bunq

What bunq does

bunq is a Dutch mobile-first neobank founded in 2012 by Ali Niknam in Amsterdam and operating under a full European banking license issued by the Dutch Central Bank, with deposits protected under the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme. The company serves more than 20 million users across 30+ European markets, offering personal current accounts in four subscription tiers (Free, Core at €3.99, Pro at €9.99, Elite at €18.99) and four business tiers, plus integrated savings, multi-currency IBAN "Pockets," crypto, and investment features. Its core platform is built in-house, exposing 300+ API endpoints that power Banking-as-a-Service relationships with partners including Klarna and Blockrise.

bunq's revenue model combines recurring subscription fees, interchange on card transactions, net interest income on customer assets (€6.9B as of 2023), FX margins, crypto transaction fees, BaaS platform fees, and retailer cashback economics with partners such as Lidl and Kaufland. The company reported a 2024 net profit of €85.3M, up 65% year-over-year, marking its second consecutive year of profitability. AI is operationalized through a multi-LLM stack (Google Gemini, Azure OpenAI, AWS Anthropic) orchestrated by Orq.ai, supporting the in-app assistant Finn, an AI Safety Shield, and deepfake-detection capabilities integrated via its DuckDuckGoose acquisition.

The strategic posture is geographic and regulatory expansion: bunq has launched in Italy with a local IBAN (June 2026), filed for a US OCC de novo banking license (January 2026) and a Mexico CNBV license (May 2026), obtained FINRA broker-dealer approval (October 2025), and is pursuing a UK EMI license. Earlier funding includes a Series A of €193M/$228M from Pollen Street Capital in July 2021 at a €1.6B valuation and a €29M growth round in April 2024, with prior acquisitions of Capitalflow Group (2021) and Tricount (2022).

Name

bunq

Legal name

bunq B.V.

Website

https://bunq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

bunq is a Dutch mobile-first neobank serving 20M+ users across 30+ European markets with multi-currency accounts, savings, crypto, and a 300+ API Banking-as-a-Service platform under a full European banking license.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Banking

NAICS

Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Finance Services (6199), National Commercial Banks (6021), Functions Related To Depository Banking, Nec (6099)

akta.pro primary industry

Core Banking & Ledger Systems (Cloud Core, Deposits, Accounts) (FSAGAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Embedded Deposit Accounts & Digital Wallet Infrastructure (FSAGALAE), Smart Contract Wallets / Account Abstraction (MPC/AA, social recovery, paymasters) (FSAPACAB), Compliance, Risk & RegTech for Tokenized Assets (KYC/AML, sanctions, travel rule, reporting) (FSAPAIAH)

Keywords

• Digital banking
• Neobank services
• Banking-as-a-service
• Mobile payments
• Open banking API

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Plans (Personal and Business): Recurring monthly subscriptions across four personal tiers (bunq Free, bunq Core €3.99/mo, bunq Pro €9.99/mo, bunq Elite €18.99/mo) and four business tiers (bunq Free Business, bunq Core Business, bunq Pro Business €13.99/mo, bunq Elite Business €23.99/mo). 30-day free trial on paid plans.
2. Freemium Tier: bunq Free personal and business tiers generate no direct subscription revenue but serve as acquisition funnel and interchange/cross-sell engine.
3. Interchange and Card Payment Revenue: Revenue from card transactions (debit/credit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android, Metal Card) including interchange fees and card payment refunds/chargeback handling via Mastercard and Adyen processing.
4. Crypto Trading and Staking Fees: Buy/sell crypto and staking (up to 10% annual returns per Ascenda partnership) routed through Kraken; €100M+ traded and 500,000+ trades in first year of offering.
5. Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) Fees: API-based revenue from partners (e.g., Blockrise, Klarna) using bunq's regulated infrastructure for embedded accounts, cards and payments under the European banking license.
6. Interest and Treasury Income on Customer Deposits: Customer deposits protected by Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme; bunq earns net interest income (savings up to 2.11% APY on term deposits, MassInterest on savings pockets, weekly payout).
7. FX and Cross-Border Payments: Foreign-currency accounts, transfers and SEPA payments; ZeroFX on Elite plan; FX routed through Wise for one-time conversions.
8. Cashback and Affiliate Revenue: Cashback partnerships with Lidl, Kaufland, Auchan, Albert Heijn, Booking.com; Rokt-powered cashback offers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

