[LIST] Free EU bank accounts that you can be opened directly online

[alani123]

Does anyone have any solutions or methods for those of us who live in Asia?

I've read that Mr Tango is probably the best way to get your BTC to fiat, but it can only be transferred to a SEPA account. 

I'm wondering if this method would work.

Mr Tango BTC converted to Fiat
Send fiat  from Mr Tango via SEPA to Transferwise 
Transferwise send via SWIFT to bank account in Malaysia

I know Transferwise isn't crypto friendly but are they ok with receiving funds from Mister Tango?

Technically it shall work fine. I don't see any problem from MisterTango or TransferWise side. it's a SEPA to SEPA transfer and more important from accounts owned by the same person. But it would be better to ask to Transferwife directly they're fast to provide support. When I had a question I used its chat and got someone within seconds.

I don't know if Trtansferwise<->Mistertango is presently an issue, but if it's not, Transferwise doesn't allow transfers to and from crypto exchanges presently from what it seems, so they could blacklist Mistertango in the future. That's based on the fact that mistertango allows direct BTC deposits in cooperation with their own exchange.

I've heard that the banks partnered with Transferwise don't have trust in Crypto. I'm sure TransferWise wouldn't want to take any risks. They're doing just fine by providing services for all purposes other than sending money to exchanges. Transferwise is doing too well without that so they wouldn't be in a hurry to change it, especially if it'd take risking their banking infrastructure which if you ask me is what drives users away from financial services.

On Transferwise doing too well:
Business paper names TransferWise founders richest Estonians
Here’s How TransferWise Has Nearly Quadrupled Revenue In Two Years, Reaching $151 Million


@604WeekendWarrior

Why would you be looking for a banking solution in EU? Have you tried local exchanges? It might just be easier for you to trade crypto in your currency.

On the other hand, have you checked for local banks that might have foreign currency accounts? You might be able to open an account in a bank in your country with USD or EUR? You could potentially save some money in fees this way, or save time too.

[LeGaulois]

Does anyone have any solutions or methods for those of us who live in Asia?

I've read that Mr Tango is probably the best way to get your BTC to fiat, but it can only be transferred to a SEPA account. 

I'm wondering if this method would work.

Mr Tango BTC converted to Fiat
Send fiat  from Mr Tango via SEPA to Transferwise 
Transferwise send via SWIFT to bank account in Malaysia

I know Transferwise isn't crypto friendly but are they ok with receiving funds from Mister Tango?

Technically it shall work fine. I don't see any problem from MisterTango or TransferWise side. it's a SEPA to SEPA transfer and more important from accounts owned by the same person. But it would be better to ask to Transferwife directly they're fast to provide support. When I had a question I used its chat and got someone within seconds.

I don't know if Trtansferwise<->Mistertango is presently an issue, but if it's not, Transferwise doesn't allow transfers to and from crypto exchanges presently from what it seems, so they could blacklist Mistertango in the future. That's based on the fact that mistertango allows direct BTC deposits in cooperation with their own exchange.

I've heard that the banks partnered with Transferwise don't have trust in Crypto. I'm sure TransferWise wouldn't want to take any risks. They're doing just fine by providing services for all purposes other than sending money to exchanges. Transferwise is doing too well without that so they wouldn't be in a hurry to change it, especially if it'd take risking their banking infrastructure which if you ask me is what drives users away from financial services.

On Transferwise doing too well:
Business paper names TransferWise founders richest Estonians
Here’s How TransferWise Has Nearly Quadrupled Revenue In Two Years, Reaching $151 Million


@604WeekendWarrior

Why would you be looking for a banking solution in EU? Have you tried local exchanges? It might just be easier for you to trade crypto in your currency.

On the other hand, have you checked for local banks that might have foreign currency accounts? You might be able to open an account in a bank in your country with USD or EUR? You could potentially save some money in fees this way, or save time too.

Having a bank account with MisterTango doesn't mean you're using it exclusively for your crypto transactions and there is no way between the 2 SEPA to label the funds as "crypto something"
TransferWise accpeted crypto transactions before, but for the sake of KYC, it stopped to.

[buwaytress]

Just popping by to see if anyone's heard of or tried this new service called Starling Bank. UK based and seems to be in the same competition as those neobanks. I have stopped using Revolut now as they are increasingly locking accounts arbitrarily for months, don't want to be caught out. I suspect they're going down the Transferwise anti-Bitcoin route... And I was a previous user of that!

I only saw Starling Bank on a clickbait ad, Best British mobile only bank of 2018 apparently. Will probably try out myself but want to see if any of you guys have.

