Revolut submits application for US banking license and launches business accounts in all 50 states

Revolut, the financial superapp with 15 million customers worldwide, is celebrating its one-year anniversary in the US with two major milestones – the submission of its draft application for a US banking license and the launch of Revolut Business across all 50 states.

Revolut’s US CEO, Ron Oliveira, confirmed today that the company has submitted a draft application with the FDIC and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, the first step in the process to obtain a banking license. An important part of Revolut’s plans to build the world’s first global financial superapp, a US banking license would allow Revolut to provide a broader range of financial products to US customers including overdraft protection, loans and deposit accounts.

Revolut announced in January that it had submitted its application for a UK bank license to the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It was granted an EU banking license in Lithuania in December 2018 and has begun rolling out banking services in Central Europe.

“A US banking license would ultimately enable us to provide US customers with all the essential financial products and services they can expect from their primary bank including loans and deposits,” Revolut co-founder and CEO, Nik Storonsky said. “We’re on a mission to build the world’s first global financial superapp, and pursuing a US banking license is an integral part of the journey.”

Additionally, after roll-outs across Europe, amassing over 500K sign-ups globally, Revolut is bringing its innovative business accounts to the US, offering customers one place to manage all things business. Revolut Business allows companies to sign-up for multi-currency accounts in minutes, issue physical and virtual corporate cards, make free money transfers in 29 currencies to pay suppliers, partners, or employees wherever they may be – all at the interbank exchange rate.

Business account features include free and instant money transfers between companies that are signed up for Revolut Business, foreign currency accounts that allow customers to spend like locals, as well as tools for expense and subscription management. Additionally, customers can seamlessly integrate the latest apps and services from Revolut and industry-leading external partners such as Slack, Zapier, Xero, and QuickBooks, to optimize processes, save time, and reduce human error.

“Small and medium-sized businesses are massively underserved in the US, and we want to empower them with the tools to grow and scale globally,” Storonsky said. “Tackling fragmented processes, high fees, and other business banking pain points, we built an end-to-end solution that saves business owners time and resources to focus on what really matters – running their business.”

Since launching in the US one year ago in March 2020, Revolut has attracted hundreds of thousands of customers. The launch of Revolut Business and the submission of the draft application for a US bank charter are major milestones for the company, reflecting its commitment to providing best-in-class financial services for both retail and business customers across the country.