Qonto is a European payment institution for companies and freelancers: business accounts, cards, payments, invoicing, expense management and selected credit products. It serves eight EU markets and uses partner institutions to safeguard client funds.
The contracting entity is Qonto SA (named Olinda SAS until 29 January 2026), RCS Paris, SIREN 819 489 626. It is a payment institution supervised by the ACPR under registration number CIB 16958, with ORIAS intermediary registration 18004091 (company announcement of the renaming). Qonto filed its credit-institution application in July 2025; its update of 11 September 2026 still describes that application as in progress. Client money is safeguarded. This differs from holding a deposit at Qonto itself; protection if a safeguarding bank fails is explained below. Qonto also appears in France's register of accredited electronic-invoicing platforms, called plateformes agréées (PA), previously PDP.
Concept
A payment institution can combine payment accounts, transfers and cards with accounting tools. It cannot take deposits as a bank does. Under Article 18(4) of PSD2, it may provide credit ancillary to specified payment services subject to conditions, including using funds other than safeguarded customer money and maintaining adequate own funds. Qonto offers its own payment-related credit alongside financing partners. Its subscription model also charges for cards, payments and additional tools. On the differences between licence classes see Lithuania: EMI, PI and specialised bank; on the EU payment-services regime see PSD3 and PSR.
The product addresses the accounting work of small businesses: linking payments, invoices and receipts helps move transaction data into accounting software with less manual re-entry. The available tools and integrations depend on the selected plan and country.
What the model produces
Four features help explain the product:
- Account and books in one interface. The payment, the invoice, the receipt and its accounting record sit in one system; the 2024 purchase of the accounting fintech Regate covered exactly this part.
- Country-specific tools. The common account interface is supplemented by local invoicing and accounting features, whose availability differs by market. Compare the tools required for the company's own country when considering Revolut Business and Finom.
- Accredited-platform status in France. Eligible customers can combine the payment account with electronic invoicing. From 1 September 2026, businesses established in France and within the VAT regime must be able to receive electronic invoices; the scope and issuing timetable are set out below.
- Protection and credit have distinct rules. Client money is safeguarded; a failure of Qonto and a failure of a safeguarding bank are different cases. Qonto's own payment-related credit and financing partners have separate eligibility conditions and limits.
Company, licence and the banking application
Alexandre Prot and Steve Anavi founded Qonto in 2016. The platform launched in France in 2017 and later expanded to other European markets. By July 2025 the company reported 600,000 customers, a team of more than 1,600 people and a target of 2m customers by 2030 (Qonto announcement, 3 July 2025).
Qonto reported in its announcement of 3 July 2025 that it had reached profitability in 2023. This is a dated company statement, rather than a current financial result.
Expansion included acquisitions and country launches. Qonto acquired Germany's Penta in 2022, which served roughly 50,000 customers at the time; its German offering is presented at qonto.com/de. It bought the accounting fintech Regate in 2024 and launched in Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal that year, alongside France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 2016 | Company founded (Alexandre Prot, Steve Anavi) |
| 2017 | Platform launched in France |
| January 2022 | €486m round including Tiger Global and TCV at a €4.4bn valuation (≈$5bn) |
| 2022 | Acquisition of Germany's Penta (≈50,000 clients) |
| 2023 | Reached profitability |
| September 2024 | Provisional entry in the accredited-platform register (DGFiP) |
| 2024 | Regate acquired; launches in Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal |
| July 2025 | Credit-institution application filed; 600,000 customers |
| September 2025 | Remunerated account launched |
| January 2026 | Olinda SAS renamed Qonto SA |
| April 2026 | AI agents The Operator and The Analyst across all plans |
Qonto says the banking application is intended to expand its lending, savings and investment capabilities and make its offering more independent. Filing an application does not itself change its authorisation or the protection of existing balances. The September 2026 framework-agreement update makes the future current-account terms conditional on Qonto actually starting to operate as a credit institution; customers are to be notified when that happens.