[LeGaulois]

Just popping by to see if anyone's heard of or tried this new service called Starling Bank. UK based and seems to be in the same competition as those neobanks. I have stopped using Revolut now as they are increasingly locking accounts arbitrarily for months, don't want to be caught out. I suspect they're going down the Transferwise anti-Bitcoin route... And I was a previous user of that!

I only saw Starling Bank on a clickbait ad, Best British mobile only bank of 2018 apparently. Will probably try out myself but want to see if any of you guys have.

For UK citizens only. If you're in it could be better for you to take a look at Fidor. It has no problem with cryptos payments and great reviews from the average users. Starling Bank uses a 3rd party to handle the bank transactions on its behalf. (popular with neobanks) so it includes some disadvantages.

https://www.starlingbank.com/faq/

A first step to launching in Ireland is going to be launching a euro account in the UK. Once we have successfully done this in the Autumn, we will announce a date for coming into Ireland

[alani123]

Just popping by to see if anyone's heard of or tried this new service called Starling Bank. UK based and seems to be in the same competition as those neobanks. I have stopped using Revolut now as they are increasingly locking accounts arbitrarily for months, don't want to be caught out. I suspect they're going down the Transferwise anti-Bitcoin route... And I was a previous user of that!

I only saw Starling Bank on a clickbait ad, Best British mobile only bank of 2018 apparently. Will probably try out myself but want to see if any of you guys have.

I looked into their website and they claim to be enabling EUR accounts in the future:
https://www.starlingbank.com/current-account/euro-bank-account/

Until then, you have better options.

I had trouble with Monese (a similar neobank) in the past. I'm not in the UK so I can't personally open an account there, but somebody I had to pay an invoice to did... They kept telling him EUR IBAN accounts were imminent for account holders but so long that has yet to happen. The method currently used by them to take IBAN deposits is through a routing account, which is a no no if you're running a business looking to have invoices paid.

Overall, no IBAN/EUR account means you have limited use cases. And it's a great utility to have, so you'll be missing out of this service many other neobanks offer if you sign up to one without it.

[604WeekendWarrior]

@604WeekendWarrior

Why would you be looking for a banking solution in EU? Have you tried local exchanges? It might just be easier for you to trade crypto in your currency.

On the other hand, have you checked for local banks that might have foreign currency accounts? You might be able to open an account in a bank in your country with USD or EUR? You could potentially save some money in fees this way, or save time too.

Hi Alani,

Thanks for the feedback.  

I currently have multiple bank accounts in Malaysia that have USD currency and have tested the deposits/withdraw from multiple exchanges.  Only small amounts though.  So far so good.  

But I guess you can say I'm one of those who has a backup plan for the backup plan, and a contingency for the backup plan lol.  Such as I need to withdraw my BTC to an exchange that only has SEPA transfers.  

I do hope my Exchange to local Malaysia banks won't have any problems, but in case they do I have a plan B, C, D etc...

[buwaytress]

Thanks for the responses on Starling @LeGaulois and @alani. I'm not a UK resident at all, but was in the past able to open accounts with a rental address, phone and bank statement, and then used Transferwise regularly until 2016, switched to Revolut, which worked very well even with quite plainly Bitcoin-related transactions. As mentioned, the latter's been problematic of late so looking for a similar solution, hopefully less unfriendly towards Bitcoin (and allows non UK residents but able to provide residential proof).

Hi Alani,

Thanks for the feedback. 

I currently have multiple bank accounts in Malaysia that have USD currency and have tested the deposits/withdraw from multiple exchanges.  Only small amounts though.  So far so good. 

But I guess you can say I'm one of those who has a backup plan for the backup plan, and a contingency for the backup plan lol.  Such as I need to withdraw my BTC to an exchange that only has SEPA transfers. 

I do hope my Exchange to local Malaysia banks won't have any problems, but in case they do I have a plan B, C, D etc...

I can vouch that USD accounts for the big banks in Malaysia have no issues for big limits (namely, USD limits that exceed daily MYR limits). Same as you, I just prefer having as many options as possible. I'm extremely mobile and none of my banks give me a 1-size-fits-all solution. It's still possible to get a lot of things done, but not without a lot of hassle.

But as alani123 points out, so far my fallback plan is P2P (localbitcoins or bisq) and that doesn't look in danger of closing shop for the foreseeable future.

