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{{Short description|British financial technology company}} | {{Short description|British financial technology company}}{{Under construction|placedby=Snarkyalyx|comment=Working on full revision of page due to numerous issues (], ], ])}} | ||
{{Globalize | {{Globalize | ||
|2 = UK | |2 = UK | ||
|date=October 2023}} | |date=October 2023}} | ||
{{Infobox company | {{Promotional|date=November 2024}}{{Infobox company | ||
| name = Revolut Group Holdings Ltd. | | name = Revolut Group Holdings Ltd. | ||
| logo = File:Revolut logo.svg | | logo = File:Revolut logo.svg | ||
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| dissolved = <!-- {{start date and age|year|month|day}} --> | | dissolved = <!-- {{start date and age|year|month|day}} --> | ||
| successor = | | successor = | ||
| location = ], England |
| location = ], England | ||
| coordinates = | | coordinates = | ||
| country of origin = | | country of origin = | ||
| locations = | | locations = | ||
| area_served = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] | | area_served = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] | ||
| founders = {{ubl | ] | ] }} | | founders = {{ubl | ] | ] }} | ||
| president = | | president = | ||
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| footnotes = | | footnotes = | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Revolut Group Holdings Ltd''' |
'''Revolut Group Holdings Ltd''', ] '''Revolut''',<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-11 |title=Who Owns Revolut |url=https://thebanks.eu/articles/who-owns-Revolut |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=TheBanks.eu |language=en}}</ref> is a British multinational ] and ] company that offers banking services for individuals and businesses.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2023-11-16 |title=Revolut to offer "secret sauce" HRtech to "select" companies in new B2B offering |url=https://tech.eu/2023/11/16/revolut-to-offer-secret-sauce-hr-tech-to-select-companies/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=Tech.eu |language=en-GB}}</ref> The company was founded in July 2015 by British-Russian businessman ] and British-Ukrainian software engineer ] and operates in 48+ countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supported countries where I can sign up for Revolut {{!}} Revolut United Kingdom |url=https://help.revolut.com/help/profile-and-plan/profile-plan/verifying-identity/what-countries-are-supported/ |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Revolut |language=en-GB}}</ref> It is one of the most popular online banks in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Devanesan |first=Joe |date=2022-09-28 |title=Technology News {{!}} TechHQ {{!}} Latest Technology News & Analysis |url=https://techhq.com/2022/09/a-look-back-at-revolut-europes-most-popular-online-bank/ |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=TechHQ |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
The ] |
The bank offers free and ] ] services, primarily through a mobile app. Features include domestic and international ], pre-paid ], a ] and ] exchange, as well as other features such as ] and ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-04-01 |title=What is Revolut? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47768661 |access-date=2024-12-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-01 |title=Revolut to start offering loans and credit cards |url=https://www.bonkers.ie/blog/banking/revolut-to-start-offering-loans-and-credit-cards/ |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=bonkers.ie |language=en}}</ref> | ||
Revolut has been subject to criticism and many controversies in the past, such as issues with customer support and long-lasting lockouts,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Venkataramakrishnan |first=Siddharth |last2=Hollowood |first2=Ella |last3=Noonan |first3=Laura |date=2023-04-06 |title=Fintechs face reckoning over customer service |url=https://www.ft.com/content/da82bae4-5846-499d-9a9e-f6a429fa9528 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241120014554/https://www.ft.com/content/da82bae4-5846-499d-9a9e-f6a429fa9528 |archive-date=2024-11-20 |access-date=2024-12-21 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> as well as ] compliance failures,<ref>{{Cite web |last=October 2023 |first=2nd |date=2023-10-02 |title=Revolut reportedly in talks with the UK's FCA over AML failures |url=https://www.fintechfutures.com/2023/10/revolut-reportedly-in-talks-with-the-uks-fca-over-aml-failures/ |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=www.fintechfutures.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> lack of support for ] customers,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brignall |first=Miles |date=2024-04-10 |title=I’m a victim of scammers. But Revolut says ‘no’ to a refund |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/apr/10/im-a-victim-of-scammers-but-revolut-says-no-to-a-refund |access-date=2024-12-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Revolut customers say e-money firm failed them after being scammed |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6epzxdd77o |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> and even claims of ties to the ]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-19 |title=Revolut: Could allegations of Russian involvement sidetrack a fintech revolution? - IMD business school for management and leadership courses |url=https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/finance/articles/revolut-could-allegations-of-russian-involvement-sidetrack-a-fintech-revolution/ |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=www.imd.org |language=en}}</ref> which the company strongly denied.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burroughs |first=Callum |title=UK fintech unicorn Revolut forced to deny links to Russia |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/fintech-unicorn-revolut-forced-to-deny-russian-links-in-lithuania-2019-2 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