Products and pricing
Public pricing checked on 26 September 2026 — qonto.com/pricing, monthly equivalent excluding VAT with annual billing and a one-month trial. The site advertises Business at €109; the French help centre dates the change from €99 to €109 to October 2026. Confirm the effective price and start date in the offer for the company's market.
| Plan | €/month | Transfers | Sub-accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 9 | 30 | — |
| Smart | 19 | 100 | 1 |
| Premium | 39 | 200 | 4 |
| Essential | 49 | 250 | 9 |
| Business | 109 | 500 | 29 |
| Enterprise | 199 | 10,000 | 99 |
| Plan | Rate on balance | Balance cap |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | none | — |
| Smart | 5% AER for 2 months, then 1,5% | €50k |
| Premium | 5% AER for 2 months, then 1,5% | €100k |
| Essential | 5% AER for 2 months, then 1,5% | €200k |
| Business | 5% AER for 2 months, then 2% | €200k |
| Enterprise | 5% AER for 2 months, then 2,5% | €200k |
The first three plans target solo businesses; the last three target teams. Basic includes one physical and two virtual cards; Smart adds cash-flow tools and accountant access; Premium includes priority support and a 0,56% fee for outgoing transfers in standard foreign currencies, subject to a €5 minimum. Enterprise includes 30 physical cards. Remuneration is a commercial reward for payment-account use, not a savings deposit: it must be activated, is subject to country and tax-residence eligibility, and requires at least five eligible monthly payments of €1 or more. The current offer covers France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. Add-ons advertised with annual billing are Invoice Automation at €12, Project Tracking at €20 and Team Spend Controls at €39 per month, excluding VAT.
The cards are Mastercard at three levels. One is included in each plan; Plus and X cost extra and offer different limits and insurance. X permits payments up to €200k per month. Qonto's AI agents are available across all plans: The Operator prepares tasks such as cards, transfers and invoice processing, with the user's confirmation required before execution; The Analyst answers questions using transaction data.
Credit products
Qonto offers payment-related credit within the applicable authorisation and eligibility conditions. Financing partners provide additional products under their own underwriting criteria.
- The French Pay Later offer described in the guidance of 16 September 2026 finances supplier invoices in 3, 9 or 12 instalments, with an individual credit limit up to €100k. The rate and repayment schedule are shown in the app before the customer signs. The September 2026 eligibility guidance requires a business registered for at least six months and applies further legal-form, financial and compliance criteria. Customers with less than three months at Qonto may need to connect an external business account for assessment. Availability and the final terms must be checked for the company's country; meeting published criteria does not guarantee approval.
- The deferred-debit card offers a limit up to €15k per month and no interest when repaid on time. Qonto advertises an overdraft up to €5k. Its financing page labels 18,88% APR for the card and 17,5% APR for the overdraft as indicative French rates; rates, access and limits vary by country and eligibility.
- The marketplace of partners includes Defacto, Karmen, Edebex and Fleet for different financing needs. Available products, amounts and acceptance are set by each lender; access through Qonto does not guarantee financing.
Electronic invoicing in France
Qonto's first PDP registration dates from September 2024. It appears in the current DGFiP list of plateformes agréées that have completed interoperability tests, with registration dated 18 December 2025. Qonto supports Factur-X, UBL 2.1 and CII invoice formats.
The reform calendar has two steps (economie.gouv.fr):
- Since 1 September 2026, businesses established in France and within the VAT regime must be able to receive electronic invoices, including businesses using the VAT exemption for small businesses. Large enterprises and ETI must also issue them and provide e-reporting where the reform applies. Mandatory e-invoicing concerns covered domestic B2B transactions; VAT-exempt transactions can fall outside its scope.
- From 1 September 2027, issuing and e-reporting obligations extend to SMEs and micro-enterprises within the reform's scope.
