Revolut, a leading fintech platform and neobank, has received a special banking license to operate in Spain. User deposits are now insured up to €100K, with the coverage being provided by Deposit and Investment Insurance, a Lithuanian state company. The company, which now has over 800,000 customers in Spain, expects to grow its userbase with this new development.
Revolut Customers in Spain Can Upgrade to Revolut Bank
Revolut, one of the biggest fintech neobanks in Europe, has received a special banking license in Spain, and can now offer deposit insurance to its customers. The protection of the deposited assets will be provided by a Lithuanian state company called Deposit and Investment Insurance, and it will cover amounts of up to €100K (about $115,000). To receive this protection over their assets, customers will have to upgrade their Revolut accounts to Revolut Bank accounts.
The strategy aims to keep Revolut growing in Spain after a poll made last year indicated that more than 80% of users would deposit more funds in the service if they were insured. In the same way, 60% indicated they would use Revolut to settle payments if the platform presented options for insurance.
European Expansion
Revolut, which has its origins in the U.K., has experienced significant growth in Europe, having now over 18 million customers. The platform, which is commonly used around the world to make remittances and payments, arrived in the U.S. last year.
Spain is not the first country where Revolut has applied for a banking license. It already offers these protections to customers in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Sweden, where it has managed to also offer credit products to its users. Regarding the offer of insurance to its customers, Joe Heneghan, CEO for Revolut Bank, stated:
The launch of the bank in Spain will provide a higher level of security and confidence to our customers, and will allow us to launch more products and services in the future.
Revolut has also offered cryptocurrency purchases from the app since 2017, merging fintech and crypto in one platform. One of its direct competitors in the field, N26, is only recently announcing the introduction of cryptocurrency trading, lamenting its delay in offering these services to customers.
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