In November 2020 Revolut was breaking even and, with a £4.2 billion valuation, became the UK's most valuable fintech company. A US$800 million funding round in July 2021 brought the company's valuation to US$33 billion, being followed by a secondary share sale at a US$45 billion valuation in 2024 making it the most valuable UK tech startup at the time. In 2023, customer deposits at Revolut reached £15.1 Billion.<ref name="makortoff">{{cite news| last=Makortoff | first=Kalyeena | title=Fintech firm Revolut hit by £25m loss after rise in staff wages |newspaper=The Guardian | date=22 December 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/22/fintech-firm-revolut-hit-by-25m-loss-after-rise-in-staff-wages}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=PYMNTS |date=2024-08-18 |title=UK Treasury Wants Revolut to Go Public on London Exchange |url=https://www.pymnts.com/news/ipo/2024/uk-wants-revolut-to-go-public-in-london/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=PYMNTS.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Megaw |first=Nicholas |date=15 Jul 2021 |title=Revolut valued at $33bn after $800m fundraising |work=] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/4d7b739c-ffbb-4a29-ac5b-4e7dfddff5ae |access-date=15 Jul 2021 |archive-date=18 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718040044/https://www.ft.com/content/4d7b739c-ffbb-4a29-ac5b-4e7dfddff5ae |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-07-15 |title=Revolut becomes most valuable UK start-up after £24bn valuation |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57854969 |access-date=2021-07-16 |archive-date=2021-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722003529/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57854969 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="$33 billion">{{cite news |last1=Metcalf |first1=Tom |last2=Spezzati |first2=Stefania |date=15 July 2021 |title=Revolut Draws SoftBank Investment to Hit $33 Billion Value |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/revolut-draws-softbank-investment-to-hit-33-billion-valuation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726132305/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/revolut-draws-softbank-investment-to-hit-33-billion-valuation |archive-date=26 July 2021 |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 Annual Report |url=https://cdn.revolut.com/pdf/annualreport2023.pdf |website=2023 Annual Report}}</ref> | |||
The company achieved ] in April 2018, after receiving €205 million in investments during ] funding, which valued the company at over €1.4 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Revolut achieves ‘unicorn’ status following latest funding round |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/revolut-achieves-unicorn-status-following-latest-funding-round-1.3473897 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref> | |||
Revolut Bank UAB, the firm's ] subsidiary, is licensed and regulated by the ] within the ], and depositors' money is protected through deposit insurance, insured by the Lithuanian State Company Deposit and Investment Insurance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=PYMNTS |date=2021-12-21 |title=Revolut Bank Granted Full EU Banking License Amid Criticisms of Unfair Competition |url=https://www.pymnts.com/digital-first-banking/2021/revolut-bank-granted-full-european-union-banking-license-amid-criticisms-unfair-competition/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=PYMNTS.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Revolut was granted a UK banking licence on 25 July 2024 after a three year wait,<ref name=":19">{{Cite news |last=Makortoff |first=Kalyeena |date=2024-07-25 |title=Revolut finally receives UK banking licence after three-year wait |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/25/revolut-receives-uk-banking-licence-after-three-year-wait |access-date=2024-07-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> but had not been granted full status as a bank {{As of|2024|10|lc=y}}.<ref name=fraud>{{Cite news| title=Revolut customers say e-money firm failed them after being scammed | publisher=]| date=14 October 2024 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6epzxdd77o}}</ref> | |||
Revolut holds the record in UK of customer complaints among financial institutions.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
== History == | == History == | ||
=== 2015–2017 === | === Early History (2015–2017) === | ||
Revolut was founded on 1 July 2015 by ] and ] |
Revolut was founded on the 1 July 2015 by ] and ], offering individuals in the ] and ] a smartphone app linked to a pre-paid Mastercard to spend money abroad using ] rate.<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |last=Meyer |first=Harriet |date=2016-05-12 |title=The smartphone app revolutionising foreign currency exchange |url=https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2016/may/12/the-smartphone-app-revolutionising-foreign-currency-exchange |access-date=2024-03-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name="founded">{{Cite web |date=2021-07-16 |title=Vlad Yatsenko, a Ukrainian who co-founded Revolut, becomes a billionaire after an $800M round and a $33B valuation |url=https://ain.ua/en/2021/07/16/revolut-raises-800m-at-33b-valuation/ |access-date=2021-07-27 |website=AIN.UA |language=en-US |archive-date=2021-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727154939/https://ain.ua/en/2021/07/16/revolut-raises-800m-at-33b-valuation/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Customers could then spend their money across 90 countries while abroad.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams-Grut |first=Oscar |title=London fintech startup Revolut is raising £10 million and signing 1,500 new customers a day |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/revolut-raising-series-a-new-customer-sign-ups-2016-4 |access-date=2024-03-07 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":12" /> According to the company, this allowed for the best possible exchange rates. They also said their vision was to build a payments platform that enable customers and merchants to make low-cost instant payments and marketing platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kharpal |first=Arjun |date=2016-02-04 |title=Start-up takes aim at PayPal, raises $4.8M |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/04/revolut-raises-48-million-takes-aim-at-paypal.html |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawson |first=Freddie |title=Popular Revolut: Financial Disruptor Equity Raise Oversubscribed By £17m |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/freddiedawson/2016/07/25/popular-revolut-financial-disruptor-equity-raise-oversubscribed-by-17m/ |access-date=2024-03-07 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> The company was originally based in Level39, a ] incubator in ], London.<ref>{{cite web |title=Are You Ready To Give Fintech A Try? |url=https://www.forbes.com/consent/?toURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fenriquedans%2F2018%2F04%2F29%2Fare-you-ready-to-give-fintech-a-try%2F |last=Dan |first=Enriques |date=29 April 2018 |website=] |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612164956/https://www.forbes.com/consent/?toURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fenriquedans%2F2018%2F04%2F29%2Fare-you-ready-to-give-fintech-a-try%2F |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
The same month, the company raised £1.5 million during a ] round.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-07-20 |title=Revolut raise £1.5m, led by Balderton {{!}} Balderton Capital |url=https://www.balderton.com/news/revolut-raise-1-5m-in-round-led-by-balderton-capital/ |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=www.balderton.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> This was followed by a ] the following year, where Revolut raised over £6.75 million, which put them at a total valuation of about £42 million at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams-Grut |first=Oscar |title=Hot foreign exchange app Revolut is worth £42 million in £6.75 million funding round |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/fintech-revolut-series-a-brexit-crowdfund-2016-7 |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> By that time, they reached around 300,000 users, processing almost £1 billion in transactions according to the company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawson |first=Freddie |title=Popular Revolut: Financial Disruptor Equity Raise Oversubscribed By £17m |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/freddiedawson/2016/07/25/popular-revolut-financial-disruptor-equity-raise-oversubscribed-by-17m/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> | |||
