Loading...
Loading...
The Global Neobank with Crypto Features
The Global Neobank with Crypto Features
Revolut is Europe's most valuable fintech company and the world's most successful neobank, with over 45 million retail customers and more than 500,000 business clients across 38+ countries. Its crypto offering — launched in 2017, making it one of the earliest mainstream banking apps to support cryptocurrency — has become one of the most widely used gateways to digital assets for European retail investors.
Revolut is not a crypto-native bank. It is a full-featured neobank that has systematically added crypto capabilities alongside stocks, commodities, remittances, travel insurance, and dozens of other financial products. This breadth is its greatest strength for the mass market: a customer who opened a Revolut account to avoid international transaction fees finds crypto accessible with zero additional onboarding.
The crypto product has evolved considerably since its initial launch. Revolut users can now buy, sell, and hold 80+ cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most major altcoins. They can earn yield through the staking feature on Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and others. They can set recurring purchases (DCA) and send crypto to external wallets.
In 2023, Revolut received a UK banking licence from the Prudential Regulation Authority — one of the most closely watched fintech regulatory decisions in recent memory. As a bank, Revolut's UK customers will eventually have their deposits covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £85,000.
Revolut was founded in 2015 by Nikolay Storonsky, a former Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse trader, and Vlad Yatsenko, a software engineer. The initial product was simple: a prepaid card with no foreign transaction fees and interbank exchange rates. This solved a real pain point for frequent travellers and European expats, and Revolut grew explosively.
The company expanded aggressively into new product lines: stocks, commodities, savings accounts, insurance, remittances. Crypto was added in 2017, initially only for BTC and ETH, and has since expanded to 80+ assets. Revolut has raised over $1.7 billion in venture capital from investors including SoftBank, Tiger Global, and TCV, achieving a $33 billion valuation at its 2021 Series E.
The UK banking licence, received in 2023, was seen as validation of the company's compliance maturity. International expansion continues: Revolut has launched or is launching in the US, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Australia, and India.
Revolut enables buying and selling of 80+ cryptocurrencies directly from the banking app, with no minimum purchase amount and instant execution during market hours. Users already verified for banking services need no additional KYC to start buying crypto. This accessibility has made Revolut the first crypto touchpoint for tens of millions of Europeans.
Revolut offers staking for Ethereum (via liquid staking), Solana, Cardano, Polkadot, and other proof-of-stake assets where regulatory conditions permit. Staking rewards are credited to the user's balance, typically weekly or monthly. Revolut takes a commission on staking rewards (typically 15–25%) in exchange for handling the operational complexity.
Revolut supports automated recurring crypto purchases — daily, weekly, or monthly — enabling systematic dollar-cost averaging without manual intervention. Users set the asset, the frequency, and the amount, and Revolut executes automatically from their account balance.
Unlike many neobanks that lock crypto inside their platform, Revolut allows users to send crypto to external wallet addresses on the underlying blockchain networks. Revolut can serve as an on-ramp: buy Bitcoin with your bank account, send it to your hardware wallet for long-term custody.
Revolut's 2023 UK banking licence from the Prudential Regulation Authority gives UK customers the confidence of banking regulation for fiat deposits, with planned FSCS deposit protection up to £85,000. The separate FCA cryptoasset registration permits the crypto business to operate legally in the UK.
Revolut is one of very few platforms globally where a single account can hold GBP, USD, EUR, Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold, silver, and US stocks simultaneously. This breadth makes Revolut particularly valuable for diversified retail investors who want exposure to multiple asset classes without managing multiple apps.
| Crypto Purchase Spread (Standard) | 1.99% (2.49% on weekends) |
| Crypto Purchase Spread (Premium/Metal) | 1.49% (1.99% on weekends) |
| Crypto Withdrawal to External Wallet | Network fee + plan-dependent |
| Staking Commission | 15–25% of staking rewards (varies by asset) |
| Recurring Buy (DCA) Fee | Same as standard purchase spread |
| Metal Plan Subscription | £14.99 / month (includes enhanced crypto limits) |
Revolut is the right crypto product for a specific type of user: the European retail investor who already uses Revolut for banking and wants to add crypto exposure without opening a separate exchange account. For this user, the convenience factor — no additional KYC, instant funding from their existing balance, all assets in one app — is genuinely compelling.
For active crypto traders or serious Bitcoin holders, Revolut is the wrong product. The spreads are too high for frequent trading, the custody model does not allow key control, and the crypto regulatory status is a registration rather than a full authorization. As an on-ramp and a DCA vehicle for mass-market retail investors, Revolut is excellent.
| Jurisdiction | UK / Lithuania |
| Regulator | FCA (UK) / Bank of Lithuania |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Min. Deposit | £0 |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 |
This link may be an affiliate link. We may earn a commission if you open an account.