ING — Conto Arancio
ING Bank N.V. (Milan Branch)
stamp duty costs more than the interest the bank pays
Data verified on last change the sources
Worth it if you want always-available money at zero cost (free opening, deposits and withdrawals, no lock-up), from a solid banking brand.
Avoid it if you're after a return: the standing rate is 0.20% gross, −0.05% net of tax and stamp duty, and there is currently no rate promotion for new account holders.
Conto Arancio is ING's instant-access savings account: no lock-up, deposits and withdrawals at will, free to open and close. What the advertising does not foreground is the standing rate, which the 18 October 2026 information sheet sets at 0.20% gross per year. At that level the 0.2% stamp duty on the balance costs more than the bank pays: the net return is negative, −0.05% a year. The 4% promotion for new customers (third 2026 edition) closed to sign-ups on 30 July 2026, and the product page currently offers no rate promotion. Anyone who is not already an ING customer can open Conto Arancio only together with a Conto Corrente Arancio. Worth knowing too: deposits here are covered by the Dutch guarantee scheme rather than the Italian FITD, because ING operates in Italy as a branch.
Data & conditions
| Max gross rate | 0.2% |
|---|---|
| Max net rate | -0.052% — stamp duty costs more than the interest the bank pays |
| Account type | Instant access |
| Early withdrawal | Yes |
| Interest compounding | Yearly |
| Interest paid upfront | No |
| Stamp duty | Paid by you — 0.2% of the balance per year |
| When stamp duty is charged | Charged once a year |
| Deposit guarantee | EU guarantee €100,000 |
| Requires a linked current account | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes |
| Supported countries | EEA · 1+ countries |
| Regulator | DNB (Paesi Bassi) · Banca d'Italia |
| Segment | B2C |
| Funding / solidity | Dutch-law digital bank · listed ING group · deposits covered by the Dutch scheme, not the Italian FITD |
| MiCA / License status | Licenza bancaria (Albo Banche n. 5229 — succursale di banca comunitaria) Italian branch of a Dutch bank (DNB supervision) |
Strengths
- No lock-up and no transaction costs: opening, closing, deposits and withdrawals are all free, and the money stays available at all times.
- Solid brand: ING Bank N.V. is part of a listed, European-scale banking group.
- No notable sovereignty advantage documented.
Weaknesses
- The standing rate is 0.20% gross, which after withholding tax and stamp duty becomes −0.05%: outside the promotion this account loses money in nominal terms, before inflation is even considered.
- Non-customers cannot open Conto Arancio on its own: the information sheet reserves it for existing customers and for new customers who request it together with a Conto Corrente Arancio.
- Deposits are covered not by the Italian FITD but by the Dutch Nederlandse Depositogarantiestelsel: protection remains €100,000, but in a crisis you deal with a foreign scheme.
- Custodial: the platform holds your funds and can freeze or lose them.
- Full KYC required: verified identity, zero pseudonymity.
- Subject to regulation (Italian branch of a Dutch bank (DNB supervision)): reporting to authorities and freezes on order.
Verdict
Score 3.2/5, solid profile. In its favour: no lock-up and no transaction costs: opening, closing, deposits and withdrawals are all free, and the money stays available at all times. The trade-off to weigh: the standing rate is 0.20% gross, which after withholding tax and stamp duty becomes −0.05%: outside the promotion this account loses money in nominal terms, before inflation is even considered.
On the Sovereignty lens the score is 0.4/5 (weak): the strength is censorship resistance (1.5/5), while fund control (0.0/5) is the weak link.
Promp's editorial rating based on real fees and net annual cost. Promp reviews third-party products independently.
"Sovereignty" rating: score computed on privacy/anonymity (30%), fund control (20%), censorship resistance (20%), trustless/auditability (20%) and costs (10%). Same data, different weights.
Reputation
What happened to people who used ING — Conto Arancio, and what users say. External signals: they do not feed the promp.it rating.
Incidents & regulatory actions
History not verifiedWe have not yet completed the incident search for this service: no entries here does not mean no events.
Public reviews
- Trustpilot ↗ 3.7/5 ~ 10,806 reviews
- App Store ↗ 4.4/5 2,580 reviews
Weighted average across 2 public review platforms (13,386 reviews in total), weighted by volume. This is not our rating: it is those platforms’ average.
FAQ
Can Conto Arancio really pay less than zero?
Yes, at the base rate. The 18 October 2026 information sheet states a nominal annual credit rate of 0.20%. A 26% withholding tax applies to that interest, taking it to 0.148%, and separately a 0.2% annual stamp duty on the balance is borne by the customer. The result is −0.052% a year: on €20,000 deposited, roughly €10 less after twelve months. This is not specific to ING: it happens to any deposit paying up to 0.27% gross when the customer pays the stamp duty.
Is there a rate promotion today?
Not for anyone opening the account today. The «4% per 12 mesi con Conto Corrente Arancio e Conto Arancio – III edizione 2026» promotion closed to sign-ups on 30 July 2026, and the following one with MyMoneyCoach on 2 November 2026. The 4% initiatives still open, the two «Incrementa i tuoi risparmi – III edizione 2026», are reserved for people who were already customers on past dates (Conto Arancio holders as at 7 June 2026, or Conto Corrente Arancio holders as at 21 March 2026) and apply only to new money, up to €300,000. Anyone opening the account today gets the 0.20% gross base rate.
Is my money guaranteed as at an Italian bank?
The protected amount is the same, €100,000 per depositor, but the scheme differs. ING operates in Italy as a branch of ING Bank N.V., a Dutch-law bank, and belongs to the Dutch Nederlandse Depositogarantiestelsel, not the Italian FITD. In a failure, the counterpart would be the Dutch system.
What is the difference between Conto Arancio and Deposito Arancio?
Conto Arancio is the instant-access savings deposit, with no lock-up. Deposito Arancio is the fixed-term line reserved for Conto Arancio holders: funds stay deposited for the agreed period, but the information sheet specifies that early release is still permitted with no charges or penalties; in that case, however, no interest is paid.
Sources
- Official service page Data verified on Nov 4, 2026
- secure.ing.it Spese · Bollo Data verified on Nov 4, 2026
Update history
- Sign-ups to the «4% for 12 months – third 2026 edition» promotion closed on 30/7/2026: new account holders get the base rate. The 18/10/2026 information sheet confirms 0.20% gross.