Deposit accounts are low-risk investment tools, designed to grow your capital without exposing yourself to market fluctuations.
Unlike the current account, which is used mainly for daily operations, these products have a more specific objective which is to enhance the capital over time. In exchange for the money, in fact, the credit institution recognizes a higher interest rate than that of the traditional current account.
So what are the best deposit accounts to choose in May 2026, those that offer a yield of up to 4%?
Best deposit accounts of May 2026
There are two types of deposit accounts: there are in fact free and restricted ones.
The former, as can be seen from the name, give the possibility of withdrawing the money deposited at any time without having to pay penalties. It is therefore a more flexible solution because the savings are always available. The credit institution, however, not having the certainty of being able to have those long-term funds, offers lower interest rates.
Fixed deposit accounts, on the other hand, require that you undertake not to withdraw a certain sum for a set period of time which can vary from 3 months up to 60 months or more. Thanks to this promise, the bank gives the customer an interest rate which is usually higher than the free version.
Among the best deposit accounts in May 2026 there are:
- Ing deposit account;
- Cherry Bank savings account;
- Ibl bank deposit account;
- System bank deposit account;
- deposit account Yes.
Eng. bank deposit account
You can get 4% gross per year on the Arancio account of Banca Ing for 12 months up to a maximum deposit of 50,000 euros if:
- the Arancio current account of Banca Ing is opened by 23 May 2026 and at the same time the deposit account is also activated with a first transfer by 30 June 2026;
- you credit your salary or pension to your Orange current account or you receive a transfer of at least 1,000 euros by 31 August 2026 and keep it for the entire promotional period.
The recognition of the promotional rate is obtained after the bank verifies that all the conditions of the initiative have been respected. These checks require technical time so the promotional yield may not be immediately visible on the account.
Here is an example of performance:
if you want to invest 30,000 euros in the Arancio Ing account, from the calculator made available by the bank, it can be seen that after 12 months you will obtain 30,200 euros. However, stamp duty is not considered in the calculation.
Cherry Bank savings account
Among the best deposit accounts of May 2026 there is also that of Cherry Bank which offers three different solutions.
There is the Cherry Box which guarantees maximum freedom of release at any time without any penalty. However, the interest rate received is 0.25%.
The Recall formula, however, gives the possibility of releasing the savings even partially with 32 days’ notice. This account type offers a gross annual interest rate of 1.75% with the ability to add money whenever you want.
Finally, you can choose the Cherry restricted account which offers the following gross interest rates:
- 3.25% after 6-12 months;
- 2.20% after 18-24 months;
- 3.25% after 36 months;
- 3.50% after 48-60 months.
The early release of the latter account is not foreseen and the minimum amount that can be deposited is 3,000 euros.
Here is an example calculation:
if you want to invest 30,000 euros in Cherry deposit accounts, from the calculator made available by the bank, it can be seen that with the Cherry Box you obtain a net return of 30,277.5 euros, with the Recall of 31,942.5 euros and with the restricted one of 33,885 euros. However, stamp duty is not considered in the calculation.
Ibl bank deposit account
Until June 30, 2026, unless the offer is closed early, with the Ibl Banca Time Deposit of up to 1 million euros, you can obtain the following gross annual interest rate:
- 1.80% for 3 months with payment of interest upon expiry of the bond;
- 2.50% for 6 months with interest paid on maturity or quarterly;
- 2.80% for 12 months with interest paid on maturity or quarterly;
- 2.95% for 18 months with interest paid on maturity or quarterly;
- 3.05% for 24 months with interest paid on maturity or quarterly;
- 3.25% for 36 months with interest paid on maturity or quarterly;
- 3.50% for 48 months with quarterly interest payment.
The free formula that gives the possibility of releasing the money at any time offers the following gross returns:
- 2.10% for 6 months with interest paid upon expiry of the bond;
- 2.40% for 12 months with interest paid on maturity;
- 2.65% for 24 months with interest paid on maturity.
Furthermore, only in the branch is there a promotion on the 6-month deposit which offers a gross return of 3% even in the event of a release.
Here is an example of performance:
if you want to invest 30,000 euros in the restricted Ibl bank account, after 48 months, as can be seen from the calculator made available by the credit institution, you will obtain 3,108 euros in net interest. If, however, you choose the repayable formula, after 24 months you will obtain net interest of 1,177 euros. However, stamp duty is not considered.
System bank deposit account
The Sistema bank deposit account also offers a good return. The minimum amount to open it is 500 euros and you can choose whether to sign one or more bonds for maturities from 3 to 120 months.
The gross annual interest rates are as follows:
- 2.20% after 3 months;
- 2.25% after 6 months;
- 2.40% after 9 months;
- 2.70% after 12 months;
- 2.75% after 18 months;
- 2.80% after 24 months;
- 2.85% after 30 months;
- 2.90% after 36 months;
- 2.90% after 42 months;
- 2.90% after 48 months;
- 2.95% after 54 months;
- 3% after 60 months;
- 3.50% after 120 months.
Here is an example of performance:
if you invest 30,000 euros in the deposit account indicated above, from the calculator made available by the bank, it can be seen that at the end of 120 months you will obtain 7,770.00 euros in net interest. However, stamp duty is not considered in the calculation.
Deposit account Yes
Like the others, the Yes deposit account can also be managed entirely online without any opening or management costs.
It offers the following gross annual interest rate:
- 2.50% after 6 months;
- 2.75% after 12 months;
- 2.85% after 18 months;
- 2.95% after 24 months;
- 3% after 36-48 and 60 months.
Here is an example of performance:
if you want to deposit 30,000 euros in this account, from the calculator made available by the bank, it emerges that at the end of 60 months you will obtain 3,328.18 euros. However, stamp duty is not considered in the calculation.
