Argentine Banks

There are 9 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 214 times. The latest Post (September 25, 2026 at 1:25 PM) was by serafina.

    I have an account with ICBC which I got for free from my former university but I find it extremely painful to bank online or via their app. They have just updated their website and it no longer looks like a videogame from the '90s, at last. However, the kind of security measures makes it extremely complicate to use. If it is small amounts (under 100,000 ARS), no problem. But if it is anything north of that, it keeps throwing security checks, among which showing your face to compare your features with those of RenaPer.

    Another check they may run is to use an OTP generated by yet another app of theirs, where you have to login using a 6-digit PIN (no, facial recognition/FaceID doesn't work). Ince you are shown the OTP, you cannot copy-paste it. You actually have to type it.

    Another off feature is that you cannot take a screenshot of their banking app. You try to do it and it turns a red background saying screenshooting is prevented due to safety measures. Which is a pain when you just have to send a payment receipt via whatsapp or email. It forces you to download the receipt as a PDF, which is cumbersome on my mobile as I then have to retrieve the file on my phone manually.

    Today, I was trying to send 150,000 ARS via the ICBC Homebanking. I tried online, and I was asked to read a QR phone using my mobile for verification purposes "we want to check it is really you who wants to send 150,000 to Jane Doe", it reads. The QR then prompted me to show my face against a plain background - which I did - but I failed the verification. I thought it was because of the artificial light, so I tried again in natural light. It failed again, and now they have blocked my account for too many failed access attempt.

    To unblock it, I have to go to an ATM and generate a new security code or I can do it via their mobile app... which isn't loading today.

    Having to go to a bank for a 100 USD transfer in 2026 seems a thing of the past to me. Clearly, there is no sense of business and value of time in this country. I am also afraid that if I go before opening hours (10 am), the ATM won't be working, anyway. So, I am stuck with one more errand to run after 10 am. I already have a busy morning for my medical tests for the DL, so this is an unwelcome nuisance.

    I wonder if you are all experiencing the same issues with your local banks. I was keeping ICBC because I have a free account - I refuse to pay for a bank account that holds, at most 200 USD. However, every now and then I have to go through the hurdle to complete even the simplest transactions and it is starting to get on my nerves.

    Your experiences are much appreciated.

    I have two - Banco Ciudad because my wife banks there and yes, face recognition to set it up. I haven't had any problems with it apart from recently when I needed to change my password but couldn't get past the security questions. I can still use the app though because I use fingerprint. I may have to go to the bank to sort out the password issue.

    Also Banco Provincia (Cuenta DNI) only because of the offers and discounts and again, always using the app. Not my favourite bank because the staff are so miserable from my experiences banking cheques on behalf of my main client. But, if I don't have to go there very often, I'll carry on using it. Debit cards with both banks and I also have MercadoPago which is the best and easiest to use, currently paying around 19% interest PA on balances.

    I see many offers for these two banks and I have been tempted. We have a Banco Nación branch two blocks away but it is also very crowded. Cuenta DNI is the free one, correct?

    All my bank cards/accounts bar one are additional to those the wife has. The only time I use one is when online shopping through the supermarket website. I never use their moble apps.

    My only separate account is the dollar account I have with the BBVA as I had to open it for my UK pension to be paid into. There's no extra charges for having it nor for making withdrawals.

    Quote from UK Man

    All my bank cards/accounts bar one are additional to those the wife has.

    I used to have a card attached to my husband's account with Galicia. It had some limitations, for example I couldn't make cash withdrawal and I could only make small payments (like 200 USD top). It also didn't give me access to home banking because the account is in his name. It expired in July but when we called to renew it, they said it was not possible and that if I wanted a card I should be made co-holder.

    Quote from serafina

    I used to have a card attached to my husband's account with Galicia. It had some limitations, for example I couldn't make cash withdrawal and I could only make small payments (like 200 USD top). It also didn't give me access to home banking because the account is in his name. It expired in July but when we called to renew it, they said it was not possible and that if I wanted a card I should be made co-holder.

    The only additional one I use is a credit card not a deposit account.

    Quote from serafina

    If it is small amounts (under 100,000 ARS), no problem. But if it is anything north of that, it keeps throwing security checks, among which showing your face to compare your features with those of RenaPer.

    I appreciate most extra security on the phone bank apps. My BNA app prompts me for id authentication when I login. Occasionally asking for that Face ID, but never later when attempting a transaction.

    Quote from serafina

    Another check they may run is to use an OTP generated by yet another app of theirs, where you have to login using a 6-digit PIN (no, facial recognition/FaceID doesn't work). Ince you are shown the OTP, you cannot copy-paste it. You actually have to type it.

    OTP as a second factor, or the first-factor login method? For a second factor login step I preferred that as a security check. If it is the only login step I feel it is very weak and poor security practices for a bank. I hate that some banks and other services in Argentina do not allow paste of my very long 30+ character passwords, but would not care about 6-8 digit codes.

    Quote from serafina

    Having to go to a bank for a 100 USD transfer in 2026 seems a thing of the past to me. Clearly, there is no sense of business and value of time in this country. I am also afraid that if I go before opening hours (10 am), the ATM won't be working, anyway. So, I am stuck with one more errand to run after 10 am. I already have a busy morning for my medical tests for the DL, so this is an unwelcome nuisance.

    That is surprising. I often transfer and have never been blocked to the point that I must verify at the bank ATM.
    BNA USD and ARS peso savings accounts have been free without any monthly maintenance changes since I signed up in 2024

    One option is a BruBank acccount. Free bank accounts with real atm debit card. There are no branches, so they can never force you to go there. That was my first bank account in Argentina. In the days when I did not want to deal with Argentina banking bureaucracy. UALA is the other one like that. Both fully licensed digital banks, that are not set with the limitations of virtual wallets.

    Quote from aficionado

    I appreciate most extra security on the phone bank apps. My BNA app prompts me for id authentication when I login. Occasionally asking for that Face ID, but never later when attempting a transaction.

    Yes, my US bank apps work like that. There is always a form of bio-verification, either via facial recognition or fingerprint - this is when I login to the app, every single time. Once I am logged in, usually there is no further verification unless you are trying to wire large amount to a third party in a foreign country. In this case, the Fraud Prevention Department will try to confirm with you that you are actually trying to send that money. A few years ago, I was trying to transfer 10k USD to my uncle when I visited him in the UAE for a month, and the Fraud Prevention Department was very thorough in making sure I was absolutely certain that 1) knew the recipient 2) had confirmed by videocall with the recipient that it was really his account. It seemed very attentive and I thanked them for their due diligence.

    Also, one thing I love about US banks is that they operate on a certain level of trust. If I make a mobile deposit of a check, the funds are immediately available. This would never happen with an Argentine bank (let alone the mobile deposit). I don't need the funds immediately, anyway, but it never stops to surprise me how much trust the bank is giving to their customers by doing so.

    Quote

    OTP as a second factor, or the first-factor login method? For a second factor login step I preferred that as a security check. If it is the only login step I feel it is very weak and poor security practices for a bank. I hate that some banks and other services in Argentina do not allow paste of my very long 30+ character passwords, but would not care about 6-8 digit codes.


    As a second factor to make a transfer. But unlike other OTPs apps I have on my mobile, it won't accept facial recognition and even the OTP-generating app is password protected (a sequence of 6 numbers), which is yet another thing to memorize. Also the ICBC homebanking doesn't save my credentials and doesn't allow to login using FaceID or Touch ID.