Stephan combined his expertise in finance with his passion for watches and technology to build Yourasset.
Stephan Kolz, Founder and CEO of Yourasset AG.
Luxury assets have always existed at the intersection of emotion and financial value.
A mechanical watch can represent craftsmanship, heritage and personal achievement. A piece of jewellery may mark an important moment. A handbag can be both an expression of individual style and an object enjoyed for generations.
For Stephan Kolz, Founder and CEO of Yourasset, this combination of passion and value raised a simple question:
Why can't luxury watches and collections be financed in the same way as luxury cars or an investment portfolio?
That question became the foundation of Yourasset.
Today, the company connects collectors and enthusiasts with luxury brands, official retailers and verified pre-owned merchants. Through its platform and regulated financing solutions, Yourasset aims to make the ownership of luxury assets more transparent, flexible, secure and engaging.
But the story began long before the platform went live.
From Munich to Hong Kong and Zurich
Stephan is a Swiss and German national who grew up near Munich and has lived and worked internationally throughout his career.
Before founding Yourasset, he spent more than ten years in banking across Munich, Hong Kong and Zurich. As a Chartered Financial Analyst CFA, he developed a strong understanding of credit, financial markets and the importance of understanding your own financial situation.
At the same time, watches had been a personal passion from an early age. His first significant watch was an Omega Seamaster, and his interest gradually developed into a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship, history and community surrounding mechanical watches.
Stephan representing Yourasset as part of the Venture Leaders Fintech National Team in 2023.
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His professional and personal interests eventually came together during his time in Hong Kong.
After financing his Porsche 997, Stephan began thinking about the wider luxury market. Financing was already an established and accepted part of buying cars, and property and financing against your investment portfolio.
Yet watches, jewellery and handbags were generally still treated as conventional consumer purchases, despite their long lifespans, high values and established secondary markets that provide liquid trading venues.
The idea for Yourasset was born from this contrast.
The name Yourasset derives from Your and Asset. Because we care about You - our customers - and your Assets.
The first idea in Hong Kong
In 2019, while still working as a banker in Hong Kong, Stephan began developing the initial concept for Yourasset.
The early work was far from glamorous. It involved research, handwritten notes, financial models, market analysis and countless conversations about how such a platform could operate responsibly.
The objective was not simply to offer another payment button.
The goal was to build an infrastructure connecting the luxury industry, customers and regulated financial institutions. It needed to serve the needs of buyers while also working for brands, retailers, merchants and banks.
The first Yourasset concept taking shape in Hong Kong in 2019.
Luxury purchases are often described as emotional decisions. That is true, but it is only part of the picture.
Customers also consider price, value retention, liquidity and the total cost of ownership. Stephan believed these rational and emotional considerations could be brought together through a more professional luxury asset platform.
Yourasset AG is founded in Zurich
Yourasset AG was established in Zurich in 2020.
The company was founded around a clear principle: Luxury assets deserve financial services specifically designed for their characteristics and ecosystem.
Unlike many conventional consumer products, a well-made watch, piece of jewellery or handbag may remain usable and desirable for decades. Certain pieces are passed through families, sold to other collectors or retained as part of a broader collection.
Not every luxury product appreciates, and no purchase should be based solely on expectations of future value. However, many luxury assets possess characteristics that distinguish them from ordinary consumer goods and even cars.
They may combine intrinsic value from their materials and construction with intangible value created by craftsmanship, heritage, scarcity, design and brand recognition.
Luxury assets can carry both material and emotional value. Excerpt from the recent Patek Philippe Magazine
This became central to the philosophy behind Yourasset. It is not just us who think this; Patek Philippe also explicitly mentions it as one of their ten core values on their website.
Building a regulated financing solution
Luxury financing must be more than convenient. It must also be responsible.
Yourasset therefore focuses on regulated financing solutions designed to provide transparency for customers and partners. Applications are reviewed through regulated processes together with trusted banking and financing partners.
Customers can spread the cost of an eligible purchase over fixed monthly instalments, with financing periods of up to 60 months and purchase amounts of up to CHF 250,000, subject to approval and the applicable financing terms.
The purpose is not to encourage customers to buy beyond their means.
Instead, financing can offer an alternative to paying the full purchase price immediately. For customers with stable income, it helps preserve liquidity, structure cash flow and align a significant purchase with regular income. In Switzerland it is also possible to deduct interest costs from your taxable income.
An example of how monthly financing options can be presented during the purchase process.
The Yourasset process is designed to remain straightforward:
- The customer selects an eligible watch or luxury asset from a verified partner.
- The available financing option is displayed.
- The customer submits the required information through a secure application process.
