Revolut in Talks with Investment Banks to Acquire a U.S. Bank

Hey Digital Banking Fanatic!

Not exactly breaking news, I mentioned this a month ago, but Revolut seems to be making moves now. Bloomberg reports the company is in talks with investment bankers about a potential U.S. acquisition.

The move is not out of the ordinary, since its UK rival Starling is exploring a similar path. Both are clearly looking for a faster way into the U.S. market, beyond relying on local bank partnerships or waiting for a license.

You can read more about this Revolut update in the article I prepared.

Of course, there are more updates below 👇

See you Monday!

Cheers,

Marcel

PODCAST 

🎤 LATAM vs US FinTech: Lessons from Deuna. In this episode of Connecting the Dots in FinTech, Arthur talks with José María Serrano, co-founder of Deuna, the one-click checkout startup reshaping e-commerce in Latin America. They dive into key differences between U.S. and LATAM FinTech, Deuna’s path to product-market fit, and how it tackles fraud, conversion, and scalability, offering valuable lessons for founders in emerging markets. You can also listen to us on Spotify

INSIGHTS

🇺🇸 Revolut is in talks with Investment Bankers on a possible U.S. Acquisition. The company is also considering reapplying for a U.S. banking license. This comes as Revolut prepares to launch savings products for U.S. consumers and ramps up marketing efforts, including a recent New York subway campaign. Gaining a license or acquiring a bank would give Revolut greater control over its U.S. operations.

NEWS

🇪🇬 Egypt’s first digital bank, Onebank, is to open for business in 2026. The bank aims to attract 800,000 customers in its first year. It is targeting deposits of EGP40 billion ($822 million) over that period. The CEO, Sherif ElBehery, said that Onebank’s initial focus would be on retail banking, and the business would start targeting corporate clients after 18 months.

🇬🇧 Allica Bank to sponsor rising motorsport star Daniella Sutton. Sutton, who currently races in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship and has ambitions to step into FIA Formula 4. Allica said the partnership reflects its commitment to supporting those who take bold steps forward, whether on the track or in business.

🇬🇧 Barclays to sell Entercard stake to Swedbank for $273 million. Swedbank will buy out Barclays' stake in Entercard, which provides consumer credit in the Nordics, at the 2.6 billion crown book value estimated in March, and will pay in cash. Keep reading

🇦🇪 UAE digital bank Zand offers CoinMENA users seamless fiat to crypto integration. Clients will be able to transfer funds between their Zand Bank account and CoinMENA wallet. Zand’s AI and blockchain infrastructure will ensure efficient banking services for CoinMENA users.

🇮🇳 Banking infrastructure startup TransBnk raises $25 million. The company aims to enhance its technology and product teams while capitalizing on banks' transition to modular, opex-led technology stacks. TransBnk's platform connects FinTechs and corporates with multiple banks through its API-driven system.

🇪🇺 Young Platform to launch Europe’s first crypto-native neobank under MiCA framework. The launch comes as digital banking grows rapidly worldwide, with the neobanking market valued at $143.29 billion in 2024 and forecast to reach $3.4 trillion by 2032. Europe leads the sector with a 37.75% share.

🇺🇿 Eurasian Bank loses licence in Uzbekistan over capital shortfall and regulatory breaches. A liquidation commission will be formed to oversee the closure. From the day its licence was revoked, the institution has been prohibited from accepting deposits, issuing loans, or engaging in any other banking activity.

🇲🇾 MBSB Bank launches Get- Global Easy Transfer, and becomes the first bank to partner with the Wise platform in Malaysia. With this launch, Wise's global infrastructure for banks and enterprises enables customers to send money abroad in a simpler, faster, and more transparent way, directly through the Bank’s M Journey retail banking app.

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