- Europe’s second largest neobank takes its next step towards full US launch
- The filing answers the growing demand for a bank that is global, safe and easy to use
- bunq will focus on digital nomads and global citizens with ties to both Europe and the States
bunq, Europe’s second-largest neobank, has formally filed for a US de novo banking license with the OCC. This marks a major step in its mission to make life easy for the rapidly-growing group of global citizens and digital-native professionals who live and work between the US and Europe.
The challenger has built its offering around digital nomads, a globally-connected community. As digital natives, they expect flexibility and control, and are underserved by current financial systems that restrict both movement and access by design. bunq will bring its proven model of secure digital payments, strong authentication, and industry-leading AI fraud detection to the United States. These protections support users in everyday life and during moments of heightened risk, such as international travel.
Upon approval, bunq will launch its services starting in US metropolitan areas with large expat communities; the places where its users live, work, and move the most. With bunq, users will also be able to quickly build credit scores—a common challenge for newly-arrived expats—by accessing European financial records, in addition to having the option to open both US and European checking accounts if eligible.
“Our users are building their lives across borders, so they need a bank that is safe, secure and easy to use, wherever they are,” said Ali Niknam, founder and CEO of bunq. “We want to give them the freedom to live the way they want, whether they’re heading to America, coming to Europe, or moving between both.”
The filing comes just after FINRA approved the challenger’s broker-dealer license. bunq began the US banking license process in 2023 and subsequently pursued the US broker dealer license to support its entry into the market. With the broker dealer license secured and the full banking application submitted, bunq moves into the next phase of its plan to make its full services available to users in the United States.
Operating across more than 30 European markets, bunq has established itself as the world’s first GenAI-powered bank and the first bank to offer its services in 38 languages. The US license application news comes as bunq continues to build momentum globally, having recently announced surpassing 20 million users, and set its sights on a UK EMI license.
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bunq
Founded in 2012 by serial entrepreneur Ali Niknam, bunq has brought lasting change to the European banking industry. By having its users at the heart of the business and building a product rooted in their wants and needs, bunq quickly scaled to become the second largest neobank in the EU. Serving digital nomads across the European Economic Area, bunq makes life easy for location-independent people and businesses starting from the way they manage money: how they spend, save, budget and invest.
