Fio Banka
 | |
| Formerly | Fio, burzovní společnost, a.s. |
|---|---|
| Type | Joint-stock company |
| Industry | Financial services |
| Founded | August 31, 1994[1] |
| Headquarters | , Czech Republic |
Area served |
|
| Key people | Jan Sochor (CEO and chairman of the board) |
| Services |
|
| Revenue | 9,135,491,000 Czech koruna (2023)  |
| CZK 6.5 billion[1] (2025) | |
| Total assets | CZK 345 billion[1] (2025) |
Number of employees | 118 (2023) |
| Parent | Fio holding, a.s. |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | www |
Fio banka is a Czech bank based in Prague. It offers banking and investment services in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Fio started in 1993 as a securities-trading business. The company that became Fio banka was incorporated the following year and received a banking licence from the Czech National Bank in 2010.[2][1]
The bank is owned by Fio holding. Petr Marsa and Romuald Kopún each own half of the holding company.[3][1] Fio had around 1.6 million clients and CZK 345 billion in assets at the end of 2025.[1]
History
[edit]Origins and securities trading
[edit]Fio started in 1993, when a group of students and graduates associated with the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University began trading securities on RM-SYSTÉM.[2] Fio, burzovní společnost, a.s. was incorporated on 31 August 1994 as a securities broker. It joined the Prague Stock Exchange in 1995.[1]
A separate credit union, Fio, družstevní záložna, was established in 1996. The brokerage and credit union remained separate until Fio became a bank.[2] Internet banking was introduced in April 1998.[4]
Acquisition of RM-SYSTÉM
[edit]In September 2006, the owners of Fio acquired RM-SYSTÉM, a Czech securities market, from J&T. The deal placed RM-SYSTÉM and Fio's brokerage business under common ownership.[5]
RM-SYSTÉM also had a nationwide network of offices, which Fio began using for its banking services. In early 2007, Fio said it would offer banking services at more than 50 locations in the network.[6] RM-SYSTÉM later became a regulated stock exchange and is a subsidiary of Fio banka.[1]
Transformation into a bank
[edit]Fio applied for a banking licence in June 2008. At the time, its banking and investment activities were divided between the credit union and the securities broker.[7]
The Czech National Bank granted the licence on 5 May 2010.[1] Fio then had almost 26,000 credit-union members and around 34,000 brokerage clients.[8] On 1 September, the credit union's business was transferred to Fio banka, which began operating as a retail bank.[9]
Slovakia
[edit]Fio was already active in Slovakia through its investment business when it became a bank in 2010. It then opened a Slovak branch and added banking services.[10] By September that year, it had three branches in the country.[11] Further branches followed, along with mortgages and other retail banking products.[12]
Operations
[edit]Fio banka offers current and savings accounts, loans, mortgages and payment services. It also operates a securities-brokerage business with access to Czech and foreign markets.[1]
The bank owns RM-SYSTÉM, a Czech stock exchange used by retail investors.[1] In 2025, trading by individual investors through Fio reached CZK 238 billion.[1]
Regulatory matters
[edit]In October 2024, the Czech National Bank fined Fio banka CZK 9.5 million for shortcomings in its controls against money laundering and in compliance with international sanctions. The violations identified by the regulator occurred between 2019 and 2022. They included problems with customer risk assessments, internal controls and checks involving sanctioned persons.[13][14]
Fio said it had addressed the problems identified by the regulator.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Výroční zpráva 2025 (PDF) (Report) (in Czech). Fio banka. 30 April 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Hovorka, Jiří (10 June 2020). "Od nápadu „matfyzáků" k páté největší bance. Projděte si příběh Fio banky". Peníze.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ Zatloukal, Jiří (21 September 2025). "Majitelé Fio banky si vyplatili rekordní dividendu, každý 1,5 miliardy". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Odkud kam míří český internetbanking". Peníze.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Společnost Fio koupila mimoburzovní RM-Systém". Hospodářské noviny (in Czech). 6 September 2006. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ Mašek, Jaroslav (13 January 2007). "Fio útočí na banky, otevře přes padesát poboček". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ Fialová, Běla (9 July 2008). "Fio se mění na jedinou českou banku a má co nabídnout". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Skupina Fio získala licenci od ČNB a stává se bankou". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 6 May 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ Skalková, Olga (27 August 2010). "Fio banka spustí služby pro běžné klienty". Hospodářské noviny (in Czech). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Fio banka začne u nás už tento rok". Hospodárske noviny (in Slovak). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Fio banka začala ponúkať bežné bankové služby". Hospodárske noviny (in Slovak). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Fio banka expanduje na Slovensku. Chystá nové pobočky, aj hypotéky". Hospodárske noviny (in Slovak). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ Kučera, Petr (5 November 2024). "Fio banka dostala pokutu od ČNB, špatně hlídala praní špinavých peněz". Peníze.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- 1 2 Novák, Daniel (5 November 2024). "ČNB rozdávala pokuty za porušení pravidel proti praní špinavých peněz". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 29 September 2026.