Building on its initial success, Revolut then launched a ] app in June 2017 available to businesses across the UK and Europe. Under the name of "Revolut Business", businesses could create an account with a multi-currency ] to hold, exchange, and transfer money with 25 currencies.<ref name=":21">{{Cite news |last=Ainger |first=Neil |date=2017-06-13 |title=Revolut expands into business market |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/13/revolut-expands-into-business-market.html |access-date=2024-04-02 |publisher=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Hear |first=Steve |date=2017-06-13 |title=Revolut launches business accounts in U.K. and Europe |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/13/revolut-launches-business-accounts/ |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> Following the launch of Revolut Business, the company raised $66 million during a ] in July 2017 with the goal to expand across Asia and the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dillet |first=Romain |date=2017-07-12 |title=Revolut raises $66 million for its global banking alternative |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/11/revolut-raises-66-million-for-its-global-banking-alternative/ |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-07-12 |title=Revolut scores $66m Series B to expand across Asia and the US |url=https://www.uktech.news/news/investment-news/revolut-scores-66m-series-b-expand-across-asia-us-20170712 |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=UKTN |language=en-GB}}</ref> | |||
=== 2018–2021 === | |||
In December 2018, Revolut secured a specialised bank licence from the ], facilitated by the ], authorising it to accept deposits and offer consumer credits, but not to provide investment services. At the same time, an Electronic Money Institution licence was also issued by the Bank of Lithuania.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lb.lt/en/news/revolut-granted-specialised-bank-and-electronic-money-institution-licences |title=Revolut granted specialised bank and electronic money institution licences |date=13 December 2018 |website=] |language=en |access-date=13 December 2018 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422135822/https://www.lb.lt/en/news/revolut-granted-specialised-bank-and-electronic-money-institution-licences |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ft.com/content/989904f0-fe2c-11e8-aebf-99e208d3e521 |title=Lithuania licence lets Revolut launch banking products |last=Megaw |first=Nicholas |date=13 December 2018 |website=] |language=en-GB |access-date=13 December 2018 |archive-date=13 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213131030/https://www.ft.com/content/989904f0-fe2c-11e8-aebf-99e208d3e521 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The company was also affected by a major outage with their card processor Global Processing Services in June 2017, causing card payments to fail. Revolut experienced a similar outage along other companies, such as ], back in March of the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Price |first=Rob |title=Some of the UK's hottest fintech firms went down, including Monzo and Revolut |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-fintech-firms-monzo-revolut-curve-loot-down-users-2017-7 |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams-Grut |first=Oscar |title=Some of the UK's hottest fintech startups went down on Sunday — here's why |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/why-monzo-revolut-loot-and-curve-went-down-on-sunday-march-5-2017-3 |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
In July 2019, Revolut launched commission-free stock trading on the ] and ], initially for customers in its Metal plan.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a50349ae-b3ac-11e9-bec9-fdcab53d6959 |title=Revolut launches commission-free share trading |website=] |date=August 2019 |language=en-GB |access-date=9 August 2019 |archive-date=4 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804082733/https://www.ft.com/content/a50349ae-b3ac-11e9-bec9-fdcab53d6959 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was subsequently made available to all users.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/09/revolut-makes-stock-trading-free-for-all-customers-is-now-the-time-to-invest/ |title=Should you trade stocks for free with Revolut? |website=] |date=24 September 2019 |language=en-US |access-date=14 October 2019 |archive-date=14 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014102901/https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/09/revolut-makes-stock-trading-free-for-all-customers-is-now-the-time-to-invest/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
=== EU banking license and international expansion (2018–2021) === | |||
In 2019, Revolut announced deals with Visa and Mastercard.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.siliconrepublic.com/companies/revolut-visa-deal-fintech-markets |title=New deal with Visa will see Revolut hire thousands, expand into 24 markets |last=Short |first=Eva |date=30 September 2019 |website=Silicon Republic |language=en |access-date=7 October 2019 |archive-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310173503/https://www.siliconrepublic.com/companies/revolut-visa-deal-fintech-markets |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=Ryan |date=2019-10-22 |title=Revolut strikes deal with Mastercard to accelerate expansion into the US |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/22/revolut-partners-with-mastercard-to-accelerate-us-expansion.html |access-date=2024-03-12 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> Through its Mastercard partnership, the company expanded into the U.S., and the deal with Visa saw Revolut expand into 24 new markets and hire an additional 3,500 people.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":13" /> In October, Singapore became the company's first Asian market.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dillet |first=Romain |date=2019-10-23 |title=Revolut launches publicly in Singapore, signs deal with Mastercard |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/23/revolut-launches-publicly-in-singapore-signs-deal-with-mastercard/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
