Dutch challenger bank bunq has refiled its application for a US banking licence with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Amsterdam-based neobank confirmed in January 2026. The move revives a pursuit of the American market that bunq had first initiated and subsequently withdrawn approximately two years earlier.
At the time of refiling, bunq said it had surpassed 20 million users across its European operations.
CEO COMMENT AND US TARGET MARKET
“Our users are building their lives across borders, so they need a bank that is safe, secure and easy to use, wherever they are,” said Ali Niknam, bunq’s founder and Chief Executive. bunq said it would target digital nomads and global citizens with ties to both Europe and the US, launching first in US metropolitan areas with large expat communities.
bunq withdrew its first application in 2024.
EUROPEAN LICENCE
bunq holds a banking licence issued by De Nederlandsche Bank, the Dutch central bank, and operates in multiple EU member states under the European passport framework.
The OCC had not commented publicly on the refiled application. bunq has not publicly disclosed a target timeline for receiving a licensing decision.