Belgian authorities are increasingly accessing information on the central bank's register of bank accounts, which in recent years is being used more widely to track tax fraud, detect money laundering, terrorist financing, and other forms of serious crime.
A report by L'Echo shows that the register managed by the National Bank of Belgium was accessed 135,330 times in the first six months of 2024 – 11% more than during the same period last year. This was mainly driven by the tax and judicial authorities.
The register contains the bank account numbers and financial contracts of every Belgian. Since 2022 it has also included account balances.
Originally only tax authorities were able to consult the register but access has been widened to other state bodies since 2020. This includes the Ministry (FPS) of Justice and notaries (people authorised to perform certain legal formalities like witness signing of contracts and handling succession matters after a person's death).
In particular, the Justice Ministry consulted the register 22,144 times in the first six months of the year – up 42% on the same period in 2023. A spokeswoman for the department explained that these were queries from the police, court orders, or questions asked directly by the judiciary in the context of company courts, receivership, or examining magistrates.
The tax authorities consulted the database the most during the first half of 2024. The Ministry of Finance consulted the register 53,181 times – up 11%. A spokesman explained that this is primarily to recover tax arrears.
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Notaries also frequently consultant the register: 52,621 times in the first half of the year, though this was 1% less than in the same period last year. Notaries can only consult the register in the event of a death, as part of the declaration of inheritance.
The National Institute for Sickness and Disability Insurance (L'Inami) will also soon be able to consult the register under certain conditions, L'Echo noted. This will especially be for verifying the identity of an account holder who is paying their health insurance contribution through a third-party payment system.
