Thinking of moving to Serbia? You might want to relocate there to work, study or stay with some family members. Whatever may be the case, it could be useful to open a Serbian bank account.
As a foreigner, you might need some help with choosing the right bank for you. We’re here to help you make that decision, as we’ve put together a list of banks in Serbia. Along with this, we’ve included information on the accounts they offer and how the Serbian banking system works.
Let’s begin with banking in Serbia nowadays.
Banking in Serbia (an overview)¹
Serbia’s central bank is the National Bank of Serbia. The banking system is made up of primarily local banks and banks from the EU, but also banks from Turkey, Russia, China and the UAE. This gives clients an ability to choose a bank that best suits their needs and open a bank account there. There are 20 banks in Serbia at the moment.²
All of the standard banking services such as E-banking, M-banking and debit cards are available with every account. Many premium features are also available, but they depend on the account type. The currency in Serbia is the Serbian dinar, but there are many foreign currency accounts available, as well as multi-currency packages.
Like in other countries, banks in Serbia tend to charge fairly high fees for international transfers. To avoid these expensive fees, consider using an alternative such as the Wise multi-currency account. It’s ideal for international transactions, and could save you a bundle.
Top Banks in Serbia
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest banks in Serbia:
| Bank name | Operational HQ |
|---|---|
| Banca Intesa | Belgrade |
| AIK Banka | Belgrade |
| OTP Banka | Novi Sad |
| NLB Komercijalna Banka | Belgrade |
| Raiffeisen Banka | Belgrade |
| Erste Bank | Novi Sad |
Banca Intesa³
Banca Intesa is part of the Intesa Sanpaolo group and it has been present in Serbia for the past 17 years. They have a total of 147 branches in almost 100 Serbian cities.
Their payment account packages include the Basic account, Intesa Hit payment account, Intesa Hit Plus payment account and Magnifica payment account. The latter two allow an American Express Blue credit card and a euro account free of charge. Some packages have built-in health insurance for the client and their family.
AIK Banka⁴
AIK Banka is the first Serbian bank to reach the EU market. Ever since it entered the open market in 1993, it has been one of the most prominent local banks.
Their main account packages for retail clients are the Standard services payment account, Start, Start plus and Elite. All except the Standard package include a foreign currency account, a Mastercard debit card and cheques. The Elite package comes with the Mastercard Gold credit card and voluntary health insurance.
OTP Banka⁵
OTP Banka has 155 branches throughout Serbia. They have the largest number of ATMs out of all banks at almost 300 locations. Plus, their clients can use MoneyGet ATMs under the same conditions as their own.
OTP Banka offers the following payment account packages: Basic Services Payment Account, Klasik package, Praktik package, Prestiž package and Fluo package. Fluo package is made for students up to 27 years old and it’s their only free package. However, if your monthly card spending exceeds 60,000 dinars, you can get the Prestiž package without maintenance fees.
NLB Komercijalna Banka⁶
This bank is part of the NLB Group which focuses on the South East Europe region. They have over a million active customers and their parent bank is in Slovenia.
NLB Komercijalna has 5 current account types: Basic, Start set, Classic set, Active set and Premium set. The Start set is made for young people younger than 27, while the Classic set is created for pensioners. The other three can be used by anyone with some type of a regular income.
Raiffeisen Banka⁷
Raiffeisen is part of Raiffeisen Bank International, which is one of the biggest banking groups in Central and Eastern Europe. In the past 22 years, they’ve become one of the leading banks in Serbia.
The stars of their account packages are the Može current account packages - Može Start, Može Ekstra and Može Sve. With the Može Sve account, you can have multiple foreign currency accounts.
Other options include the Foreign currency account, the Payment account for young people and the Premium package, which is ideal for those who need professional financial assistance.
Erste Bank⁸
Erste Group has a 200-year long tradition in Europe and Erste Bank has existed in Serbia since 2005. They have 87 branches in 50 towns across Serbia, so finding one won’t be a problem.
Erste Bank’s offer includes a Basic payment account, a RSD account and FX current account, as well as a Youth account and Premium payment account. The perks of the Premium account are the help of a personal banker and free Wiener Städtische insurance of your choice.
Top Online bank accounts in Serbia⁹
The first bank in Serbia that’s almost fully digital is Mobi Banka. They have one branch, but otherwise they’re an online bank. Besides their Basic account, potential clients can choose between the Lite account, Starter account and Progresiv account.
Manage your money internationally? Check out the Wise multi-currency account
If you want to send money internationally when you travel, you could find it expensive with a traditional Serbian bank.
The good news is that there’s a money-saving alternative available. Open a Wise multi-currency account and you can send money worldwide, to 150+ countries for low fees and fair exchange rates.
This makes it ideal for travellers, expats, overseas students and anyone else living an international life.
Pricing/fees: Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
Sources used for this article:
Sources checked on 12-Aug-2023.
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information. This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
