The introduction of the personal computer fundamentally changed the way banks work. Although banks had already been processing many transactions electronically through real-time banking since the late 1970s, many routine processes remained unconnected. Transactions were carried out on dedicated terminals, correspondence was typewritten and information was managed on index cards or across different systems. These parallel processes began to disappear with the arrival of the personal computer. It combined different applications on a single device and brought electronic data processing directly to the workplace. In doing so, it triggered the transition from central mainframes with terminal connections to decentralized workstation systems.
This development was driven by standardized devices such as the IBM PC introduced in 1981, the more powerful IBM PC/AT launched in 1984 and the PS/2 series released in 1987. Their impact stemmed from their ability to bring different tasks together on a shared platform rather than from any single technical advance. The same workstation could now be used for word processing, spreadsheets, data management and other programs. Information no longer had to be transferred back and forth between different devices, forms or employees; it was available electronically and could be further processed directly.
The potential benefits of this development became evident early on at Swiss Bank Corporation. By the end of 1989, around 5,000 personal computers were already in use, alongside 6,300 real-time banking terminals. The bank aimed to gradually harmonize its technical infrastructure and provide employees with standardized workplace computers integrated into the company’s IT environment.
However, the real breakthrough came in 1989 with the introduction of computer networks, which enabled this development to gather momentum across the entire organization. Individual workstations became part of a connected electronic infrastructure. Whereas information had previously been slow to move between departments and systems, now it circulated more quickly. At the same time, email developed into an important means of communication within the bank. Documents were increasingly created electronically, sent directly from one workstation to another and processed further without the need for hard copies. Real-time banking functions were also increasingly integrated into the personal computer environment, linking transaction systems and office applications in a shared network.
For banks, this meant leaner, more standardized and less error-prone processes. Breaks between media decreased, information was available more quickly and decisions could be prepared more efficiently. Other companies also benefited from the new possibilities to perform calculations and planning directly at the workplace.
Shortly afterward, this transformation also permeated everyday life. Computers began to appear in offices and homes as a tool for work, communication and play. New professions emerged and computer skills became increasingly important. The personal computer brought digitization from the data centers to desktops, making it directly tangible for many people for the first time. In doing so, it shaped organizations and the way people worked and communicated far beyond the world of banking.
Text sources:
Josef Bumann, Bank-Informatik, Ein Einstieg in die EDV für Bankangestellte, Bern and Stuttgart, 1987
Dimitris N. Chorafas, Heinrich Steinmann, High Technology at UBS for Excellence in Client Service, Zurich, 1988
Peter G. Rogge, The Dynamics of Change. Swiss Bank Corporation 1872–1997: the fifth quarter century, Basel, 1997
UBS Virtual Museum, Real-time banking – one device for multiple EDP systems, 2022
Image source:
UBS Group Long-Term Archives
Image sources at the exhibition:
Architectural History Archive of the City of Zurich, photographer Peter Morf
UBS Group Long-Term Archives
Sources of the images used in the exhibition video:
UBS Long-Term Archives
UBS Long-Term Archives, photographer Anton Schnyder, Zollikon
UBS Long-Term Archives, photographer K. Ammann