NeoBankDB

Qonto

The French (and European) business account founders actually open.

Legal entity: Qonto SA, société anonyme, Paris Trade Register 819 489 626, 6 Impasse Bonne Nouvelle, 75010 Paris. Licensed payment institution, ACPR 16958 granted 21/06/2018 — not a French credit institution.

Business bankingactiveFrance
Go to Qonto →iOS 4.7 · 35KAndroid 4.5 · 18K

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7.7Solid
Alternatives

Five questions

At a glance

  • Is it a bank?

    No. Qonto is not a licensed bank. Confirm who the money sits with before you send salary there.

  • If it fails?

    Client funds are safeguarded. Qonto SA is a payment institution, not FGDR in its own name. Qonto’s own legal copy: in a partner-bank failure, the slice held at that bank can fall under FGDR up to €100,000 per institution per client.

  • Salary?

    Business IBAN for a company or freelancer Qonto accepts. This is a payment-institution IBAN, not a FGDR bank current account in Qonto’s name.

  • Open from abroad?

    EEA business onboarding. Incorporation documents. Not a personal UK current account.

  • Monthly fee

    Paid plans from a small monthly

  • Account number

    French (and passported EEA) IBAN issued as a payment institution, not as a deposit-taking bank.

NeoBankDB Verdict

Licence first · score second

7.7

/10 · Solid

If the company is French, start here. If the company invoices the US and Asia, add Wise or Airwallex.

What it is

Qonto is a Paris-based business-account provider, licensed as a payment institution. Client funds are safeguarded. It is the product French founders search for when they say ‘pro account.’

Best for: French and EEA SAS/GmbH companies that want a current-account-shaped finance stack.

Last checked 2026-08-01. Not advice.

What it does well

  • +Default for French incorporation
  • +Accountant-friendly
  • +IBAN
  • +Support

What to watch

  • −Not a full bank
  • −Monthly fee from day one
  • −USD corridors are not the pitch

Legal entity, not the app icon

Who is behind it

Legal name
Qonto SA, société anonyme, Paris Trade Register 819 489 626, 6 Impasse Bonne Nouvelle, 75010 Paris. Licensed payment institution, ACPR 16958 granted 21/06/2018 — not a French credit institution.
Founders
Alexandre Prot, Steve Anavi
Offices
6 Impasse Bonne Nouvelle, 75010 Paris
If something goes wrong
ACPR-supervised payment institution complaints path for Qonto SA.

Who holds the money

The account

Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
Account types
Business current accounts
Minimum balance
€0
Lowest monthly fee
Paid plans from the first account
Who can open
EU companies and freelancers
Availability
France, DE, ES, IT and more EEA
IBAN country
French (and passported EEA) IBAN issued as a payment institution, not as a deposit-taking bank.
Support
In-app and email — SME-grade
Hours
In-app / email, EU business hours
Remote open
EEA business onboarding. Incorporation documents. Not a personal UK current account.
Onboarding
Business KYC: company extract, officers, UBO.
KYC documents
Incorporation documents, officer ID, UBO information.
Minimum age
Legal-age officers of the company. Personal consumer bank this is not.
Languages
FR, EN, DE, ES, IT
Salary / payroll
Business IBAN for a company or freelancer Qonto accepts. This is a payment-institution IBAN, not a FGDR bank current account in Qonto’s name.
Local rails
SEPA. FX is an extra, not the home rail.
ATM network
Business debit — confirm pack
Overdraft
Credit products are separate and market-gated

How money actually moves

Who holds the cash
EMI safeguarded funds
How money moves
IBAN / SEPA · Faster Payments
Built for
Business · Freelancer
Settlement
Local rails instant where live; SWIFT slower
Freeze risk
Fintech reviews can pause inbound while they check a transfer
Card
Qonto 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

Client funds are safeguarded. Qonto SA is a payment institution, not FGDR in its own name. Qonto’s own legal copy: in a partner-bank failure, the slice held at that bank can fall under FGDR up to €100,000 per institution per client.

  • ACPR / ACPR-passportPayment institution / EMI-class · France / EEA

Fees

Monthly
Paid plans from a small monthly
FX markup
SEPA is the home rail; FX on extras
ATM
Card ATM schedule

Features

  • ✓IBAN
  • –Fee-free core
  • –Multi-currency
  • ✓Apple Pay
  • ✓Google Pay
  • ✓Virtual card
  • ✓Physical card
  • –Metal card
  • –Crypto
  • –Stocks
  • ✓Business
  • –Kids
  • –Halal
  • EUR business IBAN
  • Team cards
  • Invoicing
  • Accounting integrations
  • Accountant seats

Editorial, not a live demo

Screenshots and video

Official YouTube · Qonto

Media is editorial context, not a live demo of the app. Screenshots go stale — read the licence first.

Before you tap Sign up

How to open

  1. Step 1

    This is a payment institution

    Qonto SA, ACPR 16958 (21/06/2018), Paris 819 489 626. Not a French bank charter.

  2. Step 2

    Business KYC

    Company documents and officers. Personal ‘neobank’ this is not.

  3. Step 3

    Safeguarding ≠ FGDR bank

    Funds are safeguarded. FGDR only on the partner-bank slice Qonto describes — not because Qonto is a credit institution.

Official help: support.qonto.com

Operator documents

Their own papers

These are the operator’s documents. They outrank this review if they disagree.

Score

Safety25%
7.8
Fees20%
7.6
Features15%
8.6
App15%
8.6
Global15%
6.0
Support10%
8.0

Change log

Full log

No dated notes yet. When the licence, fees, or status moves, it lands here.

Straight answers

FAQ

01

Is Qonto a bank?

No. Qonto is filed as Payment institution / EMI-class. Read who holds the money before you treat it as a salary account.

02

What happens to money in Qonto if it fails?

Safeguarded client funds — not FGDR bank deposits

03

What does Qonto charge each month?

The monthly fee on this file is Paid plans from a small monthly. Fees change — open the operator's pricing page if it is linked.

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.

Rate & review

Used Qonto?

Stars plus a short note. We publish after a NeoBankDB read. “Verified user” is our tick, not yours.

Your rating

Alternatives

Full alternatives page →

From NeoBankDB

Note20 Jan 2026 · 8 min

Mercury, Airwallex, Qonto, Aspire: pick from the incorporation, not the homepage

US C-corp, APAC trade, French SAS, SEA SME — four products, four home markets, one bad habit of calling them all banks.

Read the note