A French group company should assess whether it is within the reform's scope and select an accredited platform where required. Using the same provider for payments and invoicing can simplify integration.
Competitive landscape
Comparable providers differ by licence, geography and product focus. Finom and Revolut Business are alternatives to compare against the company's required currencies, local invoicing, accounting integrations, servicing entity and fund protection. Eight EU business accounts — Qonto, Finom, bunq, Revolut Business, Wise Business, Airwallex, N26 Business and Holvi — are compared by licence, protection of the balance, where the company must be registered and entry price in Neobanks, together with a navigator from company profile to provider.
Local alternatives include Shine in France, sold by Société Générale to Denmark's Ageras in November 2024, and HYPE Business in Italy for eligible freelancers and sole traders. Pennylane combines accounting with a professional account provided through Swan. Qonto also maintains a Pennylane integration for transaction, document and invoice synchronisation; assess the specific workflow when comparing the services.
Availability and limitations
Onboarding is entirely online for businesses registered in the eight supported markets. The business must be registered in a supported country and pass KYB and KYC; timing depends on the ownership structure, the activity and document completeness.
Account eligibility must be checked for the local company, its legal form, activity, ownership and the countries connected with its representatives and beneficial owners. A supported incorporation country alone does not guarantee acceptance, and a non-resident owner is not automatically eligible. Everyday features include SEPA and supported international payments, local IBANs, team cards, invoicing and accounting tools.
Protection of funds
As a payment institution, Qonto safeguards client money separately from its own assets. Its published arrangements include segregated funds at partner banks, financial guarantees and qualifying money-market funds. The applicable protection depends on how funds are held.
If Qonto itself fails, safeguarding is intended to keep protected customer funds outside claims by its own creditors; this does not make Qonto's own failure an insured bank failure. A separate case is the failure of a bank holding safeguarded deposits: French guidance provides for FGDR coverage of eligible funds up to €100k per customer per bank, subject to scheme conditions and aggregation rules. Other safeguarding methods must be assessed under their own terms. Future deposit products would depend on the eventual banking authorisation and contract. For the payment chain and protection of funds generally see Personal account abroad.
Q/A
Is Qonto a bank yet?
Qonto's update of 11 September 2026 still describes its credit-institution application as in progress. Its current published status is a payment institution supervised by the ACPR, CIB 16958. The future current-account terms take effect only when Qonto starts operating as a credit institution and notifies customers.
How much does Qonto cost?
The public grid checked on 26 September 2026 ranges from €9 per month for Basic to €199 for Enterprise, excluding VAT with annual billing and a one-month trial. Business is advertised at €109; the French help centre dates its €99-to-€109 change to October 2026. Check the effective local offer. Plus and X cards and additional tools cost extra.
How does safeguarding differ from a deposit guarantee?
Safeguarding separates protected customer funds from the payment institution's own assets and creditors. A failure of Qonto itself is distinct from a failure of a partner bank holding safeguarded deposits. For the latter, French guidance provides FGDR protection for eligible funds up to €100k per customer per bank, subject to conditions and aggregation; it does not turn every Qonto balance into a deposit at Qonto.
Does Qonto suit a non-resident structure?
Qonto accepts applications for supported legal forms in its eight markets. Assess the local company and the entire ownership structure under the country-specific onboarding rules. Non-resident beneficial owners and foreign corporate shareholders require identification and eligibility checks; a local subsidiary does not guarantee acceptance of its owners or payment flows.
What does accredited-platform status mean for a French company?
Qonto is listed by the DGFiP as an accredited electronic-invoicing platform (plateforme agréée, formerly PDP) and supports Factur-X, UBL 2.1 and CII. Since 1 September 2026, businesses established in France and within the VAT regime must be able to receive electronic invoices. Large enterprises and ETI must also issue them and provide e-reporting for covered transactions; the corresponding obligation for SMEs and micro-enterprises starts on 1 September 2027. Transaction-level exemptions and the reform's scope still apply.