France
activeFeaturedBusiness banking
- HQ
- Paris
- Fee
- Paid plans from a small monthly
BforBank
Crédit Agricole’s online bank. ACPR credit institution. FGDR. French IBAN, bank code 16218.
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7.1Solid
AlternativesFive questions
At a glance
Is it a bank?
No. BforBank is not a bank. Your money sits with BforBank S.A..
If it fails?
FGDR up to €100,000 per depositor per credit institution — Crédit Agricole group, so do not blindly double-count next to a CA / LCL salary account
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
BforBASIC often €0 — confirm live; paid SKUs exist
Account number
IBAN is part of the pitch — issuing country not stored.
NeoBankDB Verdict
Licence first · score second
7.1
/10 · Solid
BforBank is a French credit institution in the Crédit Agricole group. ACPR plus AMF. FGDR. Bank code 16218, BIC BFOBFRP1. Founded 2009, about 500,000 customers. Recapitalised in 2025. This is a bank. Qonto is an EMI-class business account. Different objects. N26 is a German IBAN.
What it is
CA launched an online bank before ‘neobank’ was a slide. Directories still scrape it as a challenger. This desk files it next to Abanca and Aktia: digital skin, bank charter. If your salary already sits at Crédit Agricole or LCL, the FGDR cap is a group question.
Best for: France residents who want a CA-group online bank IBAN without living in a branch, and do not already sit at CA for the cap.
Last checked 2026-08-28. Not advice.
What it does well
- +Named ACPR credit institution
- +FGDR
- +Sixteen years of operating history
- +CA group capital
What to watch
- −Group deposit-cap maths with Crédit Agricole
- −Not a travel FX home
- −App is a bank app
- −2025 recap was a capital event, not a licence change
Who holds the money
The account
- Platforms
- iOS · Android · Web
- Account types
- Personal current · savings · brokerage
- Partner bank
- BforBank S.A. (Crédit Agricole group)
- Minimum balance
- €0
- Lowest monthly fee
- BforBASIC often €0 — confirm live
- Who can open
- France residents
- Availability
- France
How money actually moves
- Who holds the cash
- Issued / held via BforBank S.A.
- How money moves
- IBAN / SEPA
- Built for
- Personal · Investing
- Settlement
- Local rails instant where live; SWIFT slower
- Freeze risk
- Fintech reviews can pause inbound while they check a transfer
- Card
- BforBank lists a physical card and a virtual card on visa, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. Confirm the live product in the app — a card is not a current account.
Licence first
Safety
FGDR up to €100,000 per depositor per credit institution — Crédit Agricole group, so do not blindly double-count next to a CA / LCL salary account
Who holds the money: BforBank S.A.
- ACPRCredit institution · France
- AMFInvestment firm · France
Fees
- Monthly
- BforBASIC often €0 — confirm live; paid SKUs exist
- FX markup
- Bank tariff, not Wise
- ATM
- CA network + third-party schedule
- Interest
- Livret and savings SKUs — rates move
Features
- ✓IBAN
- ✓Fee-free core
- –Multi-currency
- ✓Apple Pay
- ✓Google Pay
- ✓Virtual card
- ✓Physical card
- –Metal card
- –Crypto
- ✓Stocks
- –Business
- –Kids
- –Halal
- French IBAN (bank code 16218)
- BforBASIC / paid packs
- Savings and brokerage sleeve
- 100% online
- FGDR bank
Score
- Safety25%
- 8.4
- Fees20%
- 7.4
- Features15%
- 7.2
- App15%
- 7.0
- Global15%
- 4.4
- Support10%
- 6.8
Change log
Full logLicence
ACPR credit institution, Crédit Agricole group
FGDR. Bank code 16218. ~500k customers. Recapitalised 2025. Not Qonto.
Available in
Straight answers
FAQ
01Is BforBank a bank?
BforBank is not a licensed deposit-taker in the classic sense. Money, if any, sits with BforBank S.A..
02How is money protected?
FGDR up to €100,000 per depositor per credit institution — Crédit Agricole group, so do not blindly double-count next to a CA / LCL salary account
03Where is BforBank available?
We list 1 market on NeoBankDB. Residency and onboarding rules still sit with BforBank.
04Card and wallets?
BforBank lists a physical card and a virtual card on visa, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. Confirm the live product in the app — a card is not a current account.
05Can I open BforBank 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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