#1 alternative
active
Ex-TymeBank. SARB digital bank. CODI R100,000. Free account on its own homepage.
Johannesburg · South Africa digital bank · Tyme Group / shareholders — confirm live
Solid
GoTyme Bank is TymeBank under a January 2026 name. Same SARB bank. The operator footer still does the honest work: authorised financial services provider FSP 49140, registered credit provider NCRCP 10774, deposits insured by CODI up to R100,000 per depositor. The old TymeBank app retires on 6 September 2026; existing customers log into GoTyme with the same details. Bank Zero is the mutual-bank peer. Mama Money is remittance, not this file. Discovery Bank is the other big digital charter. This is a South African salary object if the account you open is the bank account — not a stokvel app with a Visa.
Best for: South African residents who want a SARB digital bank with CODI, not a wallet.
- Named SARB bank
- CODI R100,000 on the operator footer
- Free-account pitch
- South Africa residency
- Not a multi-currency travel bank
- Brand change will confuse older directories
- Licence
- Registered bank — GoTyme Bank Ltd (formerly Tyme Bank Limited)
- Protection
- GoTyme’s own footer: deposits insured by the Corporation for Deposit Insurance up to R100,000 per depositor in the unlikely event of the bank’s insolvency. FSP 49140. NCRCP 10774.
- Monthly
- Free banking on the homepage pitch — T&Cs apply
#2 alternative
active
Sandton mutual bank. SARB. CODI R100,000. App-only South African bank.
Sandton · App-only SA · Mutual / founder capital
Mixed
Bank Zero Mutual Bank is a SARB mutual bank. CODI covers qualifying deposits up to R100,000. Michael Jordaan and Yatin Narsai built an app-only clearing bank in Sandton. That is a bank. It is not Capitec-scale and it is not a multi-currency EMI. Salary in rand can live here; FX still belongs on Wise.
Best for: South African residents who want a SARB mutual bank on a phone, not a Big Five branch.
- Named SARB mutual bank
- CODI R100k
- Clearing bank, not a wallet
- Mutual, not a commercial bank
- ZAR-only home
- Small versus Standard / FNB
- Licence
- Mutual bank — Bank Zero Mutual Bank
- Protection
- CODI (Corporation for Deposit Insurance) up to R100,000 per qualifying depositor — mutual banks are in by law
- Monthly
- Low / free core pitch — confirm live
#3 alternative
active
Yuh is not a bank. Swissquote Bank Ltd is. esisuisse cover is CHF 100,000, shared.
Gland · Swiss all-in-one app · Swissquote (100% after July 2025)
Solid
Yuh is not a bank. The English homepage says it in one paragraph: Swissquote Bank Ltd provides the banking, FINMA authorises that bank, and esisuisse cover is CHF 100,000 shared with Swissquote. July 2025 ended the PostFinance joint venture. If you already hold cash at Swissquote, do not count CHF 100,000 twice. Zak is Bank Cler. Neon sits at Hypothekarbank Lenzburg. Read those files separately.
Best for: People who live in Switzerland and want spend plus invest, and who accept Swissquote as the bank.
- Official line: Yuh is not a bank
- Swissquote Bank Ltd is named
- esisuisse CHF 100,000 is printed
- Shared cap with any Swissquote cash you already hold
- Swiss residency
- Not Zak, not Neon, not Alpian
- Licence
- Fintech app — not a bank
- Protection
- Yuh itself is not a bank. Banking sits at Swissquote Bank Ltd, FINMA-authorised. esisuisse covers eligible deposits up to CHF 100,000. Yuh and Swissquote are one entity, so the cap is shared.
- Monthly
- No fees whenever possible — live list on yuh.com/en/pricing
#4 alternative
active
J.P. Morgan Europe Limited trading as Chase. UK bank, PRA/FCA, FSCS up to £120,000.
London · UK digital bank · JPMorgan Chase
Solid
Chase UK is a bank. The legal name is J.P. Morgan Europe Limited. PRA-authorised, FCA-regulated, FSCS up to £120,000. It is a useful UK current account with honest travel spend. It is not Revolut’s multi-country stack and not a US Chase login. UK tax residents only.
Best for: UK residents who want a JPMorgan current account in an app, with FSCS, and cheap travel spend.
- Real UK bank, not an EMI
- FSCS £120,000
- £0 monthly
- UK residents only
- No overdraft
- App-only
- Licence
- UK bank
- Protection
- FSCS up to £120,000 per depositor per bank (Chase UK FSCS page) at J.P. Morgan Europe Limited.
- Monthly
- £0
#5 alternative
active
Calgary fintech. Not an OSFI bank. Eligible cash sits in trust at CDIC-member institutions.
Calgary · Canadian fintech · Private
Mixed
Neo Financial is not a bank. Neo Financial Technologies Inc. is a Calgary fintech, a FINTRAC money-services business and a payments-Canada PSP. CDIC cover, when it applies, follows the member institution that holds the funds in trust — Peoples Bank of Canada is named on the HISA. File it as a Canadian app with a partner-bank deposit, not as EQ Bank.
Best for: Canadian residents who want the Neo app and will read which CDIC member holds the cash.
- Honest CDIC explainer on the help centre
- No monthly fee on chequing
- HISA names Peoples Bank of Canada
- Not a bank
- CDIC is via partner or trust, not Neo itself
- Chequing DTI is not always named
- Licence
- MSB and payment service provider
- Protection
- Neo is not a CDIC member. Eligible funds held in trust at CDIC-member institutions can be covered up to CAD $100,000 per beneficiary per member institution.
- Monthly
- $0 monthly on chequing, on the September 2026 agreement
#6 alternative
active
Zak is Bank Cler’s digital account. Swiss IBAN, FINMA bank, esisuisse up to CHF 100,000.
Basel · Bank Cler digital · Basler Kantonalbank
Solid
Zak is not a neobank startup. It is Bank Cler’s app. Bank Cler AG is a FINMA bank in Basel, owned by Basler Kantonalbank. You get a Swiss IBAN and esisuisse cover up to CHF 100,000. File it next to Yuh and Neon, but remember the difference: Yuh is Swissquote. Zak is Bank Cler. Neon is still Neon.
Best for: People who live in Switzerland and want a real CHF IBAN without a fintech wrapper.
- The account is Bank Cler, a FINMA bank
- esisuisse CHF 100,000
- CHF 0 on the core Zak plan
- Swiss residence required
- Not for non-residents
- FX is not Wise
- Licence
- Swiss bank (Bank Cler AG)
- Protection
- esisuisse up to CHF 100,000 per client at Bank Cler AG.
- Monthly
- CHF 0 on Zak. Zak Plus is CHF 8/month.
