United Kingdom
activeFeaturedNeobankBusiness banking
- HQ
- London
- Fee
- Personal free
Atom bank
PRA/FCA UK bank. Savings and mortgages. FSCS. Not a Starling-class current account.
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7.1Solid
AlternativesFive questions
At a glance
Is it a bank?
Yes — UK bank — Atom bank plc (PRA / FCA). Still read the entity on the statement.
If it fails?
FSCS up to £120,000 per depositor per authorised firm (scheme cap from 1 Dec 2025)
Salary?
Not listed. An IBAN or sort code is not automatically a salary account.
Open from abroad?
Residency and KYC are gated. An App Store listing is not proof you can onboard.
Monthly fee
£0 on core savings SKUs — confirm live
Account number
IBAN is part of the pitch — issuing country not stored.
NeoBankDB Verdict
Licence first · score second
7.1
/10 · Solid
Atom bank plc is a UK bank. FSCS applies. The live product is savings, mortgages and some SME lending — not a Monzo current account. Put salary at Starling or Monzo. Put a savings pot here if the rate wins. The purple app is not a licence upgrade for an EMI.
What it is
Founded 2014, banking licence 2015, public launch 2016. Durham then Newcastle. Anthony Thomson and Mark Mullen’s challenger. BBVA sat in the cap table. In 2026 the homepage still sells savings and mortgages, not weekend FX. FSCS lifted to £120,000 on 1 December 2025 for the whole scheme — this desk writes the live cap on Atom and on the UK country page.
Best for: UK savers and mortgage-shoppers who want a PRA bank, not a current-account lifestyle app.
Last checked 2026-08-28. Not advice.
What it does well
- +Named PRA/FCA bank
- +FSCS
- +App savings that actually pay
- +Not an EMI
What to watch
- −Not Starling for salary and rent
- −Mortgage/savings specialist
- −UK residents
- −No travel FX story
Who holds the money
The account
- Platforms
- iOS · Android
- Account types
- Savings · mortgages · SME secured
- Partner bank
- Atom bank plc (PRA / FCA)
- Minimum balance
- £0
- Lowest monthly fee
- £0 on core savings SKUs
- Who can open
- UK residents
- Availability
- United Kingdom
How money actually moves
- Who holds the cash
- Insured bank deposit
- How money moves
- IBAN / SEPA · Faster Payments
- Built for
- Personal · Business
- Settlement
- Local rails instant where live; SWIFT slower
- Freeze risk
- Bank-grade; still not freeze-proof
- Card
- Atom bank has no card listed on this file.
Licence first
Safety
FSCS up to £120,000 per depositor per authorised firm (scheme cap from 1 Dec 2025)
Who holds the money: Atom bank plc
- PRA / FCAUK bank — Atom bank plc · United Kingdom
Fees
- Monthly
- £0 on core savings SKUs — confirm live
- FX markup
- Not a travel bank
- ATM
- Not the product
- Interest
- App savings and fixed terms — rates move
Features
- ✓IBAN
- ✓Fee-free core
- –Multi-currency
- –Apple Pay
- –Google Pay
- –Virtual card
- –Physical card
- –Metal card
- –Crypto
- –Stocks
- ✓Business
- –Kids
- –Halal
- App savings
- Mortgages
- SME secured loans
- UK sort code / IBAN on bank products
- FSCS bank
Score
- Safety25%
- 8.8
- Fees20%
- 7.8
- Features15%
- 6.4
- App15%
- 8.2
- Global15%
- 3.0
- Support10%
- 7.2
Change log
Full logSafety
FSCS scheme cap £120,000
PRA lifted the UK deposit-protection cap from £85,000 on 1 December 2025. Atom bank plc is FSCS. Product remains savings and mortgages.
Available in
Straight answers
FAQ
01Is Atom bank a bank?
Atom bank holds a banking-style licence (PRA / FCA). Still read the legal entity on the statement, not the app icon.
02How is money protected?
FSCS up to £120,000 per depositor per authorised firm (scheme cap from 1 Dec 2025)
03Where is Atom bank available?
We list 1 market on NeoBankDB. Residency and onboarding rules still sit with Atom bank.
04Card and wallets?
Atom bank has no card listed on this file.
05Can I open Atom bank remotely?
Residency and KYC are gated. An App Store listing is not proof you can onboard from your country.
Ratings and reviews
No published user reviews yet. The NeoBankDB score still comes from licence, fees, and the product — not from an empty star average.
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