Which bank to choose in the Czech Republic?

This question certainly cannot be answered unequivocally, as many factors influence the choice of bank. First of all, the choice of bank may be influenced by the range of services and their price, fees, experience with a bank in another country or foreign transfers.

Below I list 5 banks that are popular in the Czech Republic.

Česká spořitelna, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Česká spořitelna

Česká spořitelna is the largest bank in the Czech Republic in terms of the number of customers, which is about 4.493 million for the entire group. It is part of the Erste Group operating in Central and Eastern Europe with headquarters in Vienna. It serves small customers, small and medium-sized enterprises, cities and municipalities. It also finances large corporations and provides financial markets services.

Česká spořitelna, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fio banka

Fio banka a.s. is a Czech bank based in Prague that obtained a banking license in 2010. Until then, it operated as a savings and credit cooperative and a Fio listed company. It focuses on providing ordinary banking services without fees and on small and medium-sized investors, for whom it acts as an intermediary in securities transactions on exchanges in the Czech Republic, the US, Poland, Hungary, Germany and Slovakia. Customers of this bank can trade securities through the e-Broker online trading platform, the Smartbroker mobile application, the branch network and by phone.

Fio banka, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Československá obchodní banka

Československá obchodní banka, a. s., known by its abbreviation ČSOB, is a banking institution operating in the Czech and Slovak financial services market and the managing person of the concern of the same name. It provides banking and other financial services to individuals, businesses, corporate and institutional clients. In retail banking in the Czech Republic, ČSOB operates under its primary brands – ČSOB (branches) and ČSOB Poštovní spořitelna (branches and outlets of the Czech Post Office).

Andr3w11, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Komerční banka

Komerční banka, a. s. (also known by its acronym KB) is a banking institution operating in the Czech capital market, majority owned by the French financial group Société Générale. It is a joint stock company and its shares are traded on the Prague Stock Exchange. It serves about 1.7 million customers in the Czech Republic. The bank focuses mainly on retail banking, where it provides comprehensive services to both individuals and businesses. Products include deposit and loan products.

Komerční banka / Société Générale, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Raiffeisenbank

Raiffeisenbank is a financial institution that has been operating in the Czech Republic since 1993. It is part of the Raiffeisen Group, founded by German philanthropist Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen, and its main shareholder is Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International AG. According to total assets, it is the fifth-largest bank in the Czech market and has about 130 branches and customer service centers.

Bolonium, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Finally, I would like to mention PKO Bank Polski S.A., which also operates in the Czech market. However, it is not as well known to Czech customers.

PKO BP S.A., Czech Branch

Branch of PKO Bank Polski in Prague serving businesses and corporations operating in the Czech Republic. Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski Spółka Akcyjna (abbreviation: PKO Bank Polski S.A., PKO BP S.A.) – the largest universal bank in Poland, a joint stock company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since 2004. It serves individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, as well as large corporations.

PKO Bank Polski, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons