German citizens’ online banking habits reach a new high, with 86 per cent of the population now using online banking, according to a recent survey by the IT industry association Bitkom.
The significant increase in online banking adoption is largely attributed to the growing number of seniors taking to the digital platform. In the age group of 65 to 74, a remarkable 83 per cent of individuals now use online banking, up from 77 per cent last year and 61 per cent in 2023. Even in the age group above 75, the adoption rate has increased to 43 per cent, from 26 per cent in 2024 and 22 per cent in 2023.
The trend is likely to continue, with a quarter of over-65-year-olds who do not currently use online banking planning to do so in the next 12 months and nine per cent of this age group open to the idea. In contrast, the younger age groups of 16 to 29 and 30 to 49 years old already have a near-universal adoption rate of 95 per cent, while those in the 50 to 64 age group have an adoption rate of 92 per cent.
Moreover, the survey found that the trend of abandoning physical branch visits in favour of online banking is also on the rise. Among online banking users, 44 per cent no longer visit a physical branch, up from 42 per cent last year, while 41 per cent still visit a branch occasionally and 14 per cent predominantly use the physical branch but occasionally use online banking.
The survey, conducted by Bitkom Research, polled 1,003 individuals in Germany aged 16 and above, between the 13th and 16th calendar weeks of 2025.