bench 3a provides guarantee and upside for pension savers

There are two types of people with 3a accounts—those who invest their money and those who keep it in a pension bank account. In the last few years, we have seen various digital 3a investment fund solutions enter the market, with comparable options competing on fee structure and maximum stock allocation. These products are ideal for people who feel comfortable with short-term fluctuations and seek to maximize their potential returns in the long run.

None of these solutions focus on the second group, the ones that keep their 3a savings in a pension bank account. Saving with a traditional bank account doesn’t give your money a real chance to grow; the interest rates are too low. Moreover, your savings are slowly diminishing in value due to inflation. The problem is that until now, there has been simply no alternative for those who do not feel comfortable investing their private retirement savings in securities.

“bench” - the newly launched 3a product from Leonteq and Glarner Kantonalbank - sets out to change this paradigm.


How bench works

bench offers a better upside potential than the pension bank account while protecting the paid-in money with a guarantee. Once you download the app and create your account, bench offers three types of guarantee products: bench 100, bench 90, and bench 80. The product name indicates the guarantee level on all your deposits over the years and corresponds with your upside potential.


For example, if you deposit CHF 1’000 into the bench 100 product, then you’re guaranteed to get back at least CHF 1’000 at retirement.


The more likely scenario is that you’ll get back significantly more than the guarantee amount and more than if you invested the same amount into a pension bank account. Plus, there is no fine print. The guaranteed amount you see in the app is what you get at retirement. There are no hidden fees or costs that diminish your guarantee amount.

Mobile app interface showing bench 3a retirement product with CHF 1,000 guarantee amount and 100% deposit protection with shield logo.
Mobile app interface showing bench 3a retirement product with CHF 1,000 guarantee amount and 100% deposit protection with shield logo.
Mobile app interface showing bench 3a retirement product with CHF 1,000 guarantee amount and 100% deposit protection with shield logo.
3D character climbing growth chart next to Glarner Kantonalbank logo, illustrating financial growth and investment progress.
3D character climbing growth chart next to Glarner Kantonalbank logo, illustrating financial growth and investment progress.
3D character climbing growth chart next to Glarner Kantonalbank logo, illustrating financial growth and investment progress.
3D characters in conversation, with woman wearing glasses and pink sweater and man in blue jacket holding smartphone.
3D characters in conversation, with woman wearing glasses and pink sweater and man in blue jacket holding smartphone.
3D characters in conversation, with woman wearing glasses and pink sweater and man in blue jacket holding smartphone.
Pink piggy bank with gold coin stacks and CHF money bag against teal background, representing Swiss financial savings.
Pink piggy bank with gold coin stacks and CHF money bag against teal background, representing Swiss financial savings.
Pink piggy bank with gold coin stacks and CHF money bag against teal background, representing Swiss financial savings.
3D figures pushing upward arrow with protective shield, symbolizing collaborative financial growth and security.
3D figures pushing upward arrow with protective shield, symbolizing collaborative financial growth and security.
3D figures pushing upward arrow with protective shield, symbolizing collaborative financial growth and security.
Three retirement guarantee cards showing bench 100, 90, and 80 plans with different guarantee percentages and return opportunities.
Three retirement guarantee cards showing bench 100, 90, and 80 plans with different guarantee percentages and return opportunities.
German bench 3a app interfaces showing account balance, welcome screen and congratulations notification with 3D character.
German bench 3a app interfaces showing account balance, welcome screen and congratulations notification with 3D character.
German bench 3a app interfaces showing account balance, welcome screen and congratulations notification with 3D character.

How we got involved

An innovative approach needs thorough validation in the beginning. Luckily, Leonteq and Glarner Kantonalbank partnered with us early to validate and shape the product concept through extensive qualitative interviews, prototypes, and testing.

Once we gathered enough evidence that the target audience of 3a savers with a bank account who are unhappy about the lack of alternatives exists, we continued our work to ensure everyone understood the product offering.


What we did

Besides validating the concept, headbits helped design the entire customer journey, from brand and logo to app store presence to website and app experience. Our team also developed the mobile backend and built all the frontend touchpoints, including the website and the iOS and Android apps. We aimed for simple language and a distinctive visual appeal to create a recognizable product.


Three smartphone screens showing bench 3a financial app with guarantee amount, transfer functionality and account opening options.


Creating an intuitive product was of utmost importance considering the space, where some people might only open their 3a app once per year to make their contribution.


Throughout the customer journey design and development process, we continued to develop the product closely to the target audience. You can spot glimmers of our love for details and user focus throughout the app. For instance, a little quiz is hidden at the end of the welcome screens, allowing customers to check if they understood the product offering correctly. Another example is when selecting your nationality during onboarding, you’ll have Switzerland as a default and all neighboring countries within reach as a quick selection option–removing the need to open the sheer endless nationality list for most customers.


Can you beat 4min 23s?

That’s how long it takes new customers, on average, to create their bench 3a account. You can test it yourself and get the app here.


QR code download screen for bench 3a app with 4min 23s setup time and App Store/Google Play buttons on teal background.

Let's create together

Let's create together

Let's create together