Until now, Revolut was only operating as an ] in the United Kingdom under the ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-25 |title=Revolut receives UK banking licence |url=https://www.revolut.com/news/revolut_receives_uk_banking_licence/ |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Revolut |language=en-GB}}</ref> They first applied for their EU banking license in November 2017, at which time they also started work on their own ].<ref>{{Cite news |title=This app-only bank is the latest UK fintech firm looking to win over customers |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/indyventure/revolut-uk-fintech-european-banking-licence-apply-brexit-leave-eu-a8043306.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240209131150/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/indyventure/revolut-uk-fintech-european-banking-licence-apply-brexit-leave-eu-a8043306.html |archive-date=2024-02-09 |access-date=2024-12-23 |work=The Independent |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-08 |title=Revolut applies for European banking licence |url=https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/31301/revolut-applies-for-european-banking-licence |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Finextra Research |language=en}}</ref> The bank then received its EU banking license as well as an ] license in December 2018 from the ], facilitated by the ]. Under their new license, the bank could accept deposits and offer consumer credits. However, they were not allowed to provide investment services until later.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lb.lt/en/news/revolut-granted-specialised-bank-and-electronic-money-institution-licences |title=Revolut granted specialised bank and electronic money institution licences |date=13 December 2018 |website=] |language=en |access-date=13 December 2018 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422135822/https://www.lb.lt/en/news/revolut-granted-specialised-bank-and-electronic-money-institution-licences |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Megaw |first=Nicholas |date=13 December 2018 |title=Lithuania licence lets Revolut launch banking products |url=https://www.ft.com/content/989904f0-fe2c-11e8-aebf-99e208d3e521 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213131030/https://www.ft.com/content/989904f0-fe2c-11e8-aebf-99e208d3e521 |archive-date=13 December 2018 |access-date=13 December 2018 |website=] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schulze |first=Elizabeth |date=2018-12-13 |title=UK fintech unicorn Revolut granted European banking license |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/13/revolut-secures-european-banking-license.html |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> Stock trading was then made available in July 2019, where customers could now perform commission-free trade on the ] and ]. Initially, this was only available for customers in Revolut's "Metal" subscription plan, but available to all users later on.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a50349ae-b3ac-11e9-bec9-fdcab53d6959 |title=Revolut launches commission-free share trading |website=] |date=August 2019 |language=en-GB |access-date=9 August 2019 |archive-date=4 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804082733/https://www.ft.com/content/a50349ae-b3ac-11e9-bec9-fdcab53d6959 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/09/revolut-makes-stock-trading-free-for-all-customers-is-now-the-time-to-invest/ |title=Should you trade stocks for free with Revolut? |website=] |date=24 September 2019 |language=en-US |access-date=14 October 2019 |archive-date=14 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014102901/https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/09/revolut-makes-stock-trading-free-for-all-customers-is-now-the-time-to-invest/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Following the acquisition of a banking license, the company announced plans in September 2019 for expansion into 24 new markets across the United States, Asia, and other regions, supported by agreements with ] and ]. The company said that they also want to hire an additional 3,500 employees.<ref>{{Cite news |last=White |first=Lawrence |title=Exclusive: Fintech firm Revolut to hire 3500 staff in global push with Visa |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-revolut-visa-exclusive/exclusive-fintech-firm-revolut-to-hire-3500-staff-in-global-push-with-visa-idUSKBN1WF0JQ/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230120212955/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-revolut-visa-exclusive/exclusive-fintech-firm-revolut-to-hire-3500-staff-in-global-push-with-visa-idUSKBN1WF0JQ |archive-date=2023-01-20 |access-date=2024-12-23 |work=U.S. |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=Ryan |date=2019-10-22 |title=Revolut strikes deal with Mastercard to accelerate expansion into the US |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/22/revolut-partners-with-mastercard-to-accelerate-us-expansion.html |access-date=2024-03-12 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.siliconrepublic.com/companies/revolut-visa-deal-fintech-markets |title=New deal with Visa will see Revolut hire thousands, expand into 24 markets |last=Short |first=Eva |date=30 September 2019 |website=Silicon Republic |language=en |access-date=7 October 2019 |archive-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310173503/https://www.siliconrepublic.com/companies/revolut-visa-deal-fintech-markets |url-status=live }}</ref> Earlier that year, it had already expanded into Australia, marking its first expansion outside of Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dillet |first=Romain |date=2019-06-13 |title=Revolut launches in Australia as a beta release |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/12/revolut-launches-in-australia-as-a-beta/ |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> The following month, Revolut expanded to Singapore, becoming the company's first Asian market.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dillet |first=Romain |date=2019-10-23 |title=Revolut launches publicly in Singapore, signs deal with Mastercard |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/23/revolut-launches-publicly-in-singapore-signs-deal-with-mastercard/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> By 2020, they had also launched in the United States and Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://blog.revolut.com/revolut-launch-united-states/ |title=Revolut launches in the United States|first=Chad |last=West |date=24 March 2020 |website=Revolut Blog |access-date=25 February 2022 |archive-date=16 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116182845/https://blog.revolut.com/revolut-launch-united-states/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Revolut launches its financial app in Japan |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/07/revolut-launches-its-financial-app-in-japan/ |access-date=2020-09-08 |website=] |date=7 September 2020 |language=en-US |archive-date=2021-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715163511/https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/07/revolut-launches-its-financial-app-in-japan/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
