Why has VDK Bank pushed its savings rate to 3.17%, the highest in Belgium?
VDK Bank, the Ghent-based savings bank, has raised the headline rate on its regulated savings account to 3.17 percent — reported by De Standaard and Het Laatste Nieuws as the highest on the Belgian market.
In 30 seconds
- VDK Bank raised its regulated savings account rate to 3.17 percent, reported as the highest on the Belgian market (De Standaard, HLN).
- Belgian regulated savings returns combine a base rate with a fidelity premium earned only after money stays put, usually 12 months.
- The rate stands out against an ECB cutting cycle in 2024-2025 that is generally pushing savings returns lower.
- Belgium's big four — KBC, BNP Paribas Fortis, ING, Belfius — have long kept standard rates near the legal minimum.
Key fact
3.17 percent VDK Bank raised its regulated savings account rate to , reported as the highest on the Belgian market (De Standaard, HLN).
VDK Bank is a Ghent-based Belgian savings bank, smaller than the country's dominant retail lenders KBC, BNP Paribas Fortis, ING and Belfius. It has raised the headline rate on its regulated savings account (gereglementeerde spaarrekening) to 3.17 percent, reported by De Standaard and Het Laatste Nieuws as the highest currently on the Belgian market. Belgian regulated savings returns combine a base rate with a fidelity premium and are overseen within a framework regulated by the National Bank of Belgium (BNB) and the FSMA; interest is exempt from withholding tax up to an annual per-person ceiling.
Background
Since the ECB began raising rates in 2022, Belgian consumer groups and politicians repeatedly criticised the country's largest banks for keeping savings rates near the legal floor while their own returns on central-bank deposits climbed. The most competitive rates in this period have typically come from smaller or foreign-owned banks rather than the market leaders, making VDK's top-of-market rate a continuation of the challenger-bank pattern.
What to do
Savers can earn several hundred euros more a year on a mid-sized balance, but should confirm how VDK's rate splits between base rate and fidelity premium, factor in the twelve-month condition for the full rate, and weigh the hassle of switching banks.
Impact
Regional — VDK is rooted in Ghent and East Flanders, and the story resonates most strongly with Flemish savers, but the rate is available across Belgium and the competitive dynamic is national rather than regional.
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- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 8 Aug 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 8 Aug 2026
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This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.