Swiss umbrella organisations can provide their sections with a central payment platform, through which each section independently collects membership fees, event tickets and course fees – with their own branding and their own payout to the section's bank account. The association maintains an overview via an aggregated Dashboard and can automatically deduct an association share (e.g. licence fee or umbrella organisation contribution) per transaction via split payments before the remainder flows to the section.

This guide explains how such a platform solution works, which architectural variants exist and shows three concrete scenarios for Swiss associations.

1. The Problem: Why decentralised payment solutions slow down associations

In many Swiss associations, each section has its own payment solution – or none at all. The gymnastics club in Zug uses PostFinance E-Finance and QR bills, the section in Bern works with club software, and the section in Lausanne collects in cash. The umbrella organisation has no overview of the payment flows, cannot provide aggregated figures for the delegates' meeting and has no way to automatically collect the association share.

This scenario leads to three concrete problems. Firstly: the association has to manually request and track the contribution of each section – with 40-500 sections, this is a significant administrative effort. Secondly: the sections offer their members an inconsistent payment experience – some accept TWINT, others only bank transfers. Thirdly: for further training offers, licences or events offered centrally by the association, there is no uniform processing.

2. The Solution: Central platform with decentralised accounts

An association platform is a central payment infrastructure through which all sections of an association process payments – without the association accepting the payments itself. Each section has its own sub-account (sub-merchant account) with its own branding, its own products and its own payout to the section's IBAN.

The association acts as the platform operator and handles the onboarding of the sections. In the background, the payment processing runs via a Payment Service Provider (PSP) which, as a technical partner, covers the regulatory requirements (KYC check, Anti-Money Laundering Act) for each section. The association itself does not generally need its own financial market licence because it does not act as a payment intermediary – the funds flow directly from the payer via the PSP to the section.

2.1 Split Payment: Automatically deduct association share

Split Payment means that an incoming payment is automatically split into two or more parts. For associations, this is the decisive mechanism: with each transaction of a section, a predefined share (e.g. 5% or a fixed amount of EUR 2) is transferred to the association, and the rest goes to the section. Thus, the association does not have to request its contribution separately – it is automatically deducted with each payment.

Example: A member of the Bern section pays their annual contribution of EUR 120 via TWINT. The PSP automatically deducts EUR 6 (5%) as the association share and transfers EUR 114 minus transaction fees to the IBAN of the Bern section. The association share is collected and periodically paid out to the umbrella organisation. No manual effort, no invoices, no follow-ups.

2.2 Reporting: Two levels, one dashboard

A platform solution typically offers two reporting levels. The association sees aggregated figures: total transaction volume of all sections, association shares, number of active sections, top sections by turnover. Each section sees exclusively its own transactions: payments received, payouts, open items. The sections have no insight into the data of other sections.

3. Architecture Variants: Which model suits your association?

Depending on the size of the association, technical know-how and budget, three architectural variants are possible.

Most Swiss associations fare best with Model B: a platform solution via a PSP that handles onboarding, the KYC check and payment processing. The association configures the platform, onboards the sections and defines the split payment rules. Providers with a platform solution in Switzerland include Payrexx, Stripe Connect and wallee.

4. Three Scenarios: How Swiss associations use the platform solution

4.1 Cantonal sports association with 40 local clubs

A cantonal gymnastics association has 40 local clubs with a total of 6,000 members. Each local club collects its own annual membership fee (EUR 80–150 per member). The association levies a licence share of EUR 5 per member. Previously, each local club had to transfer the licence share separately to the association – 20% forgot to do so, 10% paid late.

With the platform solution: The association sets up a sub-merchant account for each local club. When a member of TV Aarau pays their contribution of EUR 120 via TWINT, EUR 5 automatically goes to the association, EUR 115 (minus transaction fee) to TV Aarau. The association sees in real time which local clubs have settled accounts for how many members.

4.2 Professional association with further training offers

A professional association offers central further training courses (EUR 350–800 per course) and has 12 regional sections that organise their own networking events (EUR 25–50 per event). Via the platform, the association sells the courses centrally, while each section processes its events via its own sub-merchant account. The association has an overview of all bookings – centrally and regionally – in one Dashboard.

4.3 Music association with regional sections

A Swiss music association with 80 regional sections (brass bands, choirs, orchestras) wants to offer sections a uniform solution for concert ticket sales. Each section receives its own sales page with its club logo and colour scheme. The tickets are sold via the section's mini-webshop, and the revenues flow directly into the section's account. The association receives a fixed amount of EUR 0.50 per ticket sold as a contribution to platform financing.

5. Regulatory Aspects: Must the association have a licence?

When an association processes payments via a platform, the question arises whether it qualifies as a financial intermediary within the meaning of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) or as a payment transmitter under the Banking Act (BA). The short answer: generally not, if the association uses a licensed PSP as a technical partner and the funds do not flow through the association's account.

The decisive distinction: as long as the PSP forwards the payments directly from the payer to the section (with an automatic split for the association share), the association does not accept customer funds and does not carry out payment services. The regulatory responsibility (KYC, AMLA compliance) lies with the PSP. The association merely acts as an intermediary that connects its sections to the PSP.

Important: If, on the other hand, the association accepts the payments itself, collects them in its own account and then forwards them to the sections, it may be considered a financial intermediary and will require an SRO affiliation (Self-Regulatory Organisation) or even a fintech licence in accordance with Art. 1b BA. This model is not recommended for associations. The platform solution via a licensed PSP avoids this problem.

Note: This section does not replace legal advice. The regulatory requirements depend on the concrete business model. In case of uncertainty, consult a lawyer specialising in financial market law.

6. Costs: What an association platform costs

The costs for a platform solution depend on the model, the number of sections and the transaction volume. The following table provides guidelines for an association with 40 sections and an annual total volume of EUR 500,000.

Additional financial benefit for the association: By centrally negotiating transaction fees, the association can often secure better conditions for its sections than each section would achieve individually. With a total volume of EUR 500,000+, negotiations for individual conditions are possible with most PSPs.

7. Checklist: Setting up an association payment platform

• Identify requirements: How many sections? Which payment reasons (contributions, events, courses)?

• Choose architecture model: Decentralised (A), Platform (B) or White-Label (C)?

• Evaluate PSP with platform solution and obtain quotation (Payrexx, Stripe Connect, wallee or similar)

• Define split payment rules: Percentage share or fixed amount per transaction for the association

• Define onboarding process for sections: What data does the PSP need (statutes, IBAN, board)?

• Start pilot with 3–5 sections and test the process

• Clarify reporting requirements: Which figures does the association need, and which do the sections need?

• Prepare communication to the sections: explain the benefits, create instructions

• Clarify regulatory question: Do funds flow via the association or directly via the PSP?

• Plan rollout: Phased onboarding (e.g. 10 sections per month)

8. How to build an association platform with Payrexx

Payrexx offers a model with its platform solution that is specifically designed for associations with multiple sections. The association receives a central Dashboard through which it onboards sections as sub-merchants – including the KYC check, which Payrexx handles as a licensed payment facilitator. Each section receives its own account with its own branding, its own products (contributions, events, shop) and its own payout to its IBAN account.

Split payments can be configured per section or per product: The association defines which share is automatically deducted. Reporting shows the association aggregated key figures and each section their individual transactions. The sections pay transaction fees – the association can purchase these at a buy-rate and decide for itself which fees it passes on to the sections. For an individual evaluation, contact the Payrexx platform team for a non-binding discussion.