ING wants to improve its relationship with religious institutions, such as mosques, churches, and other faith communities. Many of these organizations found the bank’s questions difficult or unclear. That is why ING has been taking steps to change this since 2025.

Why was improvement necessary?

Religious institutions operate differently from ordinary businesses.
For example:

• They sometimes receive cash;
• They receive and send money abroad;
• They mainly work with volunteers and have few paid employees.

As a result, answering questions from the bank often took a lot of time. Sometimes bank accounts were even blocked. ING wants to prevent this.

What has ING done?
Two special teams:

KYC Desk Religious Institutions
KYC stands for “Know Your Customer.” Banks are legally required to know who their customers are and where their money comes from. This is to prevent money laundering. That is why they ask questions when opening and using a bank account.
This team ensures that the questions are clearer and better suited to religious institutions.

Religious Institutions Desk
This team assists religious organizations that are already customers. For example, when notifying them of a new board.
Is a church a religious community? Then it will automatically be referred to this helpdesk.
Is a church a foundation? Then the church itself must request assistance from the helpdesk for religious institutions.
There are 18 employees working at this helpdesk. They have received training on how religious institutions work, for example on donations during important religious periods.

Practical tips:

• Notify the bank in good time of any special collections or campaigns (e.g. around public holidays). You can do this via your account manager.
• ING uses information from a church’s website when assessing transactions. Social media is not used.
• Letters usually specify a response period of two weeks. If this is not possible, call to agree on a different period. This will prevent reminder letters.
• Since November 2025, ING has been calling customers who do not respond within two weeks. This allows them to check whether a letter has been sent to the correct address.
• If questions about a transaction are received for the third time, an internal check must first be carried out by the KYC department.
• Does a church not have its own Chamber of Commerce number? Do not enter the number of an umbrella organization. Leave the field blank to avoid confusion.
• Are you transferring money abroad, especially to countries where additional supervision applies? If so, contact the bank in advance.

Better communication

In January 2026, four ING employees came to Utrecht to talk to four people from SKIN. SKIN explained the problems people encounter. ING mainly came to listen and wants to improve its working methods. The bank also indicated that it must always comply with legal regulations.

In May 2025, ING issued an open letter of apology. It outlined the actions the bank is taking to combat discrimination. These actions are aimed at improving communication, clarifying processes, and continuing to listen to customers. ING has promised to be open about its progress.