Bosnia raises insured deposits from 70,000 to 100,000 KM

Anyone who keeps savings in a bank operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including in Republika Srpska, is protected up to 100,000 KM per bank from today. A decision by the Management Board of the Deposit Insurance Agency of BiH, which is headquartered in Banja Luka, has come into force and raises the insured deposit from the previous 70,000 KM. The decision was published in the Official Gazette of BiH, issue 75/26, and is posted on the Agency’s website.

What changes on November 1, 2026?

The amount the Agency guarantees to one saver in one bank is 30,000 KM higher. The previous increase, from 50,000 to 70,000 KM, applied from November 1, 2022, and the decision in force at that time was published in the Official Gazette of BiH, issue 70/22.

Sources differ on when the decision was made. In its November 1 report, RTRS says the Management Board adopted it seven days earlier, while other outlets give no date for the session. The only certain point is that it applies from November 1.

Management Board member Dragan Kulina told Nezavisne Novine that the banking sector has remained stable and the deposit insurance fund has grown. The conclusion he draws from that reads as follows:

“That is precisely why the Management Board decided to raise the insured deposit amount from 70,000 KM to 100,000 KM. In the region, in Serbia, 50,000 euros is insured, so this brings the insured deposit amount in BiH in line with its surroundings,” Kulina said.

How much money is covered in a single bank?

The limit is calculated per depositor and per bank. Someone who holds 90,000 KM in one bank is covered in full, while someone with 120,000 KM in the same bank is covered for 100,000 KM at most, and the rest above the limit carries no guarantee. Joint accounts follow separate rules, according to Bloomberg Adria, which gives no details in the part of its article available without a subscription.

Kulina expects the decision to be welcomed:

“Citizens’ reactions should be positive, because a larger amount of deposits will now be protected than before, when the limit was 70,000 KM. Citizens can be more confident about their money,” Kulina told Nezavisne Novine.

How does the new amount compare with Serbia?

Kulina named Serbia as his benchmark, where 50,000 euros is insured. At the fixed rate of 1.95583 KM to the euro, 100,000 KM is worth about 51,100 euros, while the previous 70,000 KM was worth about 35,800 euros. The new amount is therefore only slightly above the Serbian one, whereas the old one fell short by more than 14,000 euros.

In its explanation, the Agency ties the decision to trust in banks and to European standards:

“In this way, the Agency seeks to contribute to greater citizen trust in banks, as well as to the overall financial stability of BiH. For citizens, this means that from the beginning of November a larger share of their deposits will be covered by the deposit insurance system. The higher limit is also a continuation of aligning the domestic system with European Union standards in the field of deposit protection,” the Agency explained.

According to the Agency’s statement, the Management Board concluded that the “banking sector in BiH is stable, well capitalized, highly liquid and profitable.”

What about the bank premium and the card limit?

At the same session, the Management Board decided that the premium rate banks pay to the Agency for 2027 will stay the same as in 2026, at 0.26 percent a year.

Another piece of banking news concerns cards. Banks in BiH have raised the limit for payments without entering a PIN, confirmed Edis Razanica, director of the Association of Banks of BiH: it is now 90 KM for Visa cards and 100 KM for Mastercard. In most European Union countries the limit is 50 euros. Razanica added that the Association of Banks of BiH is calling on Visa and Mastercard to equalize the limits, which could happen soon.