Revolut has received a banking licence in France as the British fintech company continues to expand across Europe. The licence allows Revolut to build its French banking business and use France as a base for its wider European expansion.
The company said the licence “strengthens the group’s position among the largest retail banks on the continent”.
Revolut already has a banking licence in the EU through Lithuania. It also received a UK banking licence in March after several years of waiting.
“This licence gives us the means to build a new generation bank serving more than 30 million customers in Western Europe,” chief executive Nik Storonsky said.
“Driven by a dynamic financial ecosystem and a robust regulatory framework, France has established itself as a leading financial hub,” he added.
Revolut plans to invest more than €1bn in France and hire 400 people. The company says many of the new jobs will focus on compliance and anti-money laundering.
The company plans to open its Western European headquarters in Paris next year.
Revolut wants to use a “two-hub European banking model”. Its French business will start by serving customers in France before expanding to Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland.
The Lithuanian business will continue to handle Revolut’s activities across the rest of the European Economic Area.
Revolut’s rapid growth
Revolut has more than 75 million customers worldwide.
Its services include multi-currency accounts, instant international transfers, stock and cryptocurrency trading, savings products, local IBANs and credit.
The company made £1.3bn (€1.5bn) in net profit in 2025, a 65% increase from the previous year.
Its valuation reached $115bn (€100bn) in late July after a secondary share sale, according to a source close to the transaction.
Revolut is also seeking a banking licence in the United States.
The company’s fast growth has brought questions about its compliance systems, fraud controls and anti-money-laundering measures.
What about Morocco?
Revolut has not yet launched its banking services in Morocco.
The company faces several challenges if it wants to build a full banking business in the country.
The Office des Changes has strict rules on foreign currency transfers and the movement of money outside the country.
Those rules can make Revolut’s multi-currency model harder to operate. The service is built around international spending, transfers and holding different currencies.
Bank Al-Maghrib also requires banks and other financial institutions to meet local licensing, capital and operational requirements.
Revolut would need a dedicated Moroccan banking licence to offer domestic dirham accounts and local credit products as a bank.
Card payments create another challenge. Moroccan bank cards are generally subject to foreign-exchange allowances when customers use them for international online payments.
Customers also cannot freely use Moroccan dirham bank accounts to top up foreign cards such as Revolut without taking account of foreign-exchange limits.