By November 2020, Revolut said they started breaking even. With a £4.2 billion valuation, they became the UK's most valuable fintech company at the time.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=Ryan |date=2020-12-08 |title=Revolut, Europe's $5.5 billion digital bank, quietly broke even in November |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/08/digital-bank-revolut-breaks-even-in-november.html |access-date=2020-12-11 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=2021-05-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523123751/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/08/digital-bank-revolut-breaks-even-in-november.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The company's valuation was brought further during a ] in July 2021, with a $800 million funding round bringing them to $33 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lunden |first=Ingrid |date=2021-07-15 |title=Revolut confirms a fresh $800M in funding at a $33B valuation to supercharge its financial services super app |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/15/revolut-confirms-a-fresh-800m-in-funding-at-a-33b-valuation-to-supercharge-its-financial-services-superapp/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
The company applied for banking license in the United Kingdom and a bank charter in the United States in early 2021.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-11/revolut-applies-for-u-k-banking-license-in-search-for-expansion |title=Revolut Applies for U.K. Banking License |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=January 11, 2021 |via=www.bloomberg.com |access-date=2021-01-13 |archive-date=2021-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206172226/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-11/revolut-applies-for-u-k-banking-license-in-search-for-expansion |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/business/financial-services/challenger-bank-revolut-bids-to-take-on-high-street-b828025.html |title=Challenger bank Revolut bids to take on high street |date=January 11, 2021 |website=www.standard.co.uk |access-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-date=February 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218091857/https://www.standard.co.uk/business/financial-services/challenger-bank-revolut-bids-to-take-on-high-street-b828025.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="dillet">{{Cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/22/revolut-applies-for-bank-charter-in-the-us/ |title=Revolut applies for bank charter in the US |date=March 22, 2021 |website=] |language=en-US |access-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-date=August 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804173617/https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/22/revolut-applies-for-bank-charter-in-the-us/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] also granted Revolut a full banking licence later that year.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=AltFi |date=2022-03-25 |title=Revolut launches as a bank in Ireland |url=https://www.altfi.com/article/9017_revolut-launches-as-a-bank-in-ireland |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=AltFi |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=AltFi |date=2022-01-12 |title=Revolut launches as a bank in 10 more European countries |url=https://www.altfi.com/article/8696_revolut-launches-as-a-bank-in-10-more-european-countries |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=AltFi |language=en}}</ref> | |||
=== Since 2022 === | === Since 2022 === | ||
After having secured bank licenses, Revolut started moving away from being an e-money institution to a bank. In January 2022, they started operating as a bank in 10 additional European countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-11 |title=Revolut launches as a bank in 10 Western European countries |url=https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/39492/revolut-launches-as-a-bank-in-10-western-european-countries |access-date=2022-01-16 |website=Finextra Research |language=en |archive-date=2022-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113092411/https://www.finextra.com//newsarticle/39492/revolut-launches-as-a-bank-in-10-western-european-countries |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
⚫ | |||
Ultra was launched in 2023 and is Revolut's top-tier membership for users in the UK and EEA.<ref name=":20">{{Cite web |last=Blakey |first=Douglas |date=2023-06-16 |title=Revolut launches platinum Revolut Ultra |url=https://www.retailbankerinternational.com/news/revolut-targets-mass-affluent-segment-with-launch-of-revolut-ultra/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Retail Banker International |language=en-US}}</ref> The plan includes Revolut's best rates and lowest fees across savings, FX, stocks, unlimited airport lounge access, cancellation for any reason insurance as well as subscriptions to Financial Times, ClassPass, Wework, NordVPN and more.<ref name=":20" /> | |||
⚫ | In January 2023, |
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⚫ | The ] reported in July 2023 that Revolut had lost $20 million to organized criminal groups due to a flaw in its US payment system between late 2021 and early 2022.<ref name=":16">{{cite news |last1=Venkataramakrishnan |first1=Siddharth |last2=Quinio |first2=Akila |date=2023-07-09 |title=Revolut's US payment flaws allowed thieves to steal $20mn |url=https://www.ft.com/content/0025347f-6e0c-4dbd-9762-e4eec0431050 |work=]}}</ref> The issue affected the company's corporate funds and not customer accounts; some of the money was recouped.<ref name=":16" /> Later that year, Revolut announced that they would stop offering ] trading services to their US customers due to the "evolving regulatory environment" as the Securities and Exchange Commission intensified regulations regarding certain crypto assets and platforms.<ref>{{cite web |date=4 August 2023 |title=Revolut Pulls the Plug on Crypto in US, Citing Regulatory Environment |url=https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/revolut-ends-crypto-services-in-us-blames-regulatory-uncertainty/}}</ref> | ||
Revolut accounts began allowing staking for holders of proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies in the UK and ] in 2023.<ref name="Financial Times"/> The ability to delegate stake and earn rewards for helping to maintain a blockchain is part of proof-of-stake blockchains ] (ADA), ] (ETH), ], and ] (XTZ).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Howcroft |first=Elizabeth |date=2023-02-07 |title=Revolut to offer returns on crypto holdings via 'staking' |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/revolut-offer-returns-crypto-holdings-via-staking-2023-02-07/ |access-date=2023-02-21}}</ref> | |||
