Business Banking
Independent, deeply-researched reviews of business bank accounts and fintech accounts for small businesses — compared on pricing, country availability, and the one thing most guides skip: whether your money is deposit-guaranteed (a licensed bank) or merely safeguarded (an e-money institution). Use the quick chooser below, or read the full guide.
Choose by what you need
| Your situation | Top pick(s) |
|---|---|
| Freelancer / solo founder | Wise, Vivid or Wamo (cheap, fast, free tiers) |
| Cross-border / online startup | Revolut Business & Airwallex |
| Cheapest multi-currency / FX | Wise & Airwallex |
| Invoicing & accounting all-in-one | Qonto & Finom |
| Malta company needing cash + local IBAN | APS Bank or Bank of Valletta |
| Cyprus company needing cash + local IBAN | Bank of Cyprus or Hellenic Bank |
| Holding large balances you want protected | A licensed bank (Revolut’s EEA entity, or a local MT/CY bank) |
| High-value cross-border B2B | 3S Money |
| Crypto / high-risk business | Bankera & Genome |
Top-rated pan-European accounts
Fintech & e-money accounts you can open online in days. All serve most of the EU; the “MT/CY” column shows Malta/Cyprus availability. None carries a €100k deposit guarantee unless noted — use them for operations, a licensed bank for reserves.
| Account | Rating | Type | MT/CY | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wise Business | 4.4 | EMI | Yes | Multi-currency & invoicing |
| Airwallex | 4.4 | EMI | Yes | Cross-border e-commerce |
| Revolut Business | 4.3 | EMI + EEA bank licence (€100k) | Yes | App-first all-rounder |
| Qonto | 4.2 | EMI | No | All-in-one + accounting |
| Paysera | 4.0 | EMI | Yes | Cheap SEPA |
| Vivid Business | 4.0 | EMI | Yes | Cashback & low FX |
| Finom | 4.0 | EMI | No | Invoicing + cashback |
| 3S Money | 4.0 | EMI | Yes | High-value B2B |
| Genome | 3.8 | EMI | Yes | EUR IBAN + merchant/high-risk |
| Wamo | 3.8 | EMI | Yes | Fast, Malta-focused, free tier |
| Holvi | 3.7 | EMI | No | Bookkeeping all-in-one (FI/DE/AT) |
| Bankera | 3.6 | EMI | Yes | Crypto / high-risk |
| bunq | 3.5 | Bank — Dutch DGS €100k | No | Fintech UX + deposit cover |
| N26 Business | 3.5 | Bank — German DGS €100k | No | Freelancers (no companies) |
Malta — licensed banks
For cash, a local Maltese IBAN and credit. All covered by the Malta Depositor Compensation Scheme (€100k). Onboarding is slow and document-heavy.
| Bank | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| APS Bank | 3.7 | Most approachable onboarding + lending |
| HSBC Malta (Fusion) | 3.6 | Internationally-minded smaller firms (≤€2m) |
| Bank of Valletta | 3.3 | Biggest branch network, full lending |
Cyprus — licensed banks
For cash, a local Cypriot IBAN, POS and lending. All covered by the Cyprus Deposit Guarantee Scheme (€100k). Expect strict post-2018 KYC.
| Bank | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Cyprus | 4.0 | Largest & most complete, best app |
| Hellenic Bank (now Eurobank) | 4.0 | Flexible onboarding + strong SME lending |
| AstroBank (now Alpha Bank) | 3.5 | Relationship-led, SME-friendly |
The one thing to know: bank vs fintech (EMI)
More markets coming
We’re expanding into the highest-demand markets next: United States (Mercury, Brex, Bluevine, Novo, Relay, Found), Canada (RBC, Wise, Float, Venn, EQ Bank) and Brazil (Nubank PJ, Cora, Inter, Conta Simples). Check back soon.
Reviews are independent and informational, not financial advice. Fees and availability change — always confirm on the provider’s site before opening an account.