Exclu - VIAC launches its digital asset management!

It’s rare that I write an article to tell you about a new product launch, but in this case, I’ve been lucky enough to get some exclusive information :)

And above all, it’s about VIAC.

VIAC who launched the best 3a pillar in 2017. And the same VIAC who launched (according to my Mustachian criteria) the best mortgage in Switzerland in 2022.

I’ve been a client of the two products since the beginning.

Therefore, when VIAC launches a new product, I pay close attention.

Too many readers still don’t invest all their savings

Out of fear of not “doing it right”, or simply “lack of stock market knowledge”, many readers tell me that they still don’t invest their savings in the stock market to make their wealth grow.

So I’ve written an article (the ladder of the stock market investor) to provide support for this not so simple journey.

Up to now, I’ve listed four products in the “robo-advisor” category, which enables you to do everything on autopilot.

Now there’s a newcomer which is going to overtake them all: VIAC Invest.

What is VIAC Invest?

It’s the same automated investment platform used by your VIAC 3a pillar, except that in this case, it’s for investing your savings.

As with VIAC 3a, you can choose one of VIAC’s strategies, or build your own portfolio yourself.

Here is the key information about their solution:

• Minimum investment amount: CHF 1
  • Ideal for taking the first step
  • VIAC Invest management fees: 0.00% in 2024 and 2025
  • And max. 0.25% from 01.01.2026
  • That makes it the cheapest robo-advisor in Switzerland, period.
  • While I’m not a fan of these launch offers, because I have doubts about what will really happen in 2026, I still have 200% confidence in VIAC’s founders. Especially as they’ve already announced the amount in advance, according to what Daniel Peter said in private: “0.25% is the maximum that we’ll charge. And I’m confident that we’ll reduce the fee on this date if the launch is a success [in terms of number of clients].”

And here’s the comparison of robo-advisor costs between VIAC Invest and Findependent (F), Selma (S), TrueWealth (T), finpension (F), and Inyova (I):

Comparison of robo-advisor fees vs VIAC Invest

What type of Mustachian is VIAC Invest aimed at?

As a Mustachian, I expect that you’ve built up enough stock market knowledge in order to invest by yourself and save hundreds even thousands of CHF in fees, by only paying 0.1-0.2% on your money that you have invested.

But to get to that stage, you first need to take the plunge.

And that’s where VIAC Invest comes in with its super easy-to-use robo-advisor.

As while it’s better to pay the lowest fees (doing it by yourself with your own online broker), it’s 100x worse to do nothing and let your savings get eaten away by inflation in an old bank account with one of our big fat Swiss banks (oh no, shame, now there’s only one left haha!)

Conclusion

Keep an eye on the website of viac.ch/en between tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and take advantage of their launch offer (which lasts until 30.06.2025, or until the first 25'000 accounts have been opened):

• Up to CHF 100 signing up bonus (lucky dip between amounts of 10, 20, 30, 50 or 100 Swiss francs), in cash, deposited into your VIAC account
• Exemption from charges of CHF 2'000 for life (that’s a great benefit too!)
• If you’re a new VIAC client, and use the code “InvMust”, you’ll get exemption from charges on top of the CHF 2'000 from the launch campaign!

Thanks again to the VIAC team for having exclusively shared the release of this new product with me. We are massively aligned in terms of values and mindset. Their product has rightly been the best on the market from its release, and they continue to launch new ones day after day. Bravo to them once again!

Lastly, I’m making a note all the same to check the performance of their funds in the medium term, particularly in comparison to finpension’s strategies. But I don’t see why they would suddenly do less well than for their VIAC 3a investment strategies.

FAQ - VIAC Invest

Which strategies are available on VIAC Invest?

As with VIAC 3a, there are 3 investment focus areas: Global, Switzerland, and Sustainable.

And for each of these focus areas, you have the following strategies:

• 20% equities, the rest in bonds
• 40% equities, the rest in bonds
• 60% equities, the rest in bonds
• 80% equities, the rest in bonds
• 100% equities (what I would choose myself, if I was investing today with VIAC Invest, with the “Global” focus)

Also, for the bond portion, you can decide to leave it in cash only if you wish. Initially, VIAC will pay 0.60% interest on this portion; and there are no fees to pay on this cash portion, as fees are only payable on assets invested in securities.

Which assets are available for a personalized strategy?

Here is the list of assets available in VIAC Invest:

List of VIAC Invest assets (1)

List of VIAC Invest assets (2)

List of VIAC Invest assets (3)

How many VIAC Invest portfolios can I open?

You can open up to 10 stock market portfolios with VIAC Invest.

How do I withdraw money from VIAC Invest?

You can withdraw your money from VIAC to your usual bank account.

And VIAC is soon going to offer a way of setting up a standing order to withdraw your money through regular transactions. So you can place your assets with them as vested benefits, which is advantageous compared to income from a pension fund, as your assets with VIAC Invest would be transferred to your beneficiaries in the event of death.

Where is the money held that I invest with VIAC Invest?

To set it out clearly, VIAC has created the company VIAC Invest AG.

When you put money (your hard-earned CHF) into VIAC Invest AG, this money is fully covered (including interest) by WIR Bank in the event that VIAC Invest AG goes bankrupt.

Then, when you buy securities in the stock market via VIAC Invest, it’s still VIAC Invest AG that acts as the fund management company. Your money placed in this fund is considered as a special asset, and is protected in the event of VIAC Invest AG becoming insolvent.

Lastly, the money is held in the fund virtually. In reality, it’s Regiobank Solothurn which acts as the custodian bank for the security units in VIAC funds. Likewise, these units are like a separate asset and are protected in the event that the custodian bank becomes insolvent.

VIAC Invest AG structure