Abanca

Abanca is a bank. Put it next to N26 only to show the difference: Spanish FGD versus a German IBAN. Do not list it as a challenger. If you need salary in Spain, this is the object. If you need weekend FX, it is not.

Abanca is the Galician successor bank built from NCG / Novacaixagalicia after the crisis. HQ A Coruña. Banco de España / ECB. It sits on this desk because people searching ‘digital bank Spain’ land on bank-owned apps and need the licence named. Branches still exist. That is a feature for FGD, not a failure of ‘neobank-ness’.

Abanca lists Credit institution under Banco de España / ECB in Spain. On safeguarding we currently write: Spanish FGD up to €100,000 per depositor per bank — B100 is the same bank, so do not double-count the cap. Holder / issuer line: Abanca Corporación Bancaria, S.A.. An AML programme is claimed. Local bank details (IBAN / sort code / equivalent) are part of the pitch. We list 1 live markets on the product. As we score the sticker: monthly Account packs — confirm live tariff; FX High-street FX unless a named pack says otherwise; ATM Network + third-party schedule; interest Deposit products on the bank balance sheet. This desk would open it for: People who actually live in Spain and want FGD, not a Lithuanian IBAN.

What it does well: Real Spanish bank; FGD; Business + personal. What to watch: Not a travel FX product; App is a bank app; Spain-resident. Desk score 6.9 / 10 (safety 8.4, fees 6.6, features 7.2, app 6.8). Last verified 2026-08-28. Headquartered in A Coruña, Spain; founded 2011. None of this is advice — it is a file so you can read the entity before the card colour.