bunq Review 2026: The Dutch Neobank With Crypto Trading, 10 Percent APR Staking, and a New Banking-as-a-Service Platform
bunq is a fully licensed Dutch bank regulated by De Nederlandsche Bank with EUR 100,000 deposit protection. In April 2025 it launched in-app crypto trading via Kraken infrastructure with fees starting at 0.25 percent and flexible staking up to 10 percent APR. In June 2026 it opened its banking-as-a-service platform to EU businesses with its first partner being Blockrise, a Bitcoin platform. Trustpilot rating is 4.93 out of 5 from 10,701 reviews. Here is the honest review.
TL;DR: bunq is a Dutch neobank founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Ali Niknam, licensed by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and regulated by the European Central Bank, with deposits protected under the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme up to EUR 100,000. It operates in 30-plus EEA countries and targets digital nomads, freelancers, expats, and tech-forward Europeans with a feature-rich banking app combining multiple IBANs, smart automation, and eco-conscious design. In April 2025 bunq launched in-app crypto trading via Kraken infrastructure, covering a broad range of cryptocurrencies at fees starting from 0.25 percent per trade, with flexible staking (no lockups) offering advertised yields up to approximately 10 percent APR. In June 2026 bunq opened its bunq-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform to EU businesses, allowing companies to issue virtual cards, process SEPA transactions, and run fiat on- and off-ramps under bunq's banking licence, with Blockrise (a Dutch Bitcoin platform regulated by the AFM under MiCAR) as the first live partner. bunq achieved over EUR 100 million in total crypto trading volume within the first year of its crypto feature launch. Trustpilot rating of 4.93 out of 5 from 10,701 reviews as of August 2026. MediaCrypto verdict: bunq is the most feature-complete neobank in Europe for users who want a full banking licence, multiple IBANs, automation, and integrated crypto trading with staking in one place. The 0.25 percent crypto fee is significantly better than N26's Bitpanda integration and competitive with most dedicated crypto exchanges at low volumes.
bunq positions itself as the Bank of the Free, a description that reflects both its subscription model (no surprise fees, transparent pricing) and its product philosophy (automation, flexibility, and independence from traditional banking bureaucracy). It was the first new fully licensed bank in the Netherlands in 38 years when it received its DNB banking licence in 2015. That regulatory distinction, a full banking licence rather than an e-money institution licence, is the foundation of bunq's competitive positioning against Revolut, Wise, and N26.
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Plans and Pricing
bunq operates on a subscription model with no hidden FX spreads on most plans. The free Easy Bank plan covers basic banking with a Dutch IBAN and virtual Mastercard. Paid plans scale from Easy Money at EUR 3.99 per month to Easy Green and Easy Savings tiers, up to the Elite plan which plants ten times more trees per EUR 100 spent and provides the lowest crypto trading fees and maximum staking yields. All plans include unlimited IBANs for subaccounts on paid tiers, real-time push notifications, smart budgeting categories, and ZeroFX currency conversion within plan allowances.
The subscription structure means bunq is explicit about what you pay. Unlike Revolut and N26 which have free tiers with limited functionality that nudge users toward upgrades, bunq's pricing is clean at every level.
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The Crypto Feature: Kraken-Powered Trading and Staking
bunq's crypto offering launched in April 2025 and runs on Kraken's infrastructure, giving users access to a broad cryptocurrency selection within the bunq app. Trading fees start at 0.25 percent per transaction, significantly below N26's Bitpanda integration fees and competitive with Revolut's crypto fees on paid plans.
The standout feature is flexible staking with no lockup period and advertised yields up to approximately 10 percent APR. This combination, bank-grade regulated account plus staking yields accessible without a separate exchange account or DeFi protocol interaction, makes bunq's crypto offering genuinely differentiated. Within one year of launch, bunq's crypto feature processed over EUR 100 million in total trading volume. The reviewer at CrowdFund Insider noted this is modest by exchange standards but significant for a primary banking app integrating crypto as an additional feature.
One limitation: like N26, bunq does not currently support transferring crypto to external wallets. The crypto feature is buy, sell, and stake within the bunq app, not a full self-custody solution.
