The improvement of the loss-absorbing capacity of systemically important institutions is a preventive macroprudential tool aimed at limiting contagion that might arise from insolvency or stress situations in general for systemically important institutions. Global systemically important institutions (G-SIIs) are large, internationally active, and highly interconnected institutions capable of affecting the stability of the global financial system. Their list is published annually on the website of the Financial Stability Board (FSB). Other systematically important institutions (O-SIIs) are essential for national economies and national financial systems. There are no G-SIIs in Croatia.
The capital buffer for other systematically important institutions (O-SII buffer) is governed by Article 138 of the Credit Institutions Act. The CNB reviews the list of other systemically important institutions and the prescribed capital buffer rates once a year. The systemic importance of an O-SII credit institution is determined by its size, position in the Croatian and EU banking systems, the size of its cross-border activities and its interconnectedness or the interconnectedness of the banking group the institution belongs to with the rest of the financial system. Currently, seven O-SII credit institutions operate in Croatia, whose capital buffer rates for 2026 are shown in the table below.
Other systemically important credit institutions in the Republic of Croatia
| O-SII credit institution | Buffer rate as of 1 January 2026 (%) | |
| Set | Applicable | |
| Zagrebačka banka d.d., Zagreb | 2.50 | 2.25 |
| Privredna banka Zagreb d.d., Zagreb | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Erste&Steiermärkische Bank d.d., Rijeka | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Raiffeisenbank Austria d.d., Zagreb | 1.50 | 1.50 |
| OTP banka Hrvatska d.d., Split | 1.50 | 1.50 |
| Hrvatska poštanska banka d.d., Zagreb | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Addiko Bank d.d., Zagreb | 0.25 | 0.25 |
Notes: The applicable rate is the rate actually applied by a credit institution taking into account the regulatory limit linked to the rate for the parent O-SII or G-SII in the EU; this rate may not be higher than that maintained by the parent O-SII/G-SII increased by one percentage point, up to a maximum of 3%.
The O-SII buffer is an integral part of the combined capital buffer whose purpose is to strengthen the resilience of credit institutions in the event of systemic risk materialisation; for all credit institutions it includes the capital conservation buffer, the structural systemic risk buffer and the countercyclical capital buffer.