ING-DiBa
German direct bank operating under the ING brand and owned by ING Groep N.V.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
ING-DiBa is the German retail-banking business of Dutch financial group ING Groep N.V. It operates primarily as a direct bank, distributing products through digital channels, telephone services and a relatively limited physical infrastructure rather than through a traditional nationwide branch network. Its German offer has historically centered on savings, current accounts, consumer credit, mortgage lending, securities trading and other everyday banking services for private customers. The institution was established in 1965 as Bank für Sparanlagen und Vermögensbildung, reflecting an original focus on savings and asset formation. It later developed into one of Germany’s early direct-banking providers. The bank adopted the name Deutsche Direktbank in the 1990s and subsequently shortened it to DiBa. ING acquired DiBa in stages during the early 2000s, bringing the German business into its international direct-banking network. The German operation was renamed ING-DiBa in 2004, combining the established German brand with the ING identity. The direct-bank model enabled ING-DiBa to compete on convenience, standardized products and pricing. Customers could open and manage accounts without relying on a local branch, while ING’s broader group platform supplied capital, technology, risk-management capabilities and a recognizable international brand. The approach was particularly suited to savings and payment products, where digital self-service and telephone support can replace much of the cost of branch distribution. ING-DiBa’s principal retail activities include giro accounts and payment services, savings accounts and term deposits, personal loans, mortgage finance, investment products and online brokerage. The bank has also been associated with consumer-oriented offerings such as fee-conscious current accounts and direct access to savings products. Product availability, conditions and branding have changed over time as German regulation, interest rates, digital-banking expectations and ING group strategy have evolved. The bank is part of ING’s European retail-banking network. ING Groep was created in 1991 through the merger of the banking operations of NMB Postbank Groep with the insurance group Nationale-Nederlanden. The group later expanded its direct-banking model beyond the Netherlands, including the acquisition of DiBa in Germany. Following the financial crisis, ING reorganized and divested several international insurance and banking businesses in response to Dutch state-aid requirements. Those group-level changes did not eliminate the German retail franchise, which remains an important ING market. In Germany, ING-DiBa is positioned as a digitally oriented mass-market bank rather than a universal bank built around a large branch network. Its competitive identity rests on a broad retail product range, online and mobile access, relatively simple customer journeys and the backing of the ING group. The brand continues to serve German private customers under the ING name, while the legal and historical identity ING-DiBa remains important in descriptions of the German subsidiary.
History
ING-DiBa traces its origins to 1965, when Bank für Sparanlagen und Vermögensbildung was established in Germany with a savings and asset-formation orientation. Its early purpose reflected the postwar German emphasis on encouraging household saving and broadening access to financial products. Over subsequent decades, the institution moved away from a narrowly defined savings-bank role and developed into a direct retail bank. The bank became known as Deutsche Direktbank during the 1990s and later adopted the shorter DiBa name. This period coincided with the development of telephone and electronic banking in Germany. Instead of building a large branch network, DiBa relied on centralized operations and remote customer service. That model allowed it to market standardized savings, lending and payment products across the country while keeping distribution costs below those of many branch-based competitors. ING entered the German business in the early 2000s. The acquisition of DiBa formed part of ING Groep’s broader strategy of exporting the direct-banking model that had emerged from the group’s Dutch banking heritage. ING’s history combined the banking businesses of NMB Postbank Groep with Nationale-Nederlanden in a 1991 merger, creating a financial group with retail banking, insurance and international financial-services activities. Direct banking became one of the group’s most recognizable consumer propositions, and Germany was an important market for that model. After ING acquired DiBa, the bank was renamed ING-DiBa in 2004. The name retained the familiarity of the German DiBa franchise while associating it with ING’s orange international brand. The German operation expanded its retail scope beyond savings to include current accounts, consumer lending, home finance, securities services and other products used by private households. The 2008 financial crisis produced major changes at the parent-group level. ING received capital support from the Dutch government and subsequently agreed to structural changes required by European authorities. These included divestments and the separation or sale of several insurance and international banking businesses. The group also simplified its brand architecture: in the Netherlands, Postbank and ING Bank were brought together under the ING name in 2009. ING-DiBa remained the German retail-banking platform within the reorganized group. In the following years, the German franchise continued to operate as a digitally oriented retail bank. Its proposition has been built around online and mobile account management, remote advice and service, simple product presentation and access to ING’s group-wide technology and risk infrastructure. The business is not a separate publicly traded company; it forms part of ING’s German and European retail-banking activities. Today, the ING brand in Germany covers everyday banking, savings, loans, mortgages and investment services for private customers. The historical name ING-DiBa remains the canonical designation of the German bank, although customer-facing communication increasingly uses ING.