bunq is a mobile-first European neobank offering consumer and business banking accounts across 30+ European markets, delivered through a freemium subscription model (Free, Core, Pro, Elite). The platform combines multi-IBAN current accounts, payment cards, savings and term deposits, joint and child accounts, integrated crypto buy/sell and staking, stocks/ETFs, travel features (eSIM, insurance, ZeroFX), and an AI assistant (Finn). It also exposes a regulated Banking-as-a-Service API (300+ endpoints) that lets third parties embed accounts, cards, and payments under bunq's Dutch banking licence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• tricount: Shared-expense / bill-splitting application integrated with bunq and listed on the bunq site footer as a related property.
• Finn

Products and services

• bunq Personal Banking Mobile-first personal banking offering structured in four tiers (bunq Free, bunq Core €3.99/month, bunq Pro €9.99/month, bunq Elite €18.99/month). Includes multi-IBAN bank pockets, budgeting tools, savings with up to 2.01% interest, Apple Pay/Google Pay, travel insurance, eSIM, and 24/7 multilingual support. Targets individual consumers across Europe.
• bunq Business Banking Business banking counterpart with corresponding tiers (bunq Free Business, bunq Core Business, bunq Pro Business €13.99/month, bunq Elite Business €23.99/month). Adds multi-entity management, Expense Management, Bill Pay, Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android, bunq Deals, and bookkeeping integrations. For freelancers, SMEs, and Dutch Homeowners Associations.
• bunq Crypto In-app crypto buy & sell directly from a bunq account, with transactions protected by two-factor authentication and encryption. Crypto staking with up to 10% annual returns offered through partnership with Kraken. For bunq personal and business users.
• bunq Stocks (Easy Investments) Stocks and ETF trading directly inside the bunq app, powered by broker Ginmon and custodian Upvest. The Easy Investments service uses Gambit's Wealth-as-a-Service technology to offer risk-based sustainable portfolios.
• bunq Savings Account High-interest savings accounts paying up to 2.01% interest. Interest is paid out weekly for compound growth, and Auto Round Up can sweep spare change into the savings account.
• bunq Term Deposits Locked-in guaranteed-rate deposits (e.g., 12-month term with up to 2.11% annual interest). Currently offered to Irish customers.
• bunq Cards (Physical, Digital, Metal) Card product family including a Digital Credit Card usable with Apple Pay/Google Pay from sign-up, a Physical Card with personalized design, and a premium Metal Card. Supports Easy Budgeting via multiple linked bank accounts and Purchase Protection & Extended Warranty on the Metal Card. Features rotating CVC and biometric authentication.
• bunq Joint Accounts Shared accounts for couples and parents, including a Child Account feature where parents retain visibility and real-time alerts. bunq Pro is free for children on a parent's plan.
• bunq Travel (Insurance + eSIM) Travel-focused bundle: included worldwide travel insurance with a 24/7 SOS hotline, bundled eSIM with up to 8GB of free global data per year on bunq Elite, ZeroFX fee-free foreign currency spending, and sign-up-from-home for travelers.
• bunq Tap to Pay SoftPOS offering for bunq Business users to accept in-person card payments directly on a compatible iPhone (Tap to Pay on iPhone) or Android device (Tap to Pay on Android), without additional hardware.
• bunq Expense Management Business expense and company card management feature, with employee card data handling and reporting, AutoAccept for incoming payments, AutoExport to accounting tools, and AutoVAT for VAT-related automation.
• bunq Bill Pay Business payment and bill management feature, including Tap to Pay for Employees and invoice scanning using AI-powered OCR (Google Cloud Vision).
• bunq Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) Public API (300+ operations) with PSD2 AISP/PISP/CBPII access providing Cards-as-a-Service, Payments-as-a-Service, Bank-Accounts-as-a-Service, and KYC-as-a-Service. Allows partners to embed accounts, cards and payments under bunq's European banking licence. Blockrise is bunq's first live BaaS customer; Klarna uses bunq's PSD2 APIs for pay-by-bank.
• Tricount (bill splitting) Shared-expense and bill-splitting service integrated with bunq; users can split payments and settle group expenses. Acquired by bunq in May 2022.

