Erste Bank

Erste Bank Pricing

Erste's s Kompakt Konto has been reported at roughly EUR 2.52 to 3.75 per month depending on source and date; the s Plus Konto runs up to about EUR 6.64 per month with bundling discounts of up to 30%. Exact current fees should be checked against sparkasse.at's official Konditionenaushang before publishing a specific number.

A youth account, spark7, is free for customers aged 10 to 19. New pricing was reportedly set to take effect 1 July 2026, but exact post-change figures were not confirmed in this research pass.

Overview

Erste Bank: TL;DR

Erste Bank Product & Network Features

Erste Bank's retail lineup includes current accounts (s Kompakt Konto, s Plus Konto), savings products, mortgages, and credit cards, distributed through its own branches and the wider Austrian Sparkassen network under the Haftungsverbund cross-guarantee scheme.

Its digital banking app, George, reported 11.4 million users group-wide as of the FY2025 results (reported February 2026) and topped the 2025 OGVS banking-app award in the 'Filialbanken' (branch-bank) category. In April 2025, Erste launched 'George Invest', a fractional-share trading feature built into the app.

The branch network is reported inconsistently across sources, ranging from roughly 732 to 800 branches in Austria depending on whether the wider Sparkassen network is included, plus about 1,500 self-service foyers.

Erste Bank Target Market

Erste Bank serves an estimated 3.8 to 4.2 million customers in Austria (sources conflict on the exact figure), positioning it as Austria's largest retail bank by customer count. Erste Group overall reported 22.7 million customers across its Central and Eastern European markets following its 2025-2026 Poland expansion.

The bank targets both everyday retail customers, through its branch and Sparkassen network, and a broader Central and Eastern European customer base through the wider Erste Group, though this profile focuses on the Austrian retail entity.

How Erste Bank compares

Erste Bank is NOT the same as Erste Group Bank AG, the listed holding company that owns Erste Bank alongside CEE subsidiaries such as Ceska sporitelna and Slovenska sporitelna. Erste Bank is also distinct from the regional Sparkassen (Steiermarkische Sparkasse, Kaerntner Sparkasse, etc.), which share the red Sparkasse logo and sparkasse.at portal but are legally independent savings banks cooperating under the Haftungsverbund cross-guarantee scheme.

Company

Erste Bank Financial Performance

Erste Group's FY2024 group-wide net profit was EUR 3.1 billion (up 4.3% year over year), with an operating result of EUR 5.9 billion, net interest income of EUR 7,528 million, and a CET1 capital ratio of 15.1%.

FY2025 group-wide net profit reached a record EUR 3,510 million with a CET1 ratio of 19.3% and a proposed dividend of EUR 0.75 per share, reported in Erste Group's results on 26 February 2026. An Austria-specific segment profit breakdown was not found in accessible sources.

Erste Bank Recent Developments

Erste launched George Invest, a fractional-share trading feature inside its George banking app, in April 2025, and George won the 2025 OGVS banking-app award for branch banks.

Erste Group announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in Santander Bank Polska plus 50% of Santander TFI on 5 May 2025; the deal closed on 9 January 2026 and the acquired business was rebranded Erste Bank Polska on 24 April 2026. Erste reportedly reduced its dividend payout to help fund the transaction.

A reported leadership change (a new head of corporate clients) surfaced in some July 2026 coverage but conflicted with other reporting and could not be confirmed.

Alternatives

Alternative Providers & Their Plans

Questions

Erste Bank: Frequently Asked Questions