Revolut Commits €1B to France as It Eyes Local Banking License
Hey Digital Banking Fanatic!
Revolut is going all in on France.
€1 billion in capital over three years. A new Paris headquarters. 200 new hires now. Up to 1,500 employees within three years. France becomes its Western Europe hub.
They already have 7 million customers in France. Added 2.5 million in 2025 alone. If that pace continues, they overtake BoursoBank this year.
70 million customers globally. 50 million in continental Europe. And €11.5 billion is earmarked to fuel growth and local product expansion.
The next step is clear. A full French banking licence. Mortgage lending. Livret A. PEA. More local depth on top of a global tech stack.
This is not just expansion. It’s localisation at scale...
A Very Different Outcome In The UK
While Revolut scales, Zempler Bank just got acquired at less than half its previous valuation.
The former Cashplus was sold to Access Bank UK for roughly £3.45 per share. Back in 2020, shares were priced above £9.
Profit was up 58% to £5.2m. But lending slowed. Delinquencies rose. Net loans fell 10%.
Two FinTech stories. Two very different trajectories.
If you’re tracking how Digital Banking players are scaling, repositioning, or being repriced across markets, keep scrolling 👇 More from the ecosystem coming soon.
Cheers,
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NEWS
🇫🇷 Revolut's major offensive in France. Béatrice Cossa-Dumurgier said Revolut plans to make France its Western European hub, backed by a €1 billion investment and a new headquarters in Paris. She confirmed the firm is pursuing a French banking licence, aiming for approval in 2026 to support more localised, higher-value products.
🇬🇧 City announces Revolut as official back-of-shirt partner. As part of the multi-year agreement, the Revolut brand will feature on the back of the Men’s team playing shirts for domestic cup matches and across WSL and cup fixtures for Manchester City Women, in addition to selected training wear.
🇪🇸 Bnext closes as a neobank on April 13 and pivots towards financial infrastructure services. In a statement, the company indicated that market conditions have become increasingly challenging, with growing competition and a more complex regulatory environment.
🇪🇺 Apollo is in talks to offer funds to Revolut customers in Europe. The alternative asset manager would be one of the private capital managers set to offer vehicles via Revolut’s private markets offering, which the FinTech is expected to launch later this year. The funds would only be available in the European Union.
🇦🇷 Banks beat payment providers in Argentina. A proposal that would have allowed workers to receive wages in digital wallets managed by payment providers was defeated after banks pressured lawmakers to exclude that option during debates over Argentina’s new labor law reform.
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🇬🇧 UK FinTech Zempler Bank snapped up for less than half its previous valuation. “The Access Bank UK Limited has agreed to acquire a 100% shareholding in Zempler Bank Limited,” the bank said. “The transaction has now received regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.”
🌎 10x Banking and HassemPrag join forces to drive next-gen banking innovation across Africa. The partnership will combine 10x Banking’s best-in-class core banking platform with HassemPrag’s integration capabilities and regional expertise to deliver a unified, complete banking solution to replace legacy core banking technology.
🇨🇳 DBS has added Weixin/WeChat as a recipient option on DBS Remit, enabling almost-instant overseas transfers to China with zero fees and preferential exchange rates. Users can send money for family support or personal savings through the digibank app, with additional promotional perks.
🇧🇷 Brazilian digital lending FinTech Meutudo is acquired by BTG Pactual (48%) to expand in the retail segment. The acquisition aims to support the company's growth plans. According to BTG, BTG originates high-quality, well-structured digital loans. If the deal progresses favorably, the bank intends to acquire a controlling stake.
🇺🇸 Gennius XYZ acquires majority stake in Utoppia to expand financial infrastructure. Through the integration, Utoppia will leverage Gennius’ global payments, rewards, tokenization, and treasury capabilities while maintaining regulatory and operational independence.
🇨🇳 MariBank links remittances to Weixin Pay via TenPay Global. Users can send salaries and savings directly to their own or close relatives’ Weixin Pay accounts through MariBank Overseas Transfers, the digital bank’s remittance service. Keep reading
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