With the motivation to meet the increasing requirements on fast-switching pneumatic valves, Magnetic Shape Memory alloys (MSM) are considered as a promising alternative to conventional actuators. Regarding the desired strokes, forces and actuation frequencies MSM alloys meet the requirements best among other solid-state transducers for valve applications. However, the hysteresis in the magneto-mechanical behavior is challenging during the sizing process of a component based on an MSM actuator. It has proved to be valuable to apply a system simulation including a lumped element model of the MSM element in the early design phase. In this contribution, a design approach for the valve based on an MSM actuator is shown. A system network model was used to design a functional prototype of the valve to achieve the specifications defined within a requirements analysis. These specifications were derived from characteristic features of conventional established fast-switching pneumatic valve. The analysis of the subsystems was done to exploit the deviations and their influences on the system behavior. Furthermore, the experimental research of the functional prototype of the valve was carried out to check for functionality and to evaluate whether the specifications were met. A nominal volume flow of 120 Nl/min was reached at a supply Voltage $$U$$ of $$48\;{\text{V}}$$ and current $$i$$ of $$7.6\;{\text{A}}$$ which exceeds the aim of 100 Nl/min. By means of an optimization of the actuators geometry the response time could be reduced to less than $$1\;{\text{ms}}$$. The desired maximum modular dimension of 9 mm was not achieved by the functional prototype due to the available production process, but would be feasible with series production.