The founders' perspective

The universities and research

Research institutions followed the industry. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts opened its campus for computer science in Rotkreuz, in the canton of Zug, in 2019, where it developed courses on blockchain and on the financial applications of the technology.¹ The University of Zurich, the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the University of Basel established research centres and chairs on blockchain, cryptography and digital finance.² Those institutions give the region a pool of trained people and a research base that the industry of the early years lacked. They also connect the Zug cluster with the broader Swiss ecosystem of finance and technology.

Notes

HSLU, Departement Informatik, "Über uns", hslu.ch: lectures held in the new premises at Rotkreuz station since September 2019; the department currently focuses in particular on blockchain and quantum computing. ↩
UZH Blockchain Center, blockchain.uzh.ch: established as a competence centre in 2019 at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics. ETH Zurich, Applied Cryptography Group, appliedcrypto.ethz.ch: research group of the Institute of Information Security, Department of Computer Science. University of Basel, Center for Innovative Finance, cif.unibas.ch: research centre of the Faculty of Business and Economics on fintech, digital banking and innovative finance, with blockchain and distributed ledger technology as a focus. ↩

The founders' perspective

Founders who came to Zug in the early years typically explain their choice with a similar set of motives. They cite the legal certainty that the Swiss framework offered even without specific legislation, the reputation of Switzerland among investors and the ease of dealing with the cantonal authorities. They mention the tax regime, but they rarely name it as the decisive factor. They also mention the limits: the difficulty of opening bank accounts, the cost of living and of Swiss salaries, the restrictions on work permits and the small size of the local market. The canton's advantage lay in the combination of these factors and in the network effect that the presence of other projects created.

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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The founders' perspective

The universities and research

Notes

The founders' perspective

Setting up or expanding in Switzerland?