Stefan Pomberger (Head of cosmofunding), Dennis Eicker (CPO of MoneyPark), Serkan Mirza (CEO of Credit Exchange), and Fabio Perlini (Head of key4 Lending Platforms).
The discussion examined which risks can be mitigated, where opportunities remain and what pension funds need to consider when investing through marketplace lending platforms. It reinforced the importance of looking beyond broad asset-class labels to understand the underlying borrowers, collateral and investment exposure.
An afternoon of shared perspectives
Thank you to all our speakers and panellists for their contributions, to Markus Kuster of UBS key4 mortgages for opening the conference, and to Andrea Canonica of Credit Exchange, President of the Swiss Marketplace Lending Association, for the closing remarks.
The afternoon concluded with an apéro, giving participants an opportunity to continue the conversation about marketplace lending’s role in Switzerland’s private debt market.