Europe's second-largest neobank bunq has reportedly submitted a new application for a US national banking licence.

The move represents the Netherlands-based company’s second attempt after withdrawing its first application in 2024 due to the complexity of the US regulatory process and regulatory differences between the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Dutch authorities, the firm said.

Founder and chief executive at the FinTech Ali Niknam said the timeline aligns with what he views as a “favourable regulatory environment.”

“We believe that this is a unique opportunity for us,” he said in an interview, Bloomberg reported.  

The company is targeting digital nomads and global citizens who move frequently between the US and Europe, a group it believes is underserved by traditional banks, bunq said in a statement.

Its existing customer base includes people employed in the digital sector who frequently struggle to open accounts overseas, largely because US tax reporting rules discourage many foreign banks from taking on American clients.

Bunq, which offers accounts, savings, cards, and investing features through its app, surpassed 20 million users across Europe in late 2025. 

“We believe there’s far more people out there that would benefit from this global bank account,” Niknam said.

Bunq recently secured a US broker-dealer license from FINRA, allowing it to offer investments in US stocks and ETFs, a step it called its “first” toward a broader US launch.

Bunq’s current features include gen-AI support for 38 languages and AI-powered fraud detection system which uses supervised and unsupervised learning to completely automate detection processes.

 It also uses generative AI (GenAI) assistant for its users to help them carry out a range of tasks. 

https://www.fstech.co.uk/fst/Dutch_Neobank_Bunq_Launches_GenAI_Assistant.php 

In September 2025, bunq was reportedly looking for “digital nomads” to hire as it sought to add over 700 employees to its current headcount.

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