Croatia's Ministry of Finance published amendments to the law on fee comparability, payment account switching and access to a basic account that require credit institutions to offer consumers a package of specified payment-account services free of charge when the account is used to receive regular income such as salaries and pensions. The changes also introduce more favourable fee treatment for vulnerable consumer groups, including in relation to the basic account. From 1 January 2026, credit institutions must accept consumer requests to apply the fee-free package to one payment account into which the consumer receives regular income, even if the consumer has multiple such accounts, and existing customers can keep the same IBAN on the account. The package covers opening, maintaining and closing a payment account; internet or mobile banking (as chosen by the institution); cash deposits at a counter or ATM (excluding coin processing); cash withdrawals at a counter or the account-holding institution’s ATM (as chosen by the institution); incoming national and cross-border payment transactions in EUR; regular issuance and use of a debit card (where offered); and debit-card payments at physical points of sale. Pensioners and other vulnerable groups are specifically expected to be able to withdraw cash fee-free both at the counter and at the account-holding institution’s ATM. From 1 January 2027, institutions must also enable two fee-free monthly cash withdrawals from the packaged account at ATMs of other credit institutions in Croatia, with the same requirement applying to vulnerable consumers holding a basic account. For basic accounts, vulnerable groups must receive the same scope of fee-free services as in the fee-free package, and must not be charged for ten national and/or cross-border payment transactions per month in Croatia’s official currency.

Original source View in tracker