Children's Savings in Croatia 2027: Best Bank Offers

Children's savings in Croatia can earn 2.65% a year or 0.02%, depending only on which bank you walk into. We checked all 19 banks on the Croatian National Bank (HNB) list: 12 of them have a dedicated product for children. RBA Bubašpara has the highest effective yield (2.65% over 36 months with a bonus), OTP banka the best one-year rate (2.25%), while Zagrebačka banka and PBZ, the two largest banks in the country, pay a token 0.02%.

This guide is for parents, grandparents and godparents in Croatia who want to put money aside for a child regularly. All rates come from the banks' official pages and documents as of 22 October 2026. For every offer we list the date of the document, the minimum deposit, who can open the account and, just as important, when the money can be withdrawn.

Children's savings 2027 - Quick overview

Rates are annual rates for euro savings according to bank documents valid on 22 October 2026. The effective rate (EKS in Croatian) is shown where the bank publishes it. Check the current rate at the branch before signing.

1. RBA - Bubašpara children's savings

Photo: Raiffeisen Bank International, Wikimedia Commons

Bubašpara is a fixed-term children's savings plan with monthly deposits, and it currently has the highest effective yield in our comparison. According to RBA's interest rate decision of 5 June 2025, still listed as valid on the bank's site, the nominal rate is 1.80% for 24 months and 2.00% for 36 months, fixed.

The yield gets its boost from a 25% bonus on the total interest. You receive it if you complete the full term and deposit at least the agreed minimum of EUR 15 a month. With the bonus, the effective rate is 1.99% over 24 months and 2.65% over 36 months. Each deposit earns interest from the day it is paid in until maturity, and you can pay in through the mojaRBA app or by standing order.

The contract is signed only at a branch, in the child's name, by a parent or guardian. At maturity, the principal, interest and bonus go to the child's account. Until 31 October 2026 RBA also runs a EUR 25 promotion for the first 1,000 new underage clients who open a current account and Bubašpara.

Pros: highest effective rate among children's savings plans, entry from just EUR 15 a month, deposits via app and standing order.

Cons: early termination loses the bonus, only two terms (24 and 36 months), opening only at a branch, the EUR 25 promotion ends on 31 October 2026.

Our opinion: If you can set aside a fixed amount every month and you are sure you will not touch the money for three years, Bubašpara is the most profitable children's savings plan on the Croatian market. Set up a standing order right after signing so you never miss a month, because the 25% bonus depends on it.

2. OTP banka - Children's planned savings

Photo: OTP banka, Wikimedia Commons

OTP banka offers the best rate for shorter terms: 2.25% for 6 and 12 months, according to its general information on children's planned savings dated 22 October 2026. For terms of 24 to 60 months the rate drops to 1.30%, and for 3 months it is a token 0.04%. The rate is fixed with no bonus, so the effective rate equals the nominal one.

The minimum is EUR 15 a month, and several deposits in the same month are added together. Anyone can pay in, not just parents, which suits grandparents well. The plan is available in euros or US dollars. Until 31 December 2026 the bank gifts the first EUR 15 deposit for every newly opened children's plan.

If you end the plan early, the bank pays the interest earned but charges a fee of EUR 6.64. If monthly deposits stop, the bank may terminate the contract. When the child turns 18, the parent's authority ends and the owner manages the savings alone.

Pros: best rate for 6 and 12 months, EUR 15 gift, terms from 3 to 60 months, anyone can pay in.

Cons: longer terms only 1.30%, EUR 6.64 fee for early termination, monthly deposit obligation.

Our opinion: OTP is a good pick if you want flexibility: a one-year plan at 2.25% can be renewed, and you decide each year what comes next. For longer terms RBA is better. If several family members save for the child, the rule that anyone can pay in is a real advantage here.

3. Istarska kreditna banka - Psić Šoldić

Photo: Istarska kreditna banka, Wikimedia Commons

Psić Šoldić is IKB's open children's savings plan with repeat deposits. According to the bank's leaflet applying from 1 March 2026, the rate is 1.40% for terms over 6 months, 1.70% over 12 months and 1.50% over 24 months. The effective rate equals the nominal one, and the bank charges no fee for the deposit.

The minimum is only EUR 10, and you can choose a one-off term or automatic renewal. The catch is age: the plan runs until the child turns 16. On the 16th birthday the contract is no longer renewed and the money moves to a transfer account.

IKB is a regional bank headquartered in Umag, so this offer is practical mainly for families from Istria and the surrounding area.

Pros: 1.70% for a year with a EUR 10 entry, automatic renewal, no deposit fee.

Cons: only until age 16, regional bank with few branches outside Istria, leaflet dates from March so check the rate at the bank.

Our opinion: For families in Istria this is a very solid children's savings plan with a low entry point. When the child turns 16 the money will not keep growing on its own, so plan ahead where you will move it.

4. Erste banka - Medo Štedo

Photo: Erste Bank, Wikimedia Commons

With Medo Štedo the main attraction is not the interest rate but the programme for children. According to the leaflet valid from 11 May 2026, the euro rate is 0.70% for 6 to 12 months, 0.90% for 12 to 24 months and 1.10% for 24 to 36 months. On top of that the bank adds a bonus of 5, 15 or 25% on the interest earned, depending on the term.

