Croatia’s biggest banks: 2023 Comparison of fees and services
UPDATED: 23/12/2022
When setting up a life in Croatia, one important step is opening up a bank account. How can you choose a bank when you don’t even know where to start? What are the fees? How does it all work?
In this post, we profile the 7 largest banks in Croatia including:
- Checking account fees
- Savings account interest rates
- Mortgage rates
- Mobile apps
- Contact information
- Branch and ATM locations
With this information, you can confidently make a decision on where to go to open up a bank account in Croatia.
Jump to a bank:
- Zagrebačka bank (ZABA)
- Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ)
- Erste banka (ESB)
- OTP banka (formerly Splitska Banka)
- Raiffeisenbank Hrvatska (RBA)
- Hrvatska poštanska banka (HPB)
- Addiko Bank
- BONUS: Wustenrot (Austrian bank who has been granting loans to foreigners in Croatia)
Let’s get bankin’…
Comparison of fees and services of Croatian biggest banks
#1 Zagrebačka banka
ZABA is the largest and leading bank in Croatia due to the quality of its services. Zagrebačka banka is owned by the Italian UniCredit group.
Prominent projects supported by ZABA include the Zagreb electric tram, Zagreb airport, Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, Istrian Y highway, Petrova trudionica project, and Pometeno brdo wind power plant.
Coverage
Total number of branches: 129
Total number of cash machines: 862
Available currencies
You can open an account in AUD, BAM, CAD, CHF, DKK, EUR, GBP, HRK, JPY, NOK, RSD, SEK, and USD. The account is charged in EUR, regardless of the payment currency and currencies on the account. Read more here.
Checking account fees
Here are the fees for checking account maintenance:
- Adults – 1,59 euros per month
- Minors and dependents – 0,13 euros per month
Transactions fees costs:
- Within ZABA in person – 0,13 per transaction
- Within ZABA online banking – free of charge
Details on fees can be found here.
Savings account interest
Interest rates on saving accounts can be found here.
Mortgage rates
Mortgage loans – ~ 4.50% (variable)
Housing loans – ~ 2,99%
Mobile apps
Contact Zagrebačka banka
#2 Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ)
Privredna banka Zagreb – PBZ is the second largest Croatian bank, which is part of Intesa Sanpaolo group. PBZ has approximately 190 locations throughout Croatia.
Over the years, the PBZ has supported programs in tourism, agriculture, industrialization, shipbuilding, electrification and road construction.
Coverage
Total number of branches: ~190
Total number of cash machines: 1000+
Available currencies
You can open an account in CHF, EUR, HRK, and USD. Read more here.
Checking account fees
Monthly maintenance fees:
- Adults – from 0,71 euros to 1,19 depending on the package
- Students – free of charge
- Retired persons – from 0,36 euros to 0,60 depending on the package
Transactions fees:
- Within PBZ in person – 1% per transaction (from 1,59 euros to 9,95 euros)
- Within PBZ online banking – 0,17 euros per transaction
Details on fees can be found here.
Savings account interest
Interest rates on saving accounts can be found here.
Mortgage rates
Mortgage loan – ~ 3,80% (variable)
Housing loan – ~ 3,98%
Mobile apps
PBZ mobilno bankarstvo (iOS) | PBZ mobilno bankarstvo (Android)
Contact PBZ
#3 Erste & Steiermärkische Bank
Erste banka – ESB is a part of Erste Group, a leading business from the financial sector in Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of Erste’s founders was to help people to manage their finances and fight against poverty.
It was the first bank in Croatia that offered debit cards with chip technology and online applications for loans and accounts.
Coverage
Total number of branches: 124
Total number of cash machines: 735
Available currencies
You can open an account in any currency from their currency list. Read more here.
Checking account fees
Monthly maintenance fees:
- Adults – 1,59 euros
- Youth – free of charge
Transactions fees:
- Within ESB in person – free of charge
- Within ESB online banking – free of charge
Details on fees can be found here.
Savings account interest
Interest rates on saving accounts can be found here.
Mortgage rates
Housing loans – ~ 3,00 %
Mobile apps
Erste mBanking (iOS) | Erste mBanking (Android)
Contact Erste banka
#4 OTP banka (formerly Splitska Banka)
OTP banka is the 4th largest bank in Croatia with more than 120 offices. It is under the OTP Group whose headquarters is in Hungary.
The bank supports different humanitarian projects, non-governmental organizations and institutions, encourages the development of sports, arts and health care, and promotes protection of the environment and human rights.
Coverage
Total number of branches: 120
Total number of cash machines: 494
Available currencies
You can open an account in any currency of your choice. Read more here.
