- Europe’s second largest neobank files for an Institución de Banca Múltiple license
- The application answers growing demand for a bank that is global, safe, and easy to use
- bunq will focus on the many global citizens within and with ties to Mexico
Mexico City, 13 May 2026 - bunq, Europe’s second-largest neobank, has formally filed for a Mexican banking license with the Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV), in coordination with Banco de México (Banxico). This marks a major step in its mission to make life easy for Mexico’s rapidly-growing group of global citizens.
The mobile bank has built its offering around a globally-connected community that is underserved by traditional banks. bunq will address the real friction faced by those living and working in Mexico who have limited access to local banking. A full banking license would allow bunq to offer Mexican residents full-service banking, multi-currency accounts, and protected deposits under the Institute for the Protection of Bank Savings (IPAB).
“bunq is designed for people who live, work, and travel across borders, and as a vital hub connecting the Americas, Mexico is a natural home for us,” said Ali Niknam, founder and CEO of bunq. “Our users are global citizens, so they need a bank that is safe, secure and easy to use, wherever they are. It’s been great working with CNBV and Banxico on how we can make life easy for those who call Mexico home.”
Operating across more than 30 European markets, bunq has established itself as the world’s first GenAI-powered bank. The Mexico license application news comes as bunq continues its global expansion, following bunq’s recent application for a US de novo license, and the approval of its US broker-dealer license. The bank was also the first EU neobank to report a full year of profit.
bunq, Europe’s second-largest neobank, has rebuilt banking from the ground up. As the world’s first GenAI-powered bank, bunq’s proprietary AI powers every part of the business, from helping users with their finances, to being baked into bunq’s own operations. By developing a product rooted in its users’ wants and needs, bunq makes life easy for location-independent people and businesses, starting from the way they manage money: how they spend, save, budget and invest.
Pioneering many things considered impossible, bunq was the first bank to get a European banking permit in over 35 years, raised the largest series A round ever secured by a European fintech (€193 million), and was the first EU neobank to achieve structural profitability. As part of its mission to build the first global neobank, in October 2025 bunq also took its first step into the US as an approved broker-dealer, with more expansion to follow. Learn more: www.bunq.com