- 2009
ING simplifies its group branding
[2]ING merges the Postbank and ING Bank identities in the Netherlands under the ING brand as part of a wider group simplification.
- 2008
Parent group receives Dutch government capital support
[2]ING Groep accepts government capital during the global financial crisis, followed by a restructuring and divestment program.
- 2004
The bank becomes ING-DiBa
[1]The German business combines the DiBa name with the ING identity.
- 2002
ING acquires DiBa
[2]ING brings the German direct bank into its international direct-banking network.
- 1998
The DiBa name is adopted
[1]The bank adopts the shorter DiBa identity as its direct-banking business develops.
- 1994
The bank uses the Deutsche Direktbank name
[1]The institution develops its identity as a German direct-banking provider.
- 1965
Bank für Sparanlagen und Vermögensbildung is founded
[1]The German institution that would later become ING-DiBa is established with a focus on savings and asset formation.
Products and positioning
A digitally focused, branch-light retail bank for German private customers, combining direct-bank pricing and self-service with the scale and financial infrastructure of ING Groep.
Retail banking
Current accounts
ING-DiBa’s current-account proposition is designed for everyday payments and digital account management. Customers use online and mobile channels for transfers, standing orders, card administration and account information. The product reflects the bank’s direct-banking model, in which most servicing is handled remotely rather than through a conventional branch network.
Savings · 1965
Savings accounts and deposits
Savings products are central to the bank’s historical identity. The range has included accessible savings accounts and fixed-term or notice-based deposit products for German retail customers. These products are distributed digitally and are supported by centralized servicing, allowing the bank to compete for household deposits without maintaining a large branch footprint.
Consumer credit
Personal loans
ING-DiBa offers consumer-finance products to private customers, with applications and servicing conducted through digital and remote channels. Personal lending extends the bank’s original savings orientation into unsecured household finance and is part of the broader retail-banking model operated under the ING brand in Germany.
Home finance
Mortgage finance
Home-finance products provide residential mortgage lending for German customers. The offering uses ING’s centralized underwriting and digital distribution capabilities while addressing one of the largest financing needs of retail households. Product terms and eligibility depend on prevailing market conditions and regulatory requirements.
Investment services
Online brokerage and investments
The bank provides securities and investment services through online channels, enabling customers to hold and transact in financial instruments without visiting a branch. This complements current accounts, savings and lending products and supports ING’s positioning as a full-service digital retail bank for private customers.
Brand decisions
2004
Rebranding as ING-DiBaStrategyBackground
The parent group was building a consistent international identity while retaining local recognition in established direct-banking markets.
Action taken
The German bank combined the DiBa name with the ING brand.
Aftermath
The hybrid name linked the German franchise to ING’s international brand architecture.
2002
ING acquires the German direct bank DiBaM&ABackground
ING was expanding a direct-banking model across multiple national markets and sought to strengthen its German retail presence.
Action taken
ING acquired DiBa and integrated the German business into its international banking group.
Aftermath
The acquisition established the basis for the ING-DiBa brand and broadened ING’s European direct-banking network.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
VakıfBank secures €200mn ING funding[4]
Reported:
VakıfBank secured a €200mn, 10-year funding facility from ING Germany, backed by a 95% guarantee from Sace. The facility is intended to finance Turkish customers’ imports of goods and services from Italy.
Sources4 sources
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