# bunq

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bunq
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [bunq — official](https://www.bunq.com/)
- [bunq — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunq)

## Overview

**bunq** is **the EU's first profitable neobank** + **second-largest European neobank by users** (after Revolut), operated by **bunq B.V.** — a fully-licensed Dutch bank <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Netherlands report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NL)</sup>. Founded **April 2012 by Ali Niknam** (Dutch-Iranian entrepreneur), bunq received **a full Dutch banking license in 2014** — among the first new EU banks in 35+ years. **2024: bunq became the 17th profitable bank by total assets**, reporting **€85.3 million profit (+65% YoY)** + **0.80% ROA + 16.32% ROE** — second consecutive profitable year. By **2025, bunq reached 17-20 million users** + is the **20th-largest bank in the Netherlands** (0.31% Dutch market share).

**Major 2025 expansion**: **bunq accelerated US expansion + filed for new US license** + reported **modest crypto-trading milestone in first year** of crypto-services. US licensing positions bunq for **first European neobank with full US bank presence**.

## History

**April 2012 — Founded by Ali Niknam in Amsterdam** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Dutch entrepreneur, also founder of TransIP.

**2014 — Full Dutch banking license granted by DNB (De Nederlandsche Bank)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: First new Dutch bank in 35+ years.

**2015-2020 — Mass EU adoption** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Pan-European retail bank.

**2022 — First-year profitability** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Distinguished from peer EU neobanks.

**2024 — €85.3M profit (+65% YoY); 0.80% ROA + 16.32% ROE; 17th profitable bank in NL by total assets** <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

**2025 — 17-20M users (~European 2nd-largest neobank); accelerated US expansion + filed for new US license** <sup>[3][3]</sup>.

**2025 — First-year crypto trading milestone** <sup>[4][4]</sup>: Modest but reported.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **bunq B.V.** — Dutch limited company; banking license under **bunq Bank** entity.

**Founder + CEO**: **Ali Niknam** (Dutch-Iranian entrepreneur; majority shareholder).

**Major investors**: Ali Niknam personally (substantial ownership) + Pollen Street Capital + later-stage funds; bunq is unusual in being predominantly founder-owned + bootstrapped.

**Regulators**: **De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB)** (Dutch Central Bank) + **ECB** (Eurozone direct supervision).

**Banking license**: Full Dutch banking license since 2014.

**Deposit protection**: Dutch deposit-guarantee scheme up to €100,000 per customer.

## Technical integration

bunq is **European mobile-only neobank with multi-currency + crypto** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | bunq mobile app (iOS + Android) + bunq Mastercard debit + bunq Travel Card |
| **Identifiers** | Phone number + email + IBAN + card number |
| **EU rails** | SEPA Credit Transfer + SEPA Instant + SEPA Direct Debit |
| **Card network** | **Mastercard** (bunq debit + Travel Card) |
| **Multi-currency** | Holds 15+ currencies; real exchange-rate FX |
| **Crypto** | Bitcoin + Ethereum + other crypto trading (since 2024-2025) |
| **Apple Pay + Google Pay** | NFC-tokenized |
| **Sub-products** | bunq Easy Bank (free) + bunq Easy Money + bunq Easy Savings + bunq Easy Investments + bunq Business |

## Users & growth

**Europe (2025)** <sup>[3][3]</sup>:
- **Total users (2025)**: 17-20 million
- **European neobank ranking**: 2nd largest (after Revolut's 70M+)
- **Netherlands market share (2024)**: 0.31% (20th-largest NL bank by market share)

**Financial (2024)** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- **Profit**: €85.3 million (+65% YoY)
- **ROA**: 0.80%
- **ROE**: 16.32%
- **Profitability**: Second consecutive year (first profitable in 2023)
- **Net income**: €63.65 million (+19.72% YoY 2023→2024)

## Use cases

**Daily Eurozone retail banking** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Cardinal — current account, deposits, salary.

**Travel + multi-currency spending** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: bunq Travel Card; free overseas spending (Mastercard exchange rate).

**Multi-currency holding (15+ currencies)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Distinctive feature.

**bunq Easy Savings (interest-bearing)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: High-yield European savings.

