2026 Graduate Internship Programme (BIS Innovation Hub, Swiss Centre)

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is looking for recent graduates to join the 2026 cohort of Graduate Interns. This is an 11-month internship that will allow you to use the knowledge you gained during your studies in a professional environment. Joining us is not just about launching your international career, it is about doing meaningful work for the public good and serving the global community.

About The BIS Innovation Hub

Launched in 2019, the BIS Innovation Hub pursues a mandate to: (i) to identify and develop in-depth insights into critical trends in technology affecting central banking; (ii) to develop public goods in the technology space geared towards improving the functioning of the global financial system; and (iii) to serve as a focal point for a network of central bank experts on innovation.

The Innovation Hub’s Swiss centre benefits from being situated in the Basel headquarters of the BIS and the Zurich offices of the Swiss National Bank – reflecting the international culture and collaboration with the Swiss financial sector. , The Swiss centre’s projects broadly fall into two core technology focuses; tokenisation and blockchain and data and machine learning. The Swiss centre boasts an impressive resume of completed projects, is currently leading Project Agorá, Neo, Promissa, and Rio with an exciting pipeline of future collaborative projects.

By Joining Swiss Centre, You Will

• be part of a multi-disciplinary, diverse team comprising of some of the foremost experts in their fields.
• work directly with central banks, meaning that your work will be challenging and meaningful.
• have the chance to work on projects and prototypes that will drive useful innovations in money and finance.
• have exposure to the global centre of central bank policy making.
  
  

Programme duration : 11 months

Programme location : Basel, Switzerland

Programme start date: October 2026

Principal Accountabilities May Include

• Contribute in a technical manner (eg code, documentation, analysis) to ongoing projects.
• Engage in design thinking, develop user requirements, produce artefacts and project findings.
• Working with scrum and agile methodologies.
• Contribute to report drafting.
  
  

Qualifications, Skills, And Experience

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree completed in 2025 or 2026.
• Software development and/or data analytics ability including:
• Proficiency with two or more coding languages (e.g. R, Rust, Java, Solidity, Python)
• Familiarity with command line shell script.
• Comfortable navigating Git (including experience in opening and picking up others’ pull requests) as well as reading and writing documentation.
• Understanding package managers (eg Yarn, NPM and Dep).
• Strong English verbal and written communication skills.
• Research or experience in networks, design concepts, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or smart contracts is an advantage.
• Comfortable working on a cross functional dynamic team environment
• Familiarity with economics, finance and/or central banking topics is a plus
  
  

What We Offer

The contract is for 11 months fixed term. This is a paid internship and we cover health insurance, support with relocation and return travel, as well as accommodation in Basel. A unique, welcoming, and international work environment.

Who We Are

Internationalism is at the core of our identity and the best representation of this is our workforce. With employees from over 66 countries and offices in nine locations, the BIS is a global organisation with a truly international workforce. By joining us, you will work in a unique, highly rewarding, and international work environment. We are committed to equal opportunities at the BIS and aim to build a workforce that reflects our global membership. We strive to attract the best talent and foster an inclusive environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, including those with a breadth of professional experience. You can discover more about our inclusive working environment here.

Application Process

The application deadline is on Tuesday 7 April 2026 end of day. Interviews will be conducted in May, with employment offers being extended in June 2026.