Erste does not publish the effective rate as text; it shows it in the payment plan. A 25% bonus on a 36-month term means the real yield is noticeably above 1.10%, but still below RBA and below OTP's one-year rate. The minimum first deposit is EUR 10, and the plan can last at most until the 18th birthday, with automatic renewal possible.

What draws families to Erste are the extras. The child gets a gift when the account is opened, and the rewards programme gives one point per euro deposited, up to 3,000 points a year, which can be swapped for a bottle, money box, backpack or voucher. A Medo Štedo gift voucher of at least EUR 10 can be bought by any adult Croatian citizen, which makes it a handy birthday or christening present.

Pros: best rewards programme for kids, gift voucher anyone can buy, deposits via George and standing order.

Cons: low nominal rates, the bonus is lost on early termination, effective rate not published as text.

Our opinion: Medo Štedo is the choice for families whose goal is to teach a child to save rather than squeeze out the highest percentage. Collecting points gives the child a reason to bring money to the bank, and the voucher solves the eternal birthday present question. If yield is all you care about, RBA or OTP pay more.

5. Podravska banka - Mravac children's savings

Photo: Podravska banka, poba.hr

Mravac is Podravska banka's cumulative fixed-term savings plan for children up to 14. According to the table on the product page, the euro rate is 1.60% for 6 months, 1.10% for 12 months and 1.00% for 24 months. For 36 months and more the rate drops to just 0.25%, so a long term does not pay off here.

The advantage is flexible deposits. The EUR 15 minimum applies only to the first deposit, and further deposits are optional, with no monthly obligation. The plan is available in euros and dollars. Under the bank's general rule for term deposits, early termination costs a one-off EUR 6.64.

The bank publishes no separate dated rate document and no effective rate, so the rates are as shown on the page updated in September 2026.

Pros: 1.60% for 6 months, no obligation for further deposits, low entry.

Cons: only up to age 14, very low long-term rates, no separate dated rate document.

Our opinion: Mravac suits families who pay in irregularly, say when the child gets birthday or holiday money. Pick shorter terms and renew them, because 0.25% over three years is not worth locking money away.

6. Partner banka - Vjeverica children's savings

Photo: Partner banka, paba.hr

Vjeverica is an instant access savings account for children, meaning the money is not tied to a term. According to Partner banka's page the rate is 1.00% a year, variable. That is high for instant access: according to HNB statistics, the average rate on household instant access savings in August 2026 was 0.17%.

The account is opened at a branch for a child under 18, represented by a parent or guardian. The owner, the legal representative and other people can pay in. No minimum deposit is stated, and the bank offers no gifts or extras.

The rate is variable and the bank gives no date for it, so check it before opening. Partner banka is a smaller bank, so check whether it has a branch in your town before opening.

Pros: high rate for instant access, money not tied to a term, other family members can pay in.

Cons: variable rate without a date, smaller bank with few branches, no rewards for kids.

Our opinion: Vjeverica is a good base for money that builds up slowly and may be needed. Once a larger sum has accumulated, you can move part of it into a fixed-term children's savings plan with a higher fixed rate.

7. HPB - Flexy Kockica

Photo: HPB, Wikimedia Commons

Flexy Kockica is HPB's open instant access children's savings account with a variable rate of 0.50% a year, according to the extract from the interest rate decision of 15 December 2025. Interest is credited at the end of the year. There is no minimum, and deposits and withdrawals can be repeated.

One important limit: the child can manage the money alone only after coming of age. HPB stopped offering its old fixed-term children's savings on 20 June 2022, so Flexy Kockica is the bank's only children's product.

The advantage of Flexy Kockica is simplicity: no term, no minimum and no obligation to pay in regularly, so anyone in the family can add small sums.

Pros: no minimum, no obligation to pay in regularly, money not tied to a term.

Cons: only 0.50% variable, interest credited once a year, no fixed-term children's option.

Our opinion: Flexy Kockica makes sense if HPB is your nearest bank and you want a simple account everyone can pay small sums into. For larger amounts that will sit for longer, a fixed-term plan at another bank pays up to five times more.

How the big banks compare: Zaba and PBZ

The two largest banks in Croatia do have children's savings, but with practically zero interest. Zagrebačka banka's Pčelica is a savings account for children up to 12 with a fixed rate of 0.02% a year. It comes with a welcome gift and a Pčelica gift voucher you can buy at a branch or through e-zaba.

PBZ's children's savings is a fixed-term plan for 24 to 84 months with a minimum of EUR 25, but here too the rate is 0.02%, plus a 10% bonus on interest, according to the general information of 1 October 2026. PBZ's strength is that it charges no fee for early termination.

Among the other banks, KentBank offers 0.45 to 0.50%, Agram banka 0.01 to 0.20% with a EUR 150 minimum, and Karlovačka banka 0.02%. Addiko, Croatia banka, Imex, J&T, Kovanica, Samoborska and Slatinska banka have no dedicated children's product.

