ING DiBa Review

Business Profile

ING Germany (formerly ING-DiBa) is Germany's largest direct bank, serving more than 10 million customers through a fully digital banking model. The bank offers a broad range of retail financial services, including current and savings accounts, mortgages, consumer lending, investment accounts and retirement products. While its investment platform primarily targets long-term retail investors in Germany, ING also provides business banking services for small and medium-sized enterprises through selected products. ING Germany forms part of ING Group N.V., one of Europe's largest banking groups. The group operates across more than 40 countries, serving approximately 40 million customers through its Retail Banking and Wholesale Banking divisions. In 2025, ING Group reported total income of approximately €23 billion and net profit of more than €7 billion, supported by a strong capital position and one of the highest credit ratings among European banks.

Ownership and Transparency

ING Germany operates as ING-DiBa AG, a wholly owned subsidiary of ING Group N.V. The parent company is publicly listed on Euronext Amsterdam (Ticker: INGA), has a market capitalisation of approximately €80 billion, and holds an A2 long-term credit rating from Moody's. As one of Europe's systemically important banking groups, ING is subject to regulatory oversight by the European Central Bank (ECB) alongside national supervisory authorities.

The bank's financial strength is reinforced by its position within ING Group, one of Europe's largest and most diversified banking groups. ING Group maintains strong investment-grade credit ratings of A− from S&P and A+ from Fitch, both with stable outlooks, while ING Bank N.V. is rated A2 by Moody's. As a Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB), ING is subject to enhanced regulatory oversight and more stringent capital and liquidity requirements than most financial institutions. Similar ratings have historically implied a low single digit probability of default over a  ten year horizon. ING Germany also remains highly profitable, reporting net profit of approximately €1.3 billion in 2025, while the wider ING Group generated more than €6 billion in net profit during the same period.

ING Germany is regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and, as a significant credit institution, is also supervised by the European Central Bank (ECB). Under Germany's Investor Compensation Scheme, investors are protected for up to 90% of eligible claims arising from an institution's inability to return client assets, subject to a maximum of €20,000 per investor. While this level of protection is standard across most EU investment firms, it is rarely relied upon because client investments, including shares and ETFs, are held separately in custody and remain the property of investors. Cash deposits are protected under Germany's statutory Deposit Guarantee Scheme up to €100,000 per depositor, with ING also participating in the voluntary Deposit Protection Fund of the Association of German Banks, which provides substantially higher coverage for eligible deposits.

• Cash Deposits Held With: ING-DiBa AG (approximately €170 billion in customer deposits, FY2025)
• Securities Custodian: Clearstream Banking AG

ING Germany has not been subject to any significant regulatory fines in recent years. However, its parent company, ING Group, has previously faced reputational challenges relating to anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. Most notably, ING entered into a €775 million settlement with the Dutch Public Prosecution Service in 2018 over historical deficiencies in its AML controls. Since then, the group has invested heavily in strengthening its financial crime prevention framework and compliance systems. In 2024, a group of institutional investors initiated legal proceedings seeking damages related to the 2018 settlement, but the Dutch court rejected all claims in late 2025. 

Custody Fees

None

Trading Fees.

• Standard Order Fee: €4.90 base fee + 0.25% of trade value (max €69.90 per order). 
• Savings Plans: €0 for ETF savings plans. Available only on eligible German-listed ETFs.
• Stocks: €4.90 + 0.25% per trade.
• Phone Orders: Additional €14.90 service fee.

ING Germany combines a broad range of traditional investment products with structured derivatives, but remains primarily focused on long-term investing rather than active trading. The platform does not offer margin trading, exchange-traded options, futures or CFDs.

ING Germany pays interest on cash held in its linked Extra-Konto (savings account), rather than on uninvested cash within the brokerage account itself. As of July 2026, new customers opening their first Extra-Konto receive a promotional interest rate of 3.20% p.a. for the first four months on balances up to €250,000, provided they have not held an Extra-Konto during the previous 12 months. After the promotional period, and for balances above €250,000 or additional Extra-Konten, the variable interest rate is 0.75% p.a. Interest is calculated daily and credited annually at the end of each calendar year.