Neobanks/GuideEdition №08
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Worldwide / Europe / Students · Updated 11 March 2026

Student neobanks,
picked for the brief.

Free tier, low-cost FX for Erasmus, multi-currency support, and deposit-insured savings. The four requirements — and which EU neobanks actually meet them.

01 — The picks

Top four for a student account.

01
Revolut Free tier · United Kingdom
Full bank €100k DGS
FreeStandard tier
4.7 /5
→
02
N26 Free tier · Germany
Full bank €100k DGS
FreeStandard tier
4.1 /5
→
03
bunq Free tier · Netherlands
Full bank €100k DGS
FreeStandard tier
4.2 /5
→
04
Wise Paid-only · United Kingdom
E-money Safeguarded
From €3.99Standard tier
4.3 /5
→
05
Vivid Money Free tier · Germany
E-money Safeguarded
FreeStandard tier
4.15 /5
→
02 — How to pick

Student money has four constraints.

1. Free monthly fee

You don't have income to amortise a €14/mo Metal tier. Stick to Standard plans. Revolut Standard, N26 Standard, and bunq's Free tier all work.

2. FX-friendly for Erasmus

If you're spending a semester abroad, FX fees become the single biggest avoidable cost. Revolut Standard gives you €1,000/mo fee-free; Wise gives mid-market rates always (with per-transaction fees). Avoid cards with markup > 0.5%.

3. Multi-currency support

Being able to hold and receive GBP, USD, CHF matters for anyone crossing borders or receiving a stipend. Wise and Revolut Standard both handle this at Standard; N26 doesn't.

4. Savings protection

Even on a student budget, money you save should sit somewhere DGS-protected. This means a full-bank neobank (Revolut, N26, bunq, Trade Republic) — not Wise (EMI, no DGS).

Regulatory landscape · EU

The EU rules protecting student accounts.

Every neobank in this ranking is regulated under one of these five EU frameworks. Cards link directly to the EUR-Lex / Commission source text.

PSD2

Payment Services Directive 2 (Directive 2015/2366)

EU directive governing payment services and PSPs; introduced Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), open banking APIs, and consumer protections. Being superseded by PSD3/PSR.

Effective
Jurisdiction
EU
Category
payments

PSD3

Third Payment Services Directive (provisional agreement)

Successor framework to PSD2. EU Parliament and Council reached provisional political agreement 27 November 2025. Extends Verification of Payee (VoP) to all credit transfers; mandates fraud-data sharing between PSPs.

Effective
Jurisdiction
EU
Category
payments

DORA

Digital Operational Resilience Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2554)

ICT risk-management and incident-reporting framework for EU financial entities. In force since 17 January 2025.

Effective
Jurisdiction
EU
Category
consumer protection

AMLR / AMLD6

EU Anti-Money-Laundering Package: AML Regulation + 6th AML Directive + AMLA

Single AML rulebook + EU AML Authority (AMLA, HQ Frankfurt, operational 2025). 6th AML Directive transposed 2025–2027; AMLR directly applicable from July 2027.

Effective
Jurisdiction
EU
Category
data

MiCAR

Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (EU) 2023/1114

EU framework for crypto-asset issuers + CASPs. The transitional 'grandfathering' period for providers operating under prior national regimes expires 1 July 2026; after that date a provider without a MiCA CASP authorisation must stop offering crypto services to EU customers. Required for any neobank offering crypto trading (Revolut, Vivid Money, Lunar, Bitpanda).

Effective
Jurisdiction
EU
Category
investor protection