bunq

bunq is a Dutch bank headquartered in Amsterdam. Entrepreneur Ali Niknam founded it in 2012, and it received its banking licence from De Nederlandsche Bank in 2014. bunq says it was the first bank in 35 years to get a new European banking licence. Deposits are covered by the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme up to 100,000 euros per person, and the bank serves customers in many EEA countries including Germany, France, Spain and Ireland.

Features

• Plans bunq Free, Core, Pro and Elite, with more features in the paid plans
• Up to 25 Pockets, each with its own IBAN, for budgets, bills or savings goals
• Savings with interest paid weekly, an eSIM for travel and, in the top plan, travel insurance
• Stocks through Ginmon and crypto through Kraken inside the app

Good to know

bunq works with monthly subscriptions instead of free-for-all accounts, so check which plan includes the features you need. Since 2022 bunq has owned the Belgian expense-splitting app Tricount. Besides founder Ali Niknam, the British investor Pollen Street Capital joined in 2021.