⚫ | The company became target of a cyberattack in September 2022. An unauthorized third party briefly obtained access to a small portion (0.16%) of customer details. While no funds were accessed or stolen, ] of over 50,000 customers was accessed by the perpetrator.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Page |first=Carly |date=2022-09-20 |title=Revolut confirms cyberattack exposed personal data of tens of thousands of users |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/20/revolut-cyberattack-thousands-exposed/ |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Revolut hack exposes data of 50,000 users, fuels new phishing wave |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/revolut-hack-exposes-data-of-50-000-users-fuels-new-phishing-wave/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922094151/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/revolut-hack-exposes-data-of-50-000-users-fuels-new-phishing-wave/ |archive-date=2022-09-22 |access-date=2022-09-22}}</ref> In the same month, The UK's ] added Revolut to its list of companies authorized to offer cryptocurrency products and services. Before, the company had offered crypto trading since 2017, but it was not regulated.<ref name="Financial Times">{{Cite news |date=2022-09-27 |title=Revolut receives green light to run UK cryptocurrency business |url=https://www.ft.com/content/2fe924e8-1fc2-4f98-9c3f-b0eff70b2174 |access-date=2023-02-21 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> | ||
Although it was reported in May 2023 that the UK's ] was poised to reject Revolut's application for a banking licence in the UK,<ref>{{cite web|last=Morris|work=]|date=19 May 2023|access-date=9 June 2023|url-access=subscription|first=Stephen|url=https://www.ft.com/content/e6ff1184-faae-4674-af4a-95321cf9f37b|title=Revolut in shareholder battle with SoftBank as UK licence talks stall}}</ref> this was granted on 25 July 2024<ref>{{cite web|website=]|access-date=25 July 2024|title=Revolut secures UK banking licence after three-year wait|url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/revolut-gets-uk-banking-licence-2024-07-25/}}</ref> | |||
⚫ | In January 2023, the company announced that it would transfer its 2 million ] customers to a new Irish branch, moving them from a Lithuanian ] to an Irish IBAN.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weston |first=Charlie |date=23 January 2023 |title=Revolut granted Irish IBANs, piling pressure on mainstream banks |url=https://m.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/banking/revolut-granted-irish-ibans-piling-pressure-on-mainstream-banks-42306631.html |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=Irish Independent |language=en}}</ref> This was followed by a launch for IBANs in France, Netherlands and Spain in September 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Civieta |first=Óscar F. |date=2023-09-13 |title=Revolut alcanza los 2 millones de clientes en España y comienza a ofrecer IBAN local |url=https://www.businessinsider.es/revolut-alcanza-2-millones-clientes-espana-ofrece-iban-local-1304408 |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Business Insider España |language=es}}</ref> | ||
⚫ | |||
Revolut launched a subscription tier named "Ultra" for individuals in the UK and EEA in June 2023, which was the companys most expensive subscription at the time.<ref name=":20">{{Cite web |last=Blakey |first=Douglas |date=2023-06-16 |title=Revolut launches platinum Revolut Ultra |url=https://www.retailbankerinternational.com/news/revolut-targets-mass-affluent-segment-with-launch-of-revolut-ultra/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Retail Banker International |language=en-US}}</ref> Around this time, the bank also began allowing staking for holders of ] cryptocurrencies in the UK and EEA, a feature used by various cryptocurrencies such as ] or ] at the time.<ref name="Financial Times" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Howcroft |first=Elizabeth |date=2023-02-07 |title=Revolut to offer returns on crypto holdings via 'staking' |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/revolut-offer-returns-crypto-holdings-via-staking-2023-02-07/ |access-date=2023-02-21 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> They also expanded its commission-free stock trading in October 2023, giving customers in the EEA the ability to buy and sell European company stocks in Euro.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 23, 2023 |title=Revolut adds European listed stocks to its trading platform across the EEA |url=https://www.revolut.com/en-LU/news/revolut_adds_european_listed_stocks_to_its_trading_platform_across_the_eea/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=Revolut.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=2023-10-24 |title=Revolut adds European listed stocks to trading platform |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2023/1024/1412622-revolut-adds-european-stocks/ |journal=RTE |language=en |access-date=2024-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=ALLEN |first=LORCAN |title=Revolut expands share trading offering with addition of 70 European listed companies |url=https://www.businesspost.ie/news/revolut-expands-share-trading-offering-with-addition-of-70-european-listed-companies/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.businesspost.ie |language=en-US}}</ref> By the end of the year, it was reported that they reached customer deposits of £15.1 billion.<ref name="PYMNTS">{{Cite web |last=PYMNTS |date=2024-08-18 |title=UK Treasury Wants Revolut to Go Public on London Exchange |url=https://www.pymnts.com/news/ipo/2024/uk-wants-revolut-to-go-public-in-london/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=PYMNTS.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-07-15 |title=Revolut becomes most valuable UK start-up after £24bn valuation |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57854969 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722003529/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57854969 |archive-date=2021-07-22 |access-date=2021-07-16 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="$33 billion">{{cite news |last1=Metcalf |first1=Tom |last2=Spezzati |first2=Stefania |date=15 July 2021 |title=Revolut Draws SoftBank Investment to Hit $33 Billion Value |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/revolut-draws-softbank-investment-to-hit-33-billion-valuation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726132305/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/revolut-draws-softbank-investment-to-hit-33-billion-valuation |archive-date=26 July 2021 |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 Annual Report |url=https://cdn.revolut.com/pdf/annualreport2023.pdf |website=2023 Annual Report}}</ref> It was also reported that, despite ongoing uncertainty regarding the UK banking license, the company swung to a £25m loss in 2022 after giving out higher wages to staff. This included a near 80% pay jump for its founder and the highest-paid director.<ref name="makortoff">{{cite news |last=Makortoff |first=Kalyeena |date=22 December 2023 |title=Fintech firm Revolut hit by £25m loss after rise in staff wages |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/22/fintech-firm-revolut-hit-by-25m-loss-after-rise-in-staff-wages |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> | |||
