In Switzerland, finfluencers, influencers who provide financial information, are becoming a major source of information for young investors and ETF investors. Female ETF investors were more likely than men to say they were influenced by finfluencers in building financial knowledge and making investment decisions.

On Nov. 10, Fintech News Switzerland reported that Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts released the "2026 Swiss ETF Investor Study" commissioned by financial information platform finanzen.ch. The survey covered 3,572 people aged 18 to 79 living in German-speaking and French-speaking parts of Switzerland from May 28 to June 9.

In the survey, 22 percent of investors said they had been exposed to finfluencer content. The figure was 37 percent among ETF investors, and 51 percent among ETF investors under 45, far higher than the 18 percent among those aged 45 and above.

Among female ETF investors who had encountered finfluencers, 77 percent said their understanding of financial products improved. The figure was 58 percent for men. Responses also differed on whether investment decisions were influenced, at 52 percent for women and 30 percent for men.

The results are based on respondents' subjective assessments and do not prove a causal relationship that finfluencers led to actual improvements in knowledge or investment returns.

Financial content that drew interest also varied. Among ETF investors who had encountered finfluencers, 74 percent said they watched ETF-related content, followed by crypto assets at 47 percent and stocks at 44 percent. The main channels were YouTube and Instagram.

The share using AI tools to search for financial information was also higher among ETF investors under 45, at 32 percent, compared with 17 percent among those aged 45 and above.

The researchers stressed, "Finfluencers can be a channel for financial education, but since they influence actual investment decisions, the accuracy of content and transparency in advertising and sponsored relationships are important."