Tax, insurance and who may withdraw the money

Tax. Interest and bonuses on savings are subject to Croatian capital income tax at 12%, which the bank calculates and pays itself when interest is credited. Children's savings have no exemption, as Erste states explicitly for Medo Štedo. All rates in this article are gross.

Deposit insurance. HAOD, the Croatian deposit insurance agency, covers deposits up to EUR 100,000 per depositor at each bank. A children's savings account is in the child's name, so the child is a separate depositor with their own limit, independent of the parents' money at the same bank.

Who may withdraw. The money in children's savings belongs to the child. Under the Croatian Family Act (Art. 97) parents manage the child's property to preserve and, where possible, grow it, and disposing of more valuable property (Art. 101) requires the other parent's consent and court approval. In practice, banks let a parent withdraw up to EUR 1,327.23 a month in total from all of the child's accounts without a court, as Erste explains in its note on minors' funds. Above that, court approval is needed. Guardians may use the child's money only with a decision from the Croatian Institute for Social Work. At 18 the child manages the savings alone.

What you need to open one. The child's birth certificate or civil registry extract, the child's OIB (personal identification number) and the parent's ID card. A guardian also brings the Institute's decision. Almost all banks open children's savings only at a branch.

Conclusion: which children's savings plan pays most

The most profitable children's savings plan in October 2026 is RBA Bubašpara: with regular EUR 15 deposits and a completed 36-month term, the effective rate reaches 2.65%. For a shorter horizon OTP is better, with 2.25% over 12 months and a EUR 15 gift. The big banks Zaba and PBZ, at 0.02%, only make sense if the branch matters to you and the interest does not.

Those differences add up over the years. On children's savings that grow to a few thousand euros over time, the gap between 0.02% and 2% a year comes to hundreds of euros by the time the child turns 18. Once you have chosen a bank, check the rate on the day you sign, set up a standing order and note the maturity date. If children's savings are part of a wider plan, see our comparison of fixed-term savings and our guide to treasury bills.

Frequently asked questions

Which bank has the best children's savings in Croatia?

Based on rates as of 22 October 2026, RBA Bubašpara has the highest effective yield: 2.65% over 36 months with a 25% bonus on interest. For a one-year term, OTP banka is best at 2.25%. Erste Medo Štedo pays less but has the best rewards programme for kids.

What interest do children's savings accounts pay?

It depends on the bank and term. The range runs from 0.01 to 0.02% at Agram banka, Zagrebačka banka, PBZ and Karlovačka banka to 2.25% nominal at OTP and 2.65% effective at RBA. Instant access accounts pay less, from 0.02% at Zagrebačka banka to 1.00% at Partner banka.

Who can open children's savings?

Children's savings are opened by a parent as legal representative or by a guardian, at a branch, with the child's birth certificate and OIB plus the parent's ID. Grandparents and others can pay in at banks that allow it, such as OTP, Erste and Partner banka, or buy a gift voucher.

When can a child withdraw the money alone?

At 18, when the parent's authority as legal representative ends. Until then a parent can withdraw up to EUR 1,327.23 a month from all of the child's accounts at the bank without a court, while larger sums need court approval and the other parent's consent.

Is tax paid on interest from children's savings?

Yes. Interest and bonuses are taxed as capital income at 12%, and the bank calculates and pays it automatically. Children's savings have no tax exemption, so all published rates should be read as gross.

Are children's savings insured?

Yes. HAOD insures deposits up to EUR 100,000 per depositor at each bank. Since children's savings are in the child's name, the child has their own EUR 100,000 limit, separate from the parents' money at the same bank.

How we tested

We started from the HNB list of credit institutions with 19 banks and checked each one for a dedicated children's product. Twelve banks have one. We took rates only from the banks' official interest rate decisions, leaflets and general information on 22 October 2026, and for each offer we list the date of the document.

We ranked the offers by yield, taking the effective rate with bonus into account, then by minimum deposit, age limit and extras such as gifts and rewards. We put Zagrebačka banka and PBZ in a separate section because their rate is 0.02%. No bank paid for a place in this comparison.

Sources

1. HNB - List of credit institutions
2. RBA - Interest rates on Bubašpara children's savings (5 June 2025)
3. OTP banka - General information on children's planned savings (22 Oct 2026)
4. IKB - Psić Šoldić leaflet (1 March 2026)
5. Erste - Medo Štedo leaflet (11 May 2026)
6. Podravska banka - Mravac children's savings
7. Partner banka - Vjeverica children's savings
8. HPB - Extract from the interest rate decision (15 Dec 2025)
9. PBZ - General information on children's savings (1 Oct 2026)
10. Zagrebačka banka - Pčelica children's savings
11. HAOD - Insured amount
12. Croatian Family Act
13. PBZ - Taxation of interest on savings
14. HNB - Credit institution interest rates

Related articles:

• Best Fixed-Term Savings 2026
• Housing Savings in Croatia: Is It Worth It
• How to Invest in Croatian Treasury Bills
• Child Benefit in Croatia 2027
• Christmas Bonus and Child Gift: How Much Is Tax-Free