As transactions in Switzerland are shifting to digital channels, infrastructure and legislation must evolve to accommodate increased demand. Although these reforms aim to foster efficiency and resilience, the effectiveness and relevance of some ongoing reforms remain open to debate. Furthermore, existing literature mainly detail the consumer-level challenges, leaving gaps regarding institutional perspectives. Therefore, viewpoints of experts, executives, and regulators in core positions of the Swiss financial system are needed, particularly the Swiss digital payment landscape.

Methodologically, the thesis combines a literature review with guided narrative interviews to evaluate the Swiss digital payment systems. Data collection relies on a 4-phase interview process with specialists and operators in the field of Swiss digital payments. The collected qualitative data and narratives are compared across profiles, triangulating industry insights against existing regulations to validate theoretical knowledge or discuss new ideas regarding cybersecurity challenges, opportuntities, and strategies.

The results reveal mainly challenges and some technical opportunities from which the strategies are derived. Firstly, digital payment providers face a trade-off between frictionless user experience and cybersecurity for digital payments. Secondly, banking experts believe SIC5 Instant Payment limits fraud interception, yet provides little added value. Thirdly, misinterpretation of data security laws, maturity asymmetry between institutions, regional regulatory differences, and a scarcity mindset among stakeholders hinder cyber intelligence sharing. For opportunities, advanced authentication architecture and artificial intelligence for real-time threat detection are being discussed. The overall strategy is to raise the maturity of all stakeholders in Swiss digital payments. Financial institutions should establish sector-wide industry benchmarks to synchronize cybersecurity efforts across institutions. Regulatory bodies are advised to engage in practical supervisory efforts to foster active compliance and reduce friction to change. Controlled friction through system interfaces and awareness programs is recommended for digital payment operators to enhance users’ digital competence.