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Banking-as-a-Service: The June 2026 Launch
On June 23, 2026, bunq opened its bunq-as-a-Service platform to EU businesses, making it the first neobank in the EU to offer BaaS under its own full banking licence. The platform was launched in April 2026 with anchor partner Blockrise, a Dutch Bitcoin platform regulated by the AFM under MiCAR, and extended to mid-size and enterprise companies in June.
Through an open API, partners can issue virtual cards, process instant SEPA transactions, manage funds, and run fiat on- and off-ramps, all with deposits protected under bunq's banking licence and the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme. bunq is targeting retail, e-commerce, SaaS, mobility, gig economy, and crypto companies.
The Blockrise partnership is specifically relevant for MediaCrypto's audience: Blockrise users now get an embedded euro IBAN account provided by bunq's banking infrastructure underneath Blockrise's interface. This bunq-as-banking-layer model is likely to expand, particularly into crypto-adjacent fintech where regulatory banking infrastructure has been the main barrier to product development.
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bunq vs Revolut: Where Each Wins
Revolut wins on FX breadth (120-plus currencies vs bunq's 16), crypto selection (200-plus assets), feature volume (stocks, eSIMs, insurance, robo-advisor), and global reach (65 million users vs bunq's smaller European-focused base). Revolut's Metal savings rate of 5.50 percent outpaces bunq's equivalent tier for pure savings yield.
bunq wins on multiple IBANs (bunq allows multiple IBANs per account for different countries and purposes, Revolut offers one per user), full EU banking licence with stronger regulatory foundation than Revolut's e-money institution history, the BaaS platform targeting business users, the 0.25 percent crypto trading fee which is competitive, and the 10 percent APR flexible staking which is the highest among banking apps offering crypto.
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Who bunq Is For
bunq is the right choice for European residents in EEA countries who want a fully licensed bank with automation features, multiple IBANs for budget management, integrated crypto trading and staking, and a transparent subscription pricing model. It is specifically strong for digital nomads managing finances across multiple European countries (multiple foreign IBANs in one account), freelancers and entrepreneurs who want smart banking tools alongside crypto, and developers and businesses interested in the BaaS platform.
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About the Author
This article was researched and written by the MediaCrypto editorial team. MediaCrypto is a cryptocurrency news and market analysis publication covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, altcoins, regulatory developments, and market trends. Follow us on X at @MediaCrypto_AI and on Instagram.
FAQ — bunq Review 2026
Is bunq a real bank? Yes. bunq holds a full banking licence from De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and is regulated by the European Central Bank. Deposits are protected under the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme up to EUR 100,000, equivalent protection to FDIC for US bank deposits.
Does bunq support crypto? Yes. bunq launched in-app crypto trading via Kraken infrastructure in April 2025 with fees starting at 0.25 percent per trade and flexible staking with no lockups at up to approximately 10 percent APR. External wallet transfers are not currently supported.
What is bunq-as-a-Service? bunq-as-a-Service is bunq's banking-as-a-service platform opened to EU businesses in June 2026. Partners access bunq's banking infrastructure via API to issue virtual cards, process SEPA transactions, and run fiat on- and off-ramps under bunq's full banking licence, with deposits protected by the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme.
How does bunq compare to Revolut for crypto? bunq's 0.25 percent crypto fee is competitive and it offers flexible staking up to 10 percent APR. Revolut supports more cryptocurrencies (200-plus vs bunq's selection) but has higher standard crypto fees. Both restrict external wallet transfers.
What is bunq's Trustpilot rating? bunq has a Trustpilot rating of 4.93 out of 5 from 10,701 reviews as of August 2026, one of the highest ratings among major European neobanks.
Visit bunq: https://www.bunq.com
Read also: Revolut Review 2026 — https://mediacrypto.ai/news/revolut-review-2026-70-million-users-a-75-billion-valuation-and-the-super-app-th
Read also: N26 Review 2026 — https://mediacrypto.ai/news/n26-review-2026-the-bafin-regulated-german-neobank-with-in-app-crypto-via-bitpan
This article is for informational purposes only. Always do your own research before making financial decisions.