- The application is reviewed by Yourasset and its financing partners.
- If approved, the customer receives the agreement and complete terms for review.
- Once the process has been completed, the asset is delivered or collected from the merchant.
The merchant remains responsible for the product and purchase experience, while Yourasset facilitates the financing process and anything around it.
From financing to luxury asset management
Financing is the starting point, but Stephan’s broader vision extended across the complete ownership journey.
A luxury asset may be purchased, financed, insured, maintained, managed and eventually sold. These services are often fragmented across different providers and disconnected systems.
Yourasset aims to bring more of this journey together.
Finance, insure, sell and manage luxury assets through one connected ecosystem.
The company’s developing luxury asset management offering is built around four areas:
Finance
Customers can apply to pay for eligible luxury assets over a structured period.
Insure
High-value watches, handbags and jewellery can be protected against unforeseen events through suitable insurance solutions.
Sell
Owners can connect with professional channels when they decide to sell an asset.
Manage
Collectors can maintain an organised overview of their watches and other luxury assets, including important ownership details.
The long-term ambition is to create a more complete infrastructure for luxury ownership, not only a transaction platform.
A marketplace built around verified partners
Trust is fundamental when purchasing a high-value luxury product, especially within the pre-owned market.
Yourasset therefore works with luxury brands, official retailers and verified pre-owned merchants. Products are presented through the digital boutiques of the respective partners, allowing customers to explore both new and pre-owned pieces.
The Yourasset marketplace connects customers with verified professional sellers.
For Stephan, the marketplace is not about replacing the relationship between the customer and the merchant.
It is about supporting that relationship with smart digital tools, financing and a trusted environment.
Customers can contact partners directly for product-specific questions, availability and purchase support. Yourasset provides the platform and financing infrastructure facilitating the transaction.
This model recognises the expertise of the luxury industry. Brands and retailers understand their products, while professional pre-owned merchants bring knowledge of authentication, condition, provenance and market value.
A CHF 1.3 million Pre-Seed Fundraise
Building regulated financial technology requires significant investment, experienced people and trusted institutional relationships.
In 2022, Yourasset raised a CHF 1.3 million pre-seed round to develop its secure technology platform and expand its team.
The company also formed its first banking partnership with Cembra Bank. Yourasset subsequently developed relationships with multiple Swiss banks and today collaborates with multiple luxury brands, retailer and pre-owned merchants across Switzerland.
Stephan talking about his favorite topic: Yourasset
These milestones are the foundation of Yourasset and motivate us to improve our solutions and build new ones with our partners and customers in mind!
Driven by a passion for luxury assets
While Yourasset is a financial technology company, its development has always been closely connected to Stephan’s personal enthusiasm for watches and the luxury industry.
This matters because the purchase of a luxury asset cannot be understood through numbers alone.
Collectors care about emotion, design, history, technical innovation, provenance and the story behind an object. A watch may commemorate a personal achievement or become associated with a particular period of someone’s life. It may eventually be passed to another generation.
An appreciation for craftsmanship remains at the heart of Yourasset. At Watches and Wonders in Geneva
Yourasset was created to respect both sides of that ownership experience.
The emotional side is what makes the object desirable and meaningful. The rational side helps the owner understand affordability, collection management, protection, market value and future options.
For Stephan, responsible luxury asset ownership means bringing these two perspectives together.
Combining the Rational with the Emotional.
For the love of the community
The luxury watch world is built around more than products.
It is also built around people, the community.
Conversations begin over watches, handbags, jewellery, cars and shared experiences. Collectors exchange knowledge, discover new brands and build friendships across cities and countries.
Luxury becomes more meaningful through the community surrounding it.
This community has played an important role throughout the Yourasset journey.
Feedback from customers, collectors, retailers and industry partners continues to shape the platform. These conversations help Yourasset understand what buyers desire and how to improve.
For Stephan, technology should support these relationships rather than remove the human element from them.
The platform may facilitate discovery, financing and asset management, but trust, service and personal interaction remain essential. Through Yourasset and our partners.
Looking ahead
Yourasset began with one practical question about the possibilit to finance a watch or a collection.
It has since developed into a broader vision for the future of luxury ownership.
The company is building an ecosystem where customers can discover products from verified partners, benefit from financing solution, protect valuable assets and manage their collections more effectively.
The objective is not to make luxury purely financial. Nor is it to treat every watch, handbag or piece of jewellery as an investment.
It is to recognise that luxury assets can carry emotional, practical and financial value at the same time.
Under Stephan’s leadership, Yourasset will continue working with banks, brands, retailers and its customers to make the most out of the ownership experience.
Because in the end, it is about You and Your Assets.