The recent blackout of Intesa Sanpaolo’s digital services has highlighted an increasingly worrying reality: our dependence on digital banking services could turn into a serious problem for managing our savings.
On November 11, 2024, thousands of Intesa Sanpaolo customers found themselves unable to access their current accounts through the app and home banking. A disruption that generated over 7,000 reports on Downdetector, effectively paralyzing the banking operations of numerous account holders.
The problem was not limited to simple access impossibility: many users reported the failure to display recent transactions, including salary and pension credits. Although the bank subsequently confirmed that all credits were regularly processed, the episode raises serious concerns about the fragility of digital banking systems.
The situation is particularly alarming considering this is not an isolated case. The institution had already experienced a similar disruption on October 31, highlighting a worrying recurrence of technical problems. Even more disturbing is the recent revelation regarding data security: the Privacy Authority had to require the bank to notify a breach that involved 7,000 unauthorized accesses to the accounts of 3,500 customers between February 2022 and April 2024.
Consumer associations have taken a firm stance. Assoutenti requested the opening of a discussion table, while Consumerismo No Profit defined the disruption as “serious,” emphasizing how Intesa Sanpaolo is transforming “from a banking sector leader to a champion of service disruptions.”
The impact of these problems is particularly significant considering that Intesa Sanpaolo Mobile has over 12 million multichannel customers, with almost two billion annual logins. Numbers that highlight how banking digitization, despite its undeniable advantages, can become a point of vulnerability for citizens’ savings.
The bank has assured it works 24/7 to ensure system stability, but these recurring episodes raise questions about the real reliability of digital banking infrastructures. In an era where digitization is presented as the optimal solution for money management, events like this remind us how important it is to maintain a critical and conscious approach towards financial technology.
For account holders who might encounter similar problems, the toll-free number 800 303 303 remains available to contact customer service. However, the real challenge for the future will be finding a balance between digital innovation and savings security, ensuring that the convenience of online banking doesn’t turn into a risk for our bank accounts.