Beginner’s Guide: How to Open an Account at SKDD

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković reported on Wednesday that 190 million euros of treasury bills have been registered so far, with more than 12,000 citizens participating in the registration. As a reminder, a new round of treasury bill registration began for citizens on Monday, the third in a row, with the Ministry of Finance aiming to achieve a nominal amount of 900 million euros.

According to Hina, the issuance date of the treasury bills is June 6, the minimum registration amount per investor is 1,000 euros, the annual yield for ‘treasury bills’ with a maturity of three months is 3.75 percent, and for those with a one-year maturity, it is 3.65 percent. Treasury bills are purchased at a discount, so the minimum investment amount for a ‘three-month’ treasury bill is 990.74 euros, or 964.88 euros for one maturing in one year. Citizens will receive 1,000 euros upon maturity for one bill, which means that on a three-month treasury bill, they can earn 9.26 euros, and on one maturing in one year, 35.12 euros. The yields on the two maturities are thus identical to those in the issuance of treasury bills in February of this year.

As we have already reported, the registration of treasury bills is enabled through two channels – via 170 branches of Fina and the digital platform e-riznica. For physical registration at Fina, citizens must bring a valid ID card or passport, and one of the details they must have ‘on hand’ is the account number in their commercial bank. For registration via the digital platform, the key data are OIB and IBAN.

Many will encounter the Central Clearing and Depository Company (SKDD) for the first time when registering for treasury bills, an institution through which the clearing and settlement of transactions with securities is conducted. In other words, SKDD keeps records of securities owners, as well as all changes in ownership positions.

Of course, the impetus for this text was the registration of treasury bills, but everyone operating in the capital market encounters SKDD, so for beginners, the frequent question is ‘how to open an account at SKDD if I want to invest in treasury bills?’.

According to SKDD, a basic securities account will be opened in the process of including treasury bills in SKDD services. Therefore, it is not necessary to open a securities account beforehand, and it is worth noting that accounts are opened for investors free of charge.

However, when registering for treasury bills, one should pay attention to the notification about general data, PIN, and newly registered securities, which will be sent to you by registered mail, so it is necessary to collect it.

– Please keep the account designation and PIN data, check the accuracy of the entered data, and activate the free e-Investor service – SKDD stated. Namely, there is only one SKDD PIN for all of an individual’s shares, and if you happen to lose it, you will have to pay 6.64 euros for the issuance of a new one.

This is an ideal situation for anyone who wants to invest to open an account at SKDD for free without intermediaries, which is done for individuals through authorized members of SKDD such as brokerage houses, investment companies, banks, or other financial institutions that are members of SKDD.

Five Steps to Open an Account Through an Authorized Institution

1. Choose an authorized SKDD member listed on their website and request the opening of a securities account.

2. Gather the necessary documentation. You will need personal documents (ID card or passport) and other documents that the institution may require (e.g., OIB, proof of residence).

3. You need to fill out forms such as the account opening contract and other forms.

4. Verification and account opening. After you submit all the necessary documentation and sign the forms, the institution will carry out the necessary checks and open your account at SKDD.

5. After the account is opened, you will receive a notification and information about your securities account.