Monese
- This is an EMI, not a bank: funds are safeguarded, not covered by a €100k deposit guarantee.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Opens without local credit history
- multi-currency
- newcomer-friendly
Cons
- Not a bank — no €100k deposit guarantee (funds safeguarded)
Rating breakdown
Why this score
Good fit for
- you need to hold a balance in USD
- you receive SEPA transfers
May not fit if
- you need crypto in or out
This is an electronic money institution (EMI), not a bank. Funds are safeguarded, but NOT covered by the €100,000 deposit guarantee. Convenient, but legally it isn't a bank deposit.
- Licence
- EMI · Registered agent (PPSEBEA000002) of PPS EU SA — not itself the EMI
- IBAN
- Multi-currency details
- SEPA Instant
- Receive only
- Verification of Payee (VoP)
- Rolling out
Editorial review
Data reviewed by Ilya ChernetskiyFounder and editor, nomonedaUpdated: 2026-08-15
Monese runs on an EMI licence: convenient, but your money is safeguarded rather than covered by the €100k deposit guarantee.
It is a global fintech licensed in BE supporting EUR, USD, GBP etc. FX model: Interbank rate + percentage markup, weekend surcharge.
It tends to suit newcomer/thin-file, multi-currency, fast opening.
Fees & terms
- Exchange rate
- Interbank rate + percentage markup, weekend surcharge
- Card cost
- Free / paid tiers
- Local-currency withdrawal
- Not disclosed
- USD withdrawal
- Not disclosed
- Withdrawal fees
- Not disclosed
- Limits
- Tiered top-up and ATM limits
- USD yield
- Not disclosed
- Cashback
- Not disclosed
- Currencies
- EUR, USD, GBP etc
- Cards
- Global Physical, Global Virtual
- Transfers
- SEPA in/out, SEPA Instant in/out, Local multi-currency in
- Payments
- Apple Pay, Google Pay
- Licence
- EMI — Registered agent (PPSEBEA000002) of PPS EU SA — not itself the EMI
- IBAN
- Multi-currency details
- Multi-currency account
- EUR+GBP+USD
- SEPA Instant
- Receive only
- Verification of Payee (VoP)
- Rolling out
- FX model
- Interbank rate + percentage markup, weekend surcharge
- Opening requirements
- No local address needed; newcomer/thin-file friendly
- English support
- Yes
- Remote opening
- Yes
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
Transfer routes
One row per direction, rail and currency — with what we hold on fees, speed and limits. A blank fee is not a free transfer; it is a fee we have not collected.
| Route | Fee | Speed | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEPAincomingEUR | Not published | Not published | — |
| SEPAoutgoingEUR | Not published | Not published | — |
| SEPA InstantincomingEUR | Not published | Instant | — |
| SEPA InstantoutgoingEUR | Not published | Not published | — |
| Local railsincoming | Not published | Not published | — |
Who holds your money
The name on the app is not always the company holding the balance, and deposit protection follows the licence rather than the brand.
| Role | Organization | Answerable for | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence holder | MoneseRegistered agent (PPSEBEA000002) of PPS EU SA — not itself the EMI | Operating under regulatory permission | All currenciesNo protection scheme recorded |
What to know before you move money
Elevated exposure — At least one thing here would change a reasonable person’s mind.
- CriticalThis is an EMI, not a bank: funds are safeguarded, not covered by a €100k deposit guarantee.
Read from: eu.license_type, eu.dgs_covered
Recent updates
- 2026-08-15checked11 facts about Monese re-checked against their sources
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User reviews
User score
No reviews yet.
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FAQ
- Is my money protected?
- No. Monese operates under an EMI licence — funds are safeguarded but NOT covered by a €100k Deposit Guarantee Scheme. It is not a bank in the deposit-protection sense.
- What IBAN and transfers?
- Monese issues local receiving details in several currencies. SEPA Instant: receive. Multi-currency: EUR+GBP+USD.
- Can I open remotely, in English?
- Opening is remote. English support is available. Requirements: No local address needed; newcomer/thin-file friendly.
Data provenance & verification
Every fact is checked against an official source and stamped with a date. We re-check fees quarterly and document requirements twice a year. Fields not yet independently verified are labelled honestly.
Independently corroborated, rated on the full model and checked within the year. This service can appear in our ranked picks.