bunq: The Dutch Neobank with a Full Banking Licence and Local EU IBANs

bunq is a neobank offering personal accounts. Regulatory status: DNB's bunq register entry.

bunq B.V. is a Dutch bank. The DNB register records its banking licence from 17 September 2014 and its participation in the Dutch deposit guarantee scheme; bunq's current plan page lists Free, Core, Pro and Elite tiers. The information is dated 14 August 2026; variable pricing requires confirmation in the app.

What the service is

bunq is a Dutch bank with a licence recorded by DNB from 17 September 2014.

bunq is one of a small number of neobanks that are licensed banks rather than e-money institutions, so client balances fall under the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme rather than safeguarding. This makes it functionally closer to N26 than to Revolut Business in its pre-licence markets.

Key parameters

Plans and local IBANs

Personal tiers run from a Free plan through Core at €3.99/month up to Elite at €18.99/month; business plans are priced at €0, €7.99, €13.99 and €23.99 per month. These figures come from bunq's official pricing PDF dated 8 July 2025 — check the current plan page before relying on them in 2026.

Local IBANs are available for cross-border use: on Pro and Elite plans, bunq issues Dutch, German, French, Spanish and Irish IBANs. This resolves the persistent problem of IBAN discrimination, which is prohibited but occurs in practice — employers, tax offices and utilities that refuse a "foreign" SEPA IBAN. Legally, every account remains with bunq B.V. in the Netherlands regardless of the country code. bunq also offers multi-currency accounts; currency holdings sit in the UK under a GB IBAN. Savings accounts, term deposits and stock investing (bunq Stocks) round out the product set — a broader product range than that of most providers in the personal accounts comparison.

Crypto via Kraken

Since 29 April 2025 bunq offers trading in more than 350 crypto assets directly in the app, with liquidity and custody provided by Kraken (announced on press.bunq.com). At launch the feature covers residents of the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Belgium, with a stated plan to expand across the whole EEA and, eventually, the US and UK. Crypto held this way is an investment product on Kraken's rails, not a bank deposit — it is outside DGS cover.

Licence and deposit protection

The DNB register entry records bunq's banking licence from 17 September 2014 and participation in the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme. DNB remains the primary source for current licence and coverage status.

Onboarding and geography

Onboarding is fully remote and advertised as taking about five minutes. bunq accepts only residents of roughly 27 EEA countries. Citizenship can be from any country on bunq's accepted list, but a residential address in the EEA is mandatory — Europeans living outside the EEA cannot open or keep an account. Business accounts are limited to companies registered in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Belgium, France, Austria, Italy or Ireland (per bunq's help-centre pages on who can open an account, living abroad and foreign IBANs). Press reports have discussed US and UK expansion, but as of mid-2026 no confirmed general availability exists there.

Fees

The subscription is the main cost: bunq earns revenue from monthly plans rather than undisclosed spreads on basic services. The Free tier provides basic access; additional features (multiple sub-accounts, local IBANs, better FX allowances, cards) sit in paid tiers. Exact per-transaction fees, FX mark-ups and card charges are listed in the official pricing PDF (July 2025) — the figures are a dated snapshot and require confirmation before opening an account.

Reputation and AML record

DNB's enforcement publication records a €2.6 million fine imposed on 6 May 2025 for shortcomings in customer due diligence during 2021–2022. bunq disputed the measure.

Who it suits

bunq is suited to people who live in the EEA and want a licensed bank with access primarily through an app: freelancers and relocators who need a local German, French, Spanish or Irish IBAN without opening an account at a local bank; small companies registered in one of the eight supported countries; users who want savings, stocks and crypto (via Kraken) through one service, with deposit insurance for fiat balances. It is not an option for non-residents of the EEA — including EU citizens living abroad — and it is not a private-banking substitute. For non-EEA residents, EMI-based alternatives from neobanks are the realistic route.