Best STC Bank alternatives

#1 alternative

D360 Bank

active

First Saudi digital bank on its own homepage. SAMA. Shariah-compliant. PIF-backed.

Riyadh · Saudi digital bank · PIF portfolio company (PIF’s own page)

6.9Mixed

D360 Bank’s own footer is the review: regulated by the Saudi Central Bank; closed joint stock company; capital SAR 2,100,000,000; CR 1010822737; Council of Ministers decree 389 dated 15 February 2022; 7913 King Abdulaziz Rd, Al Arid, 13332 Riyadh. SAMA announced no-objection to commence banking operations on 17 December 2024. It is one of three licensed digital banks in the kingdom. Barq is an e-wallet. STC Bank is the other conversion story (ex-stc pay). meem is Gulf International Bank’s skin. D360 is the digital bank. Shariah-compliant on its own copy, with an independent Shariah committee. Eligible deposits follow SAMA bank rules — this file does not invent a riyal cap the homepage did not print.

Best for: Saudi residents who want a SAMA digital bank with a printed Shariah committee, not an e-wallet.

Licence

Licensed digital bank — closed joint stock company

Protection

SAMA-licensed digital bank. Eligible deposits follow the kingdom’s bank scheme — confirm the live SAMA deposit-guarantee rules. This is not Barq (e-wallet) and not stc pay the wallet class.

Monthly

Confirm live — fees page on d360.com/en/services-fees

#2 alternative

meem

active

Gulf International Bank digital brand. SAMA. Sharia-screened. Not a separate digital-bank licence.

4.4

Dhahran / Riyadh · GIB digital · Gulf International Bank

6.8Mixed

meem is Gulf International Bank’s digital brand in Saudi Arabia. SAMA. Sharia-compliant current and cards. Barq is a SAMA e-wallet. STC Pay is payments. This is a bank skin. Deposit protection, if it applies, follows GIB — confirm the live scheme sentence. Directories dump it next to a 2020 neobank. GIB is older than that.

Best for: Saudi residents who want GIB in an app and a Sharia-screened current, not STC Pay.

Licence

Digital brand of Gulf International Bank — Saudi Arabia. Not a separate SAMA digital-bank licence

Protection

SAMA bank-deposit protection follows Gulf International Bank as a licensed bank. meem is a brand — shared with other GIB deposits. Confirm the live scheme copy.

Monthly

Digital SKU — confirm live

#3 alternative

Barq

active

Riyadh SAMA e-wallet. Barraq Finance Company. Explicitly not a bank account.

Riyadh · 1M in 21 days at launch (claimed) · Private / SAMA e-wallet era

6.7Mixed

Barq is Barraq Finance Company, a SAMA e-wallet. Decision 26/M SM/1445. The privacy policy names a closed joint-stock company in Riyadh, not a bank. One million users in 21 days is a launch stat, not a balance-sheet. Keep salary at a SAMA bank. Use Barq as a wallet.

Best for: Saudi residents who want a licensed wallet and already keep salary at a SAMA bank.

Licence

E-wallet — Barraq Finance Company (Decision 26/M SM/1445). Not a bank

Protection

Not a SAMA bank deposit. SAMA e-wallet rules apply. Barq’s own copy says this is not a bank account.

Monthly

Wallet SKU — confirm live

#4 alternative

Yuh

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)

7.6Solid

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.

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

#5 alternative

Chase UK

active

J.P. Morgan Europe Limited trading as Chase. UK bank, PRA/FCA, FSCS up to £120,000.

London · UK digital bank · JPMorgan Chase

7.6Solid

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.

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

#6 alternative

Deblock

active

French euro account plus crypto. Deblock SAS is an e-money institution, not a bank. No FGDR on the euro balance.

Lille · EMI + CASP · Private

6.9Mixed

Deblock is not a bank. Deblock SAS is a Lille e-money institution with an AMF crypto licence. The euro balance is e-money, not an FGDR deposit. Use it as a crypto-friendly euro account. Do not use it as a French salary bank unless you are comfortable without deposit insurance.

Best for: EEA residents who want a euro card and crypto in one French EMI, and who accept there is no FGDR.

Licence

Electronic money institution

Protection

No FGDR on the euro balance. Euros are safeguarded e-money. Crypto is self-custody. Deblock is not a credit institution.

Monthly

Standard free. Premium €10/month.