(10 August 2026 – France) Revolut has obtained a French banking licence, granted by the ACPR regulator and the European Central Bank, marking a significant milestone in the London-based fintech’s European growth strategy.
The licence allows Revolut to offer services tailored to French customers — including loans and regulated savings products — beyond what was possible through its existing Lithuanian passporting arrangement. France will serve as Revolut’s Western Europe headquarters, with customers progressively migrated from the Lithuanian entity, starting in France before rolling out to Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
The development builds on Revolut’s receipt of a British banking licence in March and is seen as a potential stepping stone toward a US licence, according to CEO Nik Storonsky. The company has already committed $1.1bn to its French expansion, hired former Société Générale CEO Frédéric Oudéa as Western Europe chairman, and signed a 10-year Paris office lease. It now plans to hire more than 600 people across Western Europe, with 400 based in France.
Revolut, which serves more than 75 million customers across its branchless model, is currently conducting a secondary share sale at a reported $115bn valuation — a figure that would place it above the market capitalisation of both Société Générale and Barclays. The company declined to comment on reports that the ECB had imposed restrictions on new products, including mortgages, at its Lithuanian entity, stating only that it does not comment on regulatory arrangements.