In August 2023, Revolut announced that they would stop offering ] trading services to their US customers due to the "evolving regulatory environment" as the Securities and Exchange Commission intensified regulations regarding certain crypto assets and platforms.<ref>{{cite web |title=Revolut Pulls the Plug on Crypto in US, Citing Regulatory Environment |date=4 August 2023 |url=https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/revolut-ends-crypto-services-in-us-blames-regulatory-uncertainty/}}</ref> | |||
As of June 2024, Revolut has reached 45 million customers globally.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 July 2024 |title=Revolut's revenues surpass $2.2bn, with record profits of $545m in 2023 |url=https://www.revolut.com/en-NL/news/revolut_s_revenues_surpass_2_2bn_with_record_profits_of_545m_in_2023/ |website=Revolut.com}}</ref> In August, the company was seen to be preparing for a potential ] on the ] in the United States with an expected valuation of approximately £45 billion, although UK politicians were said to be pushing for a ].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Quinio |first1=Akila |last2=Dunkley |first2=Emma |last3=O’Dwyer |first3=Michael |date=2024-08-16 |title=UK government woos Revolut as fintech favours US for potential IPO |url=https://www.ft.com/content/96a29be3-97c5-4011-8c96-906a0fd8ddf2 |access-date=2024-08-19 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> The cmpany also doubled its headcount over the past two years, employing over 8,000 people in more than 25 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=2023 Annual Report(Page 20) |url=https://cdn.revolut.com/pdf/annualreport2023.pdf |access-date= |website=Annual Report 2023 |language=en}}</ref> The company faced criticism from local Portuguese banks about unfair competition after its ], "Revolut Bank UAB", was granted a full banking license by the ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=PYMNTS |date=2021-12-21 |title=Revolut Bank Granted Full EU Banking License Amid Criticisms of Unfair Competition |url=https://www.pymnts.com/digital-first-banking/2021/revolut-bank-granted-full-european-union-banking-license-amid-criticisms-unfair-competition/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=PYMNTS.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Revolut was also granted a British banking license the following month, though with restrictions via the standard "mobilization" stage.<ref name=":19">{{Cite news |last=Makortoff |first=Kalyeena |date=2024-07-25 |title=Revolut finally receives UK banking licence after three-year wait |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/25/revolut-receives-uk-banking-licence-after-three-year-wait |access-date=2024-07-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Morris |first=Stephen |date=19 May 2023 |title=Revolut in shareholder battle with SoftBank as UK licence talks stall |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e6ff1184-faae-4674-af4a-95321cf9f37b |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 June 2023 |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Revolut secures UK banking licence after three-year wait |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/revolut-gets-uk-banking-licence-2024-07-25/ |access-date=25 July 2024 |website=]}}</ref> | |||
In October 2023, Revolut expanded its commission-free stock trading with the ability to buy and sell European company stocks in Euro. This was made available to all users based within the ] (EEA).<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 23, 2023 |title=Revolut adds European listed stocks to its trading platform across the EEA |url=https://www.revolut.com/en-LU/news/revolut_adds_european_listed_stocks_to_its_trading_platform_across_the_eea/ |url-status=live |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=Revolut.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=2023-10-24 |title=Revolut adds European listed stocks to trading platform |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2023/1024/1412622-revolut-adds-european-stocks/ |journal=RTE |language=en |access-date=2024-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=ALLEN |first=LORCAN |title=Revolut expands share trading offering with addition of 70 European listed companies |url=https://www.businesspost.ie/news/revolut-expands-share-trading-offering-with-addition-of-70-european-listed-companies/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.businesspost.ie |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
A report in October 2024 found that Revolut was named in more fraud complaints in the UK than any major bank in the country, sparking a debate on the effectiveness of its security controls.<ref></ref><ref>{{cite web |date=14 October 2024 |title=Revolut named in more fraud complaints than any major UK bank last year |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/revolutnamed-more-fraud-complaints-any-30139808}}</ref><ref></ref> It was stated that many customers had to turn to the ] after falling victim to fraud earlier that year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lipson |first=Faye |date=2024-04-24 |title=Revolut fraud complaints to Ombudsman outstrip all banks - Which? News |url=https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/revolut-fraud-complaints-to-ombudsman-outstrip-all-banks-aNVWh6O36Jfw |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Which? |language=en}}</ref> By the end of 2024, Revolut reached 50 million customers globally.<ref>{{Cite web |last=jhaxell |date=2024-11-19 |title=Revolut surpasses 50 million global customers, aims for 100m milestone |url=https://fintech.global/2024/11/19/revolut-surpasses-50m-global-customers-aims-for-100m-milestone/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=FinTech Global |language=en-GB}}</ref> | |||
As of June 2024, Revolut has reached 45 million customers globally.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 July 2024 |title=Revolut's revenues surpass $2.2bn, with record profits of $545m in 2023 |url=https://www.revolut.com/en-NL/news/revolut_s_revenues_surpass_2_2bn_with_record_profits_of_545m_in_2023/ |website=Revolut.com}}</ref> In August, the company was seen to be preparing for a potential ] on the ] in the United States with an expected valuation of approximately £45 billion although UK politicians were said to be pushing for a ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Quinio |first=Akila |last2=Dunkley |first2=Emma |last3=O’Dwyer |first3=Michael |date=2024-08-16 |title=UK government woos Revolut as fintech favours US for potential IPO |url=https://www.ft.com/content/96a29be3-97c5-4011-8c96-906a0fd8ddf2 |access-date=2024-08-19 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> | |||
== Funding == | == Funding and Investments == | ||
