Belfius Bank Hit by Major Technical Outage Affecting App, Website, and Payments
Belfius Bank is experiencing a major technical outage that has disrupted its mobile app, website, and in-store card payments across Belgium. Customers have reported being unable to log in to their accounts, make transactions, or access customer service since the outage began on the morning of August 12, 2026.
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the outage has affected customers nationwide, with reports coming in from cities including Antwerp, Brussels, Genk, Kuurne, Lebbeke, De Pinte, Moerbeke-Waas, Aarschot, and Harelbeke. The bank has acknowledged the issue, with a spokesperson stating: “We zijn het probleem aan het onderzoeken” (We are investigating the problem).
Scope of the Disruption
The outage extends well beyond digital banking. Customers have reported that:
- Card payments in physical stores are being declined for many customers
- ATM withdrawals are failing, with machines displaying error messages
- Apple Pay is not working for some users
- Customer service phone lines and physical bank branches are reportedly unreachable
Belfius has acknowledged the situation on its official website, posting a notice stating: “We ondervinden momenteel technische problemen op onze digitale kanalen” (We are currently experiencing technical problems on our digital channels). The bank added that everything is being done to restore the situation as quickly as possible and apologized for any inconvenience.
Customer Reports and Error Messages
Users have reported a variety of error messages while attempting to access their accounts. The Belfius Mobile app is displaying “Internal error occurred with reason: ‘-5 Undefined’ (GEN-1206-100008)” for many customers, while website login attempts show “Door een technische storing is deze functie tijdelijk onbeschikbaar. Probeer het later opnieuw” (Due to a technical outage, this function is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later).
Outage tracking site Storingvandaag.be has classified the incident as a “Grote storing” (Major outage), with reports continuing to come in every few minutes. Customer testimonials on the site highlight the frustration:
- “Banking app werkt niet. Niet mogelijk om Saldo’s en zo te raadplegen. Betalen lukte ook niet” (Banking app doesn’t work. Not possible to check balances. Payments also failed) — Lieven Struyve
- “Al meer dan een uur storing, geen idee hoe lang het gaat duren” (Already more than an hour of outage, no idea how long it will last) — Luc Verschueren
- “App Belfius werkt niet, internetbankieren ook niet. Ook klantenservice nummer niet bereikbaar” (Belfius app doesn’t work, internet banking neither. Customer service number also unreachable) — Christiane De Veirman
A Recurring Problem
This is not the first time Belfius customers have faced significant service disruptions. Historical data from Storing24.be shows a pattern of intermittent issues with the Belfius app, including problems with login, transfers, and app crashes. Reports on the platform document recurring difficulties, with some users describing outages lasting multiple days.
One customer’s comment on Storingvandaag.be captures the growing frustration: “Blijkbaar dikwijls storing bij Belfius” (Apparently frequent outages at Belfius), suggesting that reliability concerns are becoming a recurring theme for the bank.
Context: A Bank in Transition
Belfius Bank and Insurance, formerly known as Dexia Bank Belgium until March 2012, is a Belgian state-owned bank that emerged from the dismantling of the Dexia group. According to Wikipedia, the bank was purchased by the Belgian government in October 2011 for €4 billion and is designated as a Significant Institution under European Banking Supervision, directly supervised by the European Central Bank.
The outage comes at a particularly sensitive time for the bank. In December 2025, the Belgian government approved the partial privatization of Belfius, with a 20% stake sale planned for Fall 2026. The bank also recently expanded its operations, acquiring French insurer Leocare in June 2026.
What to Watch For
As of late morning on August 12, the outage was still ongoing, with no estimated time for restoration announced by the bank. Customers are advised to monitor Belfius’s official channels for updates.
The incident raises questions about the resilience of the bank’s digital infrastructure, particularly as it prepares for privatization and continues to expand its operations. For the thousands of affected customers across Belgium, the immediate priority remains restoring access to their accounts and payment services.
Belfius has stated that all efforts are being made to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, but until services are fully restored, many Belgians will remain unable to access their finances through the bank’s digital channels.