United States
activeFeaturedNeobank
- HQ
- San Francisco
- Fee
- Free
MoneyLion
US consumer-finance app. Not a bank. Spend DDA at Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC. Credit SKUs are not deposits.
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6.3Mixed
AlternativesFive questions
At a glance
Is it a bank?
No. MoneyLion is not a bank. The money sits with Pathward, N.A..
If it fails?
MoneyLion is not FDIC-insured. Eligible Spend / RoarMoney balances sit at Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC, up to $250,000 if pass-through holds. Credit Reserve and lending SKUs are not deposits.
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
Free with qualifying direct deposit; otherwise product-priced — confirm live
Account number
No IBAN-class local rail on this file.
NeoBankDB Verdict
Licence first · score second
6.3
/10 · Mixed
MoneyLion is a New York consumer-finance app. It is not a bank. Spend / RoarMoney sits at Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC, partnership extended to 2029. Credit Reserve is explicitly not FDIC. Instacash is credit. Ally, SoFi and Varo remain the US salary banks. Use this as a debit-plus-credit loop if you already understand the difference. Do not treat Instacash as a deposit.
What it is
Founded 2013, SPAC-era NYSE ticker, later Gen Digital adjacency on some tiles — confirm the live parent. Directories dump it next to Chime. Chime is Bancorp and Stride. This is Pathward plus a lending marketplace.
Best for: US consumers who want a Pathward debit plus credit tools and already keep a second FDIC salary account.
Last checked 2026-08-30. Not advice.
What it does well
- +Named Pathward, N.A. on the legal copy
- +Partnership extended to 2029
- +Honest ‘not a bank’ footer
- +Mastercard debit
What to watch
- −Not a bank
- −Lending SKUs are the growth loop
- −Instacash is not FDIC
- −Not Ally for salary
Who holds the money
The account
- Partner bank
- Pathward, N.A. (partnership extended through 2029)
How money actually moves
- Who holds the cash
- E-money / stored-value — not a bank deposit
- How money moves
- ACH / USD
- Built for
- Personal
- Settlement
- App-ledger instant; bank rails per corridor
- Freeze risk
- Bank-grade; still not freeze-proof
- Card
- MoneyLion lists a physical card and a virtual card on mastercard, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. Confirm the live product in the app — a card is not a current account.
Licence first
Safety
MoneyLion is not FDIC-insured. Eligible Spend / RoarMoney balances sit at Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC, up to $250,000 if pass-through holds. Credit Reserve and lending SKUs are not deposits.
Who holds the money: Pathward, N.A.
- FDIC (partner) / state lendingFintech. MoneyLion. Not a bank. Spend account at Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC · United States
Fees
- Monthly
- Free with qualifying direct deposit; otherwise product-priced — confirm live
- FX markup
- Not a travel specialist
- ATM
- Network / plan
Features
- –IBAN
- ✓Fee-free core
- –Multi-currency
- ✓Apple Pay
- ✓Google Pay
- ✓Virtual card
- ✓Physical card
- –Metal card
- –Crypto
- –Stocks
- –Business
- –Kids
- –Halal
- USD Spend DDA
- Pathward FDIC
- Credit / Instacash adjacency
- Marketplace (Engine)
- Not a bank
Score
- Safety25%
- 6.2
- Fees20%
- 6.6
- Features15%
- 7.8
- App15%
- 8.0
- Global15%
- 3.0
- Support10%
- 6.0
Change log
Full logSafety
Pathward N.A. holds Spend; partnership to 2029
Not a bank. Credit / Instacash are not FDIC deposits.
Available in
Straight answers
FAQ
01Is MoneyLion a bank?
MoneyLion is not a licensed deposit-taker in the classic sense. Money, if any, sits with Pathward, N.A..
02How is money protected?
MoneyLion is not FDIC-insured. Eligible Spend / RoarMoney balances sit at Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC, up to $250,000 if pass-through holds. Credit Reserve and lending SKUs are not deposits.
03Where is MoneyLion available?
We list 1 market on NeoBankDB. Residency and onboarding rules still sit with MoneyLion.
04Card and wallets?
MoneyLion lists a physical card and a virtual card on mastercard, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. Confirm the live product in the app — a card is not a current account.
05Can I open MoneyLion 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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