According to the Panorabanques study For The World, the prices of network banks will increase on average by 1.1% over one year, which represents a clear slowdown compared to the increase of 2.4% observed in 2024. This development is in line with inflation , which slowed to 1.2% at an annual rate in October 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.
For the seven customer profiles analyzed, the annual cost of banking services will vary between 34 euros and 256 euros in 2025. Anna Meylacq, spokesperson for Panorabanques, summarizes the situation by stating that “Prices are now stabilizing at a high level.” The study also highlights that 86 banks out of 101 now charge account maintenance fees, compared to almost none a dozen years ago. These fees, averaging 21.40 euros per year (up 2.4% over one year), allow traditional banks to partly offset the high cost of their branch network.
Online banks remain the cheapest
Unsurprisingly, online banks continue to offer the most attractive rates. BoursoBank, Fortuneo and Hello Bank! form the top three for most of the profiles studied. Hello Bank!, the online bank of BNP Paribas, makes a notable entry into the top 3 for four of the seven profiles analyzed. These online players maintain their low price policy, which constitutes their main commercial argument. As Anna Meylacq points out, “They do not increase their prices, because low prices are their trademark”.
As for traditional banks, Crédit Agricole stands out as the cheapest establishment for executive, senior executive and senior profiles. The study highlights significant differences between the different banks. For example, an executive will pay on average 209 euros per year if he is a Crédit Agricole customer, compared to 282 euros at BNP Paribas, a difference of 35%.
Beyond the rates, the choice of a bank also depends on the range of services offered. Online banks, subsidiaries of large national banking groups, seek to combine the advantages of low prices with a complete range of products and services.
BforBank, for example, plans to expand its offering in 2025 with the launch of life insurance and a new high-end banking package. Likewise, neobanks like Revolut and N26 are expanding their range of services, with Revolut even announcing its intention to offer real estate loans in France in 2025.
Messy closures
Although online banks are experiencing dazzling success, not all of them manage to find the right recipe. The year 2024 was marked by the closure of several players in the online banking sector. Orange Bank has ended its activities, while Ma French Bank, a subsidiary of La Banque Postale, is in the process of being closed until mid-2025. These movements are part of a trend towards market concentration, already observed with the closure of ING in 2022.
This consolidation benefits major players in the sector. BoursoBank reached the milestone of 7 million customers in November, while Fortuneo reached 1.3 million customers in the first half of 2024. Nickel, the unconditional account distributed by tobacconists, is approaching 4 million customers.