[LeGaulois]

@buwaytress
I have been there too before. The best option is to look at the neobanks, and not the recent ones because a lot of them rely on a 3rd party. The old one that is a subsidiary of a bank. They're less annoying when it's located in your country. I also belive it depends on the exchange...

I switched to the local neobanks, I tested 2 banks last month and all Tx from Kraken worked fine. 

[alani123]

I wanted to give some insight about Ferratum bank:

I recently registered and have been playing with their app. Access to services is app only apparently. But I don't think this bank gets as much appreciation as it should. Not that they're doing glossy advertising for their features anyway. But the feature set offered is impressive to me.

From within the app, you're allowed to create
Savings or current accounts, as well as Term deposits.

Accounts can come in EUR, SEK, GBP, CHF, PLN, DKK and NOK! I checked and I was even able to create multiple accounts in one currency (I don't actually need this and now there's no option to delete )! And there's no maintenance fee.

What's even more impressive is that currency exchange (according to their claims) comes with no fees on top of their rate. This is especially convenient for everyday use because for a small amount, when there's no fee charged, it can make a big difference. I tested and for EUR -> NOK it was even cheaper than transferwise with their rate, at least for amounts around 100 EUR. The rate difference I noticed between transferwise and FerratumBank was less than 1% less favorable in Ferratumbank. So for small amounts, if there's no fee, Ferratum is your best bet.

Also the card, (which I've yet to receive), claims to have no withdrawal fees worldwide!

It seems like they've thought about the majority of things someone working with people and businesses around the world could ask for, and it's all offered at no or very low cost too! I hope it stays that way.
Really impressed so far! It's very nice to see that there's competition in the market for Neobanks.

[LTU_btc]

I wanted to give some insight about Ferratum bank:

I recently registered and have been playing with their app. Access to services is app only apparently. But I don't think this bank gets as much appreciation as it should. Not that they're doing glossy advertising for their features anyway. But the feature set offered is impressive to me.

From within the app, you're allowed to create
Savings or current accounts, as well as Term deposits.

Accounts can come in EUR, SEK, GBP, CHF, PLN, DKK and NOK! I checked and I was even able to create multiple accounts in one currency (I don't actually need this and now there's no option to delete )! And there's no maintenance fee.

What's even more impressive is that currency exchange (according to their claims) comes with no fees on top of their rate. This is especially convenient for everyday use because for a small amount, when there's no fee charged, it can make a big difference. I tested and for EUR -> NOK it was even cheaper than transferwise with their rate, at least for amounts around 100 EUR. The rate difference I noticed between transferwise and FerratumBank was less than 1% less favorable in Ferratumbank. So for small amounts, if there's no fee, Ferratum is your best bet.

Also the card, (which I've yet to receive), claims to have no withdrawal fees worldwide!

It seems like they've thought about the majority of things someone working with people and businesses around the world could ask for, and it's all offered at no or very low cost too! I hope it stays that way.
Really impressed so far! It's very nice to see that there's competition in the market for Neobanks.

I saw somewhere Ferratum advertised as money lending service, didn't knew that they're bank also. From your review it looks like interesting option to try. No or very minimal fees, free contactless debit card, good exchange rates sounds very attractive. But main question for me - what's their attitude towards crypto, they're crypto friendly bank or no? I wasn't able to find information about that. I heard stories that some Neobanks, same like regular banks can close accounts if it's used to transfer money from/to crypto exchanges.

[LeGaulois]

@LTU_btc
With all the posts I read about "Malta is the best country for cryptos" I suppose yes since FerratumBank is located there  
A thing I noticed is it ask you a Tax ID Number to abide by the Common Reporting Standard from OECD. Something to not forget to consider if someone is trying to avoid the taxes in his country, or do not forget to report the account for the tax filing.

[someoldcoins]

thanks for the tips

are these money transfer services provide dedicated  and personal outgoing ibans?

[alani123]

thanks for the tips

are these money transfer services provide dedicated  and personal outgoing ibans?

Yes, all of those banks have IBAN and most personal too. Unless it is otherwise indicated in the OP at least, I think it'd be safe to say that mist of the mentioned banks should have those services as they are crucial for banking. The OP has been trying to maintain the list updated with this info but as more and more banks are popping up, not all of them are in the thread since the last update.

[someoldcoins]

thanks for the tips

are these money transfer services provide dedicated  and personal outgoing ibans?

Yes, all of those banks have IBAN and most personal too. Unless it is otherwise indicated in the OP at least, I think it'd be safe to say that mist of the mentioned banks should have those services as they are crucial for banking. The OP has been trying to maintain the list updated with this info but as more and more banks are popping up, not all of them are in the thread since the last update.

thanks , yes they have but only incoming unique IBAN ? if i want to send out transfer ,the recipient bank wont get it from my personal iban .