Quantifiable outcome

• €100M+ crypto trading volume and 500,000+ crypto trades in first year of offering
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration23 records

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship — bunq's first live baas partner, flagship — strategic payments and open-banking partner, core — crypto services partner, core — premium loyalty and acquisition partner, flagship acquisition — extends bunq into sme lending, core — kyc identity verification vendor, core — fx infrastructure provider, core — payment processor, core — card top-up processor, core — stocks broker, core — stocks custodian, flagship — primary cloud and ai infrastructure, core — ai infrastructure, core — ai and cloud infrastructure, core — marketing attribution vendor, minor — ad targeting partner, core — identity verification, core — biometric kyc vendor, core — fraud and risk vendor, core — credit decisioning platform, core — product analytics, core — analytics and bi, core — communications platform, core — location/fraud vendor, minor — cash deposit/withdrawal agent and flagship — flagship baas/api customer.

• Blockriseflagship — bunq's first live baas partnerOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 29 April 2026Netherlands-based Bitcoin platform using bunq's Banking-as-a-Service to offer embedded bank accounts with fiat deposit protection up to €100,000 under the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme. Blockrise clients can open accounts instantly and manage fiat alongside Bitcoin.
• Mastercardflagship — strategic payments and open-banking partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 January 2026Partnered with bunq to deliver AI-powered open banking features to bunq's 12.5M users via Finn. Enables viewing of spending insights from all bank accounts directly in the bunq app — making bunq the first bank in Europe to leverage AI in open banking. Initially live in the Netherlands, France and Germany.
• Krakencore — crypto services partnerTechnology or Integration · 26 October 2025Provides crypto services via the bunq app; headquartered at 237 Kearny Street, San Francisco. Offers crypto staking in the EU with up to 10% annual returns. Kraken is data controller for wallet data; bunq is controller for user identification.
• Ascendacore — premium loyalty and acquisition partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 October 2025Loyalty company powering bunq's premium rewards programme across Germany, France, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands. Enables bunq users to earn and use points for airline miles and supports bunq's US expansion and crypto services growth.
• Capitalflow Groupflagship acquisition — extends bunq into sme lendingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2021Acquired by bunq for around €141M (pending regulatory approval at announcement). Capitalflow is an Irish business lender targeting plans to expand its loan book to €1B / €1.2B within three years, serving Irish SMEs and property investors.
• Onfido Limitedcore — kyc identity verification vendorTechnology or IntegrationThird-party supplier (Finsbury Avenue 3, EC2M 2PA London, UK) used by bunq to verify identification documents and customer identity.
• Wisecore — fx infrastructure providerTechnology or IntegrationEnables one-time FX transactions inside the bunq app without opening a local currency account. Wise is based at 56 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JJ London.
• Adyencore — payment processorTechnology or IntegrationPayment Service Provider that processes bunq user payment transactions (Simon Carmiggeltstraat 6-50, Amsterdam).
• Checkout.comcore — card top-up processorTechnology or IntegrationLondon-based payment processor that enables bunq account top-ups using debit and credit cards.
• Ginmoncore — stocks brokerTechnology or IntegrationBroker partner for bunq's Stocks product, enabling investment in stocks and ETFs via the bunq app.
• Upvestcore — stocks custodianTechnology or IntegrationCustodian partner for bunq's Stocks and ETF products.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)flagship — primary cloud and ai infrastructureTechnology or Integrationbunq stores the majority of its operational data within AWS cloud (Frankfurt region). Also uses AWS Anthropic AI models for document review, transaction monitoring, onboarding, customer support, and the Finn AI assistant.
• Microsoft Azure (OpenAI)core — ai infrastructureTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Azure OpenAI services used by bunq for document review, transaction monitoring, onboarding, customer support, and the Finn AI assistant.
• Google LLC (Gemini / Cloud Translation / Vision / Places)core — ai and cloud infrastructureTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Gemini used for document review, transaction monitoring, onboarding, customer support and the Finn AI assistant; Cloud Translation and Vision APIs used for in-app translation, OCR/invoice scanning, and address verification; Google Places API used for card delivery address verification.
• Adjust GmbHcore — marketing attribution vendorGTM or Marketing PartnerBerlin-based analytics partner used to analyse bunq service usage and measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
• Snap Inc.minor — ad targeting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored advertising partner for Snapchat; bunq shares SHA-256 hashed email/phone for ad-targeting matching.
• TeleSigncore — identity verificationTechnology or IntegrationMarina del Rey, CA-based identity verification vendor used by bunq during onboarding.
• Incodecore — biometric kyc vendorTechnology or IntegrationSan Francisco-based vendor processing biometric information for customer identification under Anti-Money Laundering law. Also uses Incode agents for user review at onboarding.
• Sardinecore — fraud and risk vendorTechnology or IntegrationMiami-based fraud-prevention and money-laundering counterparty. Uses behavioural data plus device signals (battery, storage, MAC address, SIM) to detect VPN/location spoofing.
• Algoancore — credit decisioning platformTechnology or IntegrationParis-based credit decisioning platform used by bunq to determine customer eligibility for credit lines.
• Taktilecore — credit decisioning platformTechnology or IntegrationBerlin-based credit decisioning platform used to determine credit eligibility and pull data from credit bureaus.
• Amplitude Inc.core — product analyticsTechnology or IntegrationSan Francisco-based analytics platform used to combine and analyse personal data from bunq websites, products and services for marketing campaigns.
• Looker Data Sciences Inc.core — analytics and biTechnology or IntegrationMountain View-based analytics platform used to combine and analyse personal data for marketing campaigns.
• Birdcore — communications platformTechnology or IntegrationDirect communications platform used by bunq (and Tricount) for emails, push notifications and in-app messages.
• MaxMindcore — location/fraud vendorTechnology or IntegrationWaltham, MA-based vendor used for location verification, address validation and fraud prevention.
• Cash Payment Solutions GmbHminor — cash deposit/withdrawal agentChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBerlin-based partner enabling users to deposit and withdraw cash at various locations.
• Barzahlenminor — cash deposit/withdrawal agentChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides 'Withdraw & Deposit' feature for bunq users in Austria and Germany.
• Klarnaflagship — flagship baas/api customerTechnology or IntegrationKlarna uses bunq's PSD2 APIs for pay-by-bank payments and account aggregation across Europe, initiating direct bank payments and collecting real-time account details, balances and transactions. Featured case study on the bunq Developers page.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Revolut: UK-headquartered neobank and Europe's #1 by user base; offers multi-currency accounts, crypto, stocks, BaaS, and is pursuing its own UK and US banking licenses. Most directly comparable to bunq in product breadth, geography, and target customer, but materially larger.
• N26: Berlin-based mobile-first neobank operating across the EEA; offers personal and business accounts, savings, and investment products. Closest direct peer to bunq in terms of European consumer digital banking footprint and target segment, particularly in DACH.
• Monzo: UK challenger bank with a strong mobile-first consumer proposition, fee-based Plus/Premium tiers, and a UK banking license. Comparable to bunq in PLG-led consumer banking and subscription monetization, though primarily UK-focused.
• Starling Bank: UK-based digital bank with a full UK banking license, profitable operations, and both consumer and BaaS (Banking-as-a-Service) arms. Highly comparable to bunq in licensed digital bank plus BaaS business model; a key European profitability benchmark.

