- Enforcing jurisdiction
- Germany · Geography does not establish applicable law.
- Confirmed applicable legislation
- No confirmed legal basis recorded.
- Privacy topics
N26 – €50,000 Fine (Germany, 2019)
Privacy enforcement record
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N26 bank was fined for keeping personal data of former customers without their consent. This is important because it shows that companies must have a valid reason to hold onto personal data. The ruling reminds banks to be careful about how they manage customer information.
What happened
N26 processed personal data of former customers without permission to maintain a blacklist.
Who was affected
Former customers of N26 bank were affected by the unauthorized data processing.
What the authority found
The authority ruled that N26 lacked a valid legal basis for processing the personal data of former customers, violating data protection rules.
Why this matters
This case sets a precedent that banks must justify their data retention practices. Other financial institutions should review their policies to ensure they comply with data protection requirements.
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Linked-source text retrieved.
Automated check recorded — 12 March 2026.
Processing notes: articles corrected, national law identified, authority corrected.
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The fine was imposed against against a bank (according to a newspaper N26) that had processed 'personal data of all former customers' without permission.The Bank has acknowledged that it had retained data relating to former customers in order to maintain a blacklist, a kind of warning file, so that it would not make a new account available to these persons. The bank initially justified this by stating that it was obliged under the German Banking Act to take security measures against customers suspected of money laundering. The Berlin supervisory authority judged this to be illegal. The authority argues that in order to prevent a new bank account from being opened, only those affected may be included in a comparison file who are actually suspected of money laundering or for whom there are other valid reasons for refusing a new bank account. The authority told a newspaper that the fine proceedings initiated against the bank had 'not yet been legally concluded'.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for N26 in DE
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Fine Date
1 March 2019
Authority
Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz
Fine Amount
€50,000
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. N26 - Germany (2019). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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