Greece Gets Its First ECB-Licensed Neobank

Hi Digital Banking Fanatic,

Big news out of Greece 🇬🇷: meet Snappi, the country’s very first ECB-licensed neobank.

The Ioannina-based startup just flipped the switch on its app, promising a 100% digital, no-nonsense banking experience. Think: instant onboarding, free accounts, debit cards (virtual + physical), SEPA transfers, bill pay, cross-border transactions—the whole FinTech starter pack, but with a European banking license stamped on top.

CEO Gabriella Kindert says the pitch is simple: FinTech speed meets old-school trust. No hidden fees, no chatbot customer service, and a “Pay Later” option on the way.

Scroll down for more stories shaking up digital banking today.

Cheers,

Marcel

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NEWS

🇬🇷 Greek neobank Snappi goes live. Headquartered in Ioannina, Snappi has been designed from the ground up to be 100% digital. The mobile-only bank offers free account opening through a digital onboarding process. Customers can open an account in minutes, complete a fast KYC check, and begin banking immediately.

🇸🇮 Slovenia as Revolut's black sheep. Slovenia is the only EU country blocked on Revolut’s U.S. platform, likely due to regulatory or technical issues. While Revolut works normally in the EU, Slovenian users can't send or receive U.S. transfers and must use alternatives for now.

🇬🇧 Balderton Capital sells about $1 billion worth of Revolut shares. The European venture capital firm has offloaded about $1 billion in recent deals, the report said. Separately, Revolut has launched a tender offer to repurchase up to 10% of its shares from eligible investors at $865.42 apiece.

🇨🇭 Yuh appoints AI Persona Fin as Switzerland’s First AI CEO. Fin is an AI personality developed with ChatGPT and designed with tools such as Midjourney and HeyGen. Markus Schwab, who has served as CEO of Yuh since 2021, formally introduced Fin.

🇮🇪 AIB, Bank of Ireland, and PTSB will launch Zippay early next year, a person-to-person mobile payment service that will be available to the retail banks’ 5m customers. Service on banks’ apps will allow customers to send, request, and split payments using contacts' mobile numbers.

🇳🇿 ANZ pays $1.9 million fine in New Zealand and admits law breach. The Melbourne-based firm will pay NZ$3.25 million ($1.9 million) for the breaches that occurred between December 2012 and May 2023. ANZ has made remediation payments to all impacted current and past customers, the statement said.

🇬🇧 Lloyds closes in on £120M takeover of FinTech Curve. The financial services giant believes Curve's digital wallet platform will be a valuable asset amid growing regulatory pressure on Apple to open its payment services to rivals. Curve is a provider of digital wallet technology.

🇪🇸 BBVA opens €14.8bn bid to Banco Sabadell shareholders as Madrid imposes three-year merger freeze. The offer comprises one newly issued BBVA share plus €0.70 in cash for every 5.5483 Sabadell shares. BBVA now expects €900 million in annual synergies in 2029, up from a previous €850 million target.

🇺🇸 equipifi joins Jack Henry to expand BNPL access for banks. The collaboration highlights the increasing significance of BNPL as a vital component of digital banking transformation, aligning with financial institutions’ efforts to provide innovative, customer-centric solutions.

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