Broad incumbents

• Wise: London-listed cross-border payments specialist that bunq uses as FX infrastructure. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but both target multi-currency European consumers and expats, and Wise's regulated infrastructure is a strategic alternative to bunq's own offering.
• Klarna: Global BNPL and pay-by-bank provider that is simultaneously a flagship bunq BaaS API customer and a competitor in the consumer fintech space. The dual customer/competitor relationship is itself a strategic signal about bunq's BaaS positioning.
• Adyen: Amsterdam-headquartered global payments processor that processes bunq's card transactions. While not a direct consumer-banking competitor, Adyen is the most relevant incumbent in bunq's home market and a comparable Dutch fintech success story.
• ING (ING Group): Dutch-headquartered universal bank with deep retail, SME, and BaaB-style offerings across Europe; bunq's primary domestic incumbent. Comparable in regulated product breadth (accounts, lending, FX) but not in customer experience or technology positioning.

Regional players

• Nubank: Latin America's largest neobank; not a direct European competitor, but the most directly comparable neobank playbook (mobile-first, freemium, profitable/scaling) outside Europe and a relevant comp for bunq's Mexican expansion strategy.
• Chime: US-based digital bank with a freemium consumer account model and a US regulatory footprint. Comparable to bunq in PLG-led digital banking, but US-only and without a BaaS or European multi-jurisdiction strategy, making it relevant for the US entry benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bunq
• Facebookfacebook.com/bunq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bunq

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about bunq