[freespirit]

thanks for the tips

are these money transfer services provide dedicated  and personal outgoing ibans?

Yes, all of those banks have IBAN and most personal too. Unless it is otherwise indicated in the OP at least, I think it'd be safe to say that mist of the mentioned banks should have those services as they are crucial for banking. The OP has been trying to maintain the list updated with this info but as more and more banks are popping up, not all of them are in the thread since the last update.

thanks , yes they have but only incoming unique IBAN ? if i want to send out transfer ,the recipient bank wont get it from my personal iban .

It depends on the financial institution, it is best to clarify with them. Transferwise for instance sends some transactions from your name and some from theirs. Revolut might do the same according to their FAQ if you send more than a certain amount.

[alani123]

thanks for the tips

are these money transfer services provide dedicated  and personal outgoing ibans?

Yes, all of those banks have IBAN and most personal too. Unless it is otherwise indicated in the OP at least, I think it'd be safe to say that mist of the mentioned banks should have those services as they are crucial for banking. The OP has been trying to maintain the list updated with this info but as more and more banks are popping up, not all of them are in the thread since the last update.

thanks , yes they have but only incoming unique IBAN ? if i want to send out transfer ,the recipient bank wont get it from my personal iban .

It depends on the financial institution, it is best to clarify with them. Transferwise for instance sends some transactions from your name and some from theirs. Revolut might do the same according to their FAQ if you send more than a certain amount.

With transferwise's borderless account I think is sending with the user's name bot only for certain currencies. Namely GBP, EUR, USD and AUD. So main currencies should be covered. Source:
https://transferwise.com/help/article/2811610/borderless-account/whats-the-sender-name-on-transfers-made-from-my-borderless-account

Revolut is more complicated though.

[alani123]

I took the advice of other users and registered in Fidor.de.

Apparently, they do accept Non-German residents. Through the registration process I got some help because my German isn't good, and the last email was telling me that they'd email me... Which they never did.

Anyway, some time passed and I remembered about all this. I logged into my account and turns out that I just had to do ID verification to complete my registration. They were using a third party service. Some agents were kinds rude but I got through it with the third one. Overall it's not the smoothest registration process but it worked...

The bank seems to have almost too many features and there's no translated version sadly.

[sampam]

I took the advice of other users and registered in Fidor.de.

Apparently, they do accept Non-German residents. Through the registration process I got some help because my German isn't good, and the last email was telling me that they'd email me... Which they never did.

Anyway, some time passed and I remembered about all this. I logged into my account and turns out that I just had to do ID verification to complete my registration. They were using a third party service. Some agents were kinds rude but I got through it with the third one. Overall it's not the smoothest registration process but it worked...

The bank seems to have almost too many features and there's no translated version sadly.

But still EU citizen and resident? ID required was EU issued or had EU address on it?

[alani123]

I took the advice of other users and registered in Fidor.de.

Apparently, they do accept Non-German residents. Through the registration process I got some help because my German isn't good, and the last email was telling me that they'd email me... Which they never did.

Anyway, some time passed and I remembered about all this. I logged into my account and turns out that I just had to do ID verification to complete my registration. They were using a third party service. Some agents were kinds rude but I got through it with the third one. Overall it's not the smoothest registration process but it worked...

The bank seems to have almost too many features and there's no translated version sadly.

But still EU citizen and resident? ID required was EU issued or had EU address on it?

For privates, it seems to be EU/EEA residents only. I personally used a passport but I'm not sure if other forms of ID are accepted.

Google translate from their FAQ:
I am a resident abroad. Can I open an account with Fidor Bank? (Originally: Ich habe einen Wohnsitz im Ausland. Kann ich bei Fidor Bank ein Konto eröffnen?)

For private customers: If you are a national of the EU / EEA and have a residence in the EU / EEA, you can open an account with us. If you have only a different nationality, you will need a valid residence permit and a registered residence in the EU / EEA to open an account.

For business customers another regulation applies. Here, the residence and nationality of the persons involved are only linked to the fact that we need a proof of address (official document in German or English writing and not older than 3 months). Note, however, that reviewing the document may delay the opening.
Note: An official document in the non-German area can either be translated / issued by a message. Or be notarized and certified in Germany or in English-speaking countries.
An examination of the document takes place in any case and may take several days in individual cases.

[BuyingFast]

OP, can you please update?

MrTango is down for example.