**bunq Easy Investments** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Multi-asset investing.

**Crypto trading (Bitcoin + ETH + others; since 2024-2025)** <sup>[4][4]</sup>: Recent expansion.

**bunq Business** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: SME accounts.

**US expansion (2025 license filing pending)** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: First major European neobank with full US bank presence.

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **bunq B.V.** (DNB + ECB-regulated Dutch bank).

**Card-network partner**: **Mastercard** (bunq debit + Travel Card).

**Major European competitors**:
- **[Revolut](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/revolut)** (UK + EU + Mexico neobank; 70M+ users; banking-license expansion).
- **[N26](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/n26)** (Germany 24-market neobank; 8M+ users; loss-making + Dec 2025 BaFin sanctions).
- **[Monzo](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/monzo)** (UK 15.2M customers; profitable).
- **[Starling Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/starling)** (UK; 4.6M customers; profitable).
- **Traditional EU banks** (Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, ING, Santander, etc.).

**Regulators**: **DNB + ECB**.

## Fun facts

- **Founded April 2012 by Ali Niknam** (Dutch-Iranian entrepreneur; also founded TransIP).
- **2014 Dutch banking license** — first new Dutch bank in 35+ years.
- **Ali Niknam personally owns majority** — unusual in European neobank space (mostly VC-heavy ownership).
- **EU's first profitable neobank (2022 + continued)** — distinguished from loss-making peers (N26 + Revolut took longer).
- **17-20M users; 2nd-largest European neobank** after Revolut.
- **20th-largest bank in the Netherlands (0.31% NL market share)** — substantial position despite digital-only.
- **2024 €85.3M profit (+65% YoY); 0.80% ROA + 16.32% ROE; 17th profitable bank by total assets in NL** — strong financial-performance metrics.
- **2025 US expansion + new license filing** — first major European neobank with full US bank presence.
- **2024-2025 crypto trading addition** — recent product expansion.

## Comparison

| Feature | bunq | [Revolut](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/revolut) | [N26](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/n26) (DE) | [Monzo](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/monzo) (UK) | [Starling Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/starling) (UK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **bunq B.V. (DNB-regulated Dutch bank)** | Revolut Ltd + Bank UAB + Bank PLC + Mexico | N26 GmbH + N26 Bank AG | Monzo Bank Ltd | Starling Bank Ltd |
| Country | **NL + EU broadly + US (expanding)** | 160+ countries | EU-focused (24 markets) | UK + US + IE limited | UK |
| Users (2024-25) | **17-20M** | 70M+ | 8M+ | 15.2M | 4.6M |
| Profitability | **Profitable since 2022 (€85.3M FY24, +65% YoY)** | $2.3B pre-tax profit FY25 | Loss-making | £113.9M adj pre-tax (FY25) | £281M adj pre-tax (4th year profitable) |
| Banking license | **Dutch (since 2014)** | UK + EU + Mexico | German (BaFin) | UK (April 2017) | UK (since 2016) |
| Ownership distinctive | **Founder-majority Ali Niknam** | Storonsky + VC cap table | VC-heavy | VC-heavy + diverse | VC + Goldman + Fidelity |

## Status

**Active, profitable EU-leading neobank** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **bunq B.V.** (Dutch banking license since 2014).
- **17-20M users; 2nd-largest European neobank** after Revolut.
- **2024: €85.3M profit (+65% YoY); 0.80% ROA + 16.32% ROE; second consecutive profitable year**.
- **2025 US expansion + new license filing pending**.
- **20th-largest bank in the Netherlands** (0.31% market share).

## Sources

[1]: https://www.statista.com/statistics/916083/net-profit-of-bunq/ "bunq net profit/loss 2024 — Statista"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunq "bunq — Wikipedia"
[3]: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/15/digital-bank-bunq-accelerates-us-expansion-effort-as-profit-jumps.html "bunq US expansion + profit jumps — CNBC"
[4]: https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/04/274856-european-digital-bank-bunq-reports-modest-crypto-trading-milestone-in-first-year/ "bunq crypto-trading milestone — Crowdfund Insider"
[nl-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NL

- [1] [bunq net profit/loss 2024 — Statista][1]
- [2] [bunq — Wikipedia][2]
- [3] [bunq US expansion + profit — CNBC][3]
- [4] [bunq crypto-trading milestone — Crowdfund Insider][4]
- <sup>[Netherlands report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NL)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/NL-netherlands.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [bunq.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/bunq). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.