Checking account fees
Monthly maintenance fees:
- All account holders – 1,29 euros
Transactions fees:
- Within OTP in person – 0,13 euros
- Within OTP online banking – free of charge
- Within OTP mobile banking – free of charge
Details on fees can be found here.
Savings account interest
Interest rates on saving accounts can be found here.
Mortgage rates
Housing loan – ~ 3,09% – 3,49% ~ Fixed for 3 years, then variable
Mobile apps
A link to mobile application download (iOS /Android) is delivered via SMS once requested.
Contact OTP banka
#5 Raiffeisenbank
Raiffeisenbank Hrvatska – RBA is the first bank in Croatia that was established by a foreign company. It is a part of the Raiffeisen Bank International AG from Vienna. The bank has 66 offices in 36 cities throughout Croatia.
Raiffeisen group is the only bank in Croatia that has a complete offer of pension funds (the 1st and 2nd fund) and a pension insurance company registered in Croatia. If you’re not familiar with pension funds in Croatia, read this post.
Coverage
Total number of branches: 66
Total number of cash machines: ~450
Available currencies
Accounts can be opened in all major foreign currencies. Read more here.
Checking account fees
Monthly maintenance fees:
- Account holders – 1,19 euros
- Retired persons – 0,66 euros
Transactions fees:
- Within RBA in person – free of charge
- Within RBA online banking – free of charge
- Within RBA mobile banking – free of charge
Details on fees can be found here.
Savings account interest
Interest rates on saving accounts can be found here.
Mortgage rates
Housing loan – ~ 2,80% ~ Fixed for 5 years, then variable
Mobile apps
mojaRBA (iOS) | mojaRBA (Android) | mojaRBA (Huawei)
Contact Raiffeisenbank
#6 Hrvatska poštanska banka (HPB)
Hrvatska poštanska banka – HPB is the largest Croatian-owned bank in Croatia. It has 57 branches with headquarters in Zagreb.
Within the project “Banka u pošti” in association with Hrvatska pošta, HPB became the biggest distributive channel of banking services in Croatia with more than 200 offices.
Coverage
Total number of branches: 57
Total number of cash machines: 546
Available currencies
Accounts can be opened in AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, HRK, and USD and other major currencies. Read more here.
Checking account fees
Monthly maintenance fees:
- All account holders – 1,59 euros
Transactions fees:
- Within HPB in person – free of charge
- Within HPB online banking – free of charge
Details on fees can be found here.
Savings account interest
Interest rates on saving accounts can be found here.
Mortgage rates
Housing loan – ~ 2,40% – 3,50%
Mobile apps
mHPB (iOS) | mHPB (Android) | mHPB (Huawei)
Contact HPB
#7 Addiko Bank
Addiko Bank is under the Addiko Group, an Austrian mother bank registered in Vienna. Addiko’s focus is on consumer lending and small and middle businesses with a focus of business development. The bank does not offer services for big corporate clients, financing of public institutions or mortgages.
Coverage
Total number of branches: 179
Total number of cash machines: ~210
Available currencies
Accounts in foreign currency are not offered.
Checking account fees
Monthly maintenance fees:
- All account holders – 3,32 euros
Transactions fees:
- Within Addiko in person – free of charge
- Within Addiko online banking – free of charge
Details on fees can be found here.
Savings account interest
Interest rates on citizen’s saving accounts can be found here.
Mortgage rates
Addiko doesn’t offer mortgage and housing loans.
Mobile apps
Addiko Mobile Hrvatska (iOS) | Addiko Mobile Hrvatska (Android)
Contact Addiko
#8 BONUS: Wustenrot
Wustenrot is an Austrian bank. They are considering and granting mortgage loans to Croatian citizens living in Croatia who have foreign income. This means it is a possible option for returning diaspora. Contact them to check out your options.
Informative documents on the actual fees of all banks on the Croatian market are available here under the section “Sve banke”.
View our other financial articles
- 8 things to know about buying Croatian property
- 11 things to know about getting a mortgage in Croatia
- All costs when buying real estate in Croatia
- Croatia’s banks that offer mortgages and who they will consider for a loan
- Do I need to open a bank account in Croatia
- How credit works in Croatia
- How to get a mortgage loan in Croatia
- How to pay bills in Croatia
- How to transfer money to Croatia from abroad
Please note: Information provided by Expat in Croatia is only for the purposes of guidance. It does not constitute legal or financial advice in any form. Croatian laws and bureaucratic rules often change, and each personal case is individual, so different rules may apply. For legal advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian lawyer. For financial advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian tax advisor or accountant.