The company raised £6.5 million ($8.5 million) in a Series A funding round in 2016. An additional £17 million was raised on an equity crowdfunding site.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawson |first=Freddie |title=Popular Revolut: Financial Disruptor Equity Raise Oversubscribed By £17m |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/freddiedawson/2016/07/25/popular-revolut-financial-disruptor-equity-raise-oversubscribed-by-17m/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> A year later, $66 million was raised in a Series B funding round. ], ], and Ribbit Capital all participated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dillet |first=Romain |date=2017-07-12 |title=Revolut raises $66 million for its global banking alternative |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/11/revolut-raises-66-million-for-its-global-banking-alternative/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> | The company raised £6.5 million ($8.5 million) in a Series A funding round in 2016. An additional £17 million was raised on an equity crowdfunding site.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawson |first=Freddie |title=Popular Revolut: Financial Disruptor Equity Raise Oversubscribed By £17m |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/freddiedawson/2016/07/25/popular-revolut-financial-disruptor-equity-raise-oversubscribed-by-17m/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> A year later, $66 million was raised in a Series B funding round. ], ], and Ribbit Capital all participated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dillet |first=Romain |date=2017-07-12 |title=Revolut raises $66 million for its global banking alternative |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/11/revolut-raises-66-million-for-its-global-banking-alternative/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
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As of June 2023, Revolut has raised $1.7 billion in total funding.<ref name=":17" /> | As of June 2023, Revolut has raised $1.7 billion in total funding.<ref name=":17" /> | ||
In August 2024, Revolut announced a secondary share sale that valued the company at $45 billion, up from its previous valuation of $33 billion in 2021.<ref |
In August 2024, Revolut announced a secondary share sale that valued the company at $45 billion, up from its previous valuation of $33 billion in 2021.<ref name="PYMNTS"/> | ||
==Services== | ==Services== | ||
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Revolut offers banking services including ] and ] ]s, ]s, ]s, ], ], cryptocurrency exchange and ] payments.<ref name="techcrunch1">{{cite web |title=Revolut Raises $2.3 Million For Its Mobile Foreign Exchange Service |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/07/20/revolut-raises-2-3-million-for-its-mobile-foreign-exchange-service/ |author=Dillet |first=Romain |date=20 July 2015 |website=] |access-date=11 January 2016 |archive-date=14 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114124209/http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/20/revolut-raises-2-3-million-for-its-mobile-foreign-exchange-service/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Revolut's ] supports spending and ] withdrawals in 120 currencies and transfers in 36 currencies directly from the app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=PYMNTS |date=2023-12-22 |title=Revolut Reports Revenue of $1.1 Billion in 2022 |url=https://www.pymnts.com/earnings/2023/revolut-reports-revenue-of-1-1-billion-in-2022/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=PYMNTS.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Revolut's credit card is available in Poland, Lithuania, the United States, and Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Monito |title=The Revolut Credit Card: Everything You Should Know |url=https://www.monito.com/en/revolut-credit-card |first=Jarrod|last=Suda|date=23 March 2023}}</ref> | Revolut offers banking services including ] and ] ]s, ]s, ]s, ], ], cryptocurrency exchange and ] payments.<ref name="techcrunch1">{{cite web |title=Revolut Raises $2.3 Million For Its Mobile Foreign Exchange Service |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/07/20/revolut-raises-2-3-million-for-its-mobile-foreign-exchange-service/ |author=Dillet |first=Romain |date=20 July 2015 |website=] |access-date=11 January 2016 |archive-date=14 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114124209/http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/20/revolut-raises-2-3-million-for-its-mobile-foreign-exchange-service/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Revolut's ] supports spending and ] withdrawals in 120 currencies and transfers in 36 currencies directly from the app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=PYMNTS |date=2023-12-22 |title=Revolut Reports Revenue of $1.1 Billion in 2022 |url=https://www.pymnts.com/earnings/2023/revolut-reports-revenue-of-1-1-billion-in-2022/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=PYMNTS.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Revolut's credit card is available in Poland, Lithuania, the United States, and Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Monito |title=The Revolut Credit Card: Everything You Should Know |url=https://www.monito.com/en/revolut-credit-card |first=Jarrod|last=Suda|date=23 March 2023}}</ref> | ||
<!-- Instant Access Savings is available and allows customers to grow their money at variable interest rates, while benefiting from a deposit guarantee scheme.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=PYMNTS |date=2024-04-01 |title=NCino Expands Omnichannel Functionality of Consumer Banking Solution |url=https://www.pymnts.com/news/banking/2024/ncino-expands-omnichannel-functionality-consumer-banking-solution/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=PYMNTS.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Customers receive interest, paid daily, and can access their savings at any time, without lock-ins or withdrawal fees. <ref name=":22" /> Instant Access Savings is currently available in the UK, Poland, Romania and Hungary.<ref name=":22" /> -->Revolut also provides customers access to cryptocurrencies |
<!-- Instant Access Savings is available and allows customers to grow their money at variable interest rates, while benefiting from a deposit guarantee scheme.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=PYMNTS |date=2024-04-01 |title=NCino Expands Omnichannel Functionality of Consumer Banking Solution |url=https://www.pymnts.com/news/banking/2024/ncino-expands-omnichannel-functionality-consumer-banking-solution/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=PYMNTS.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Customers receive interest, paid daily, and can access their savings at any time, without lock-ins or withdrawal fees. <ref name=":22" /> Instant Access Savings is currently available in the UK, Poland, Romania and Hungary.<ref name=":22" /> -->Revolut also provides customers access to cryptocurrencies by exchanging with 25 ].<ref name="TechCrunch 2018-05-24">{{cite news |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/23/revolut-adds-ripple-and-bitcoin-cash-support/ |title=Revolut adds XRP and Bitcoin Cash support |work=TechCrunch |date=2018-05-24 |access-date=2021-04-14 |archive-date=2021-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416133436/https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/23/revolut-adds-ripple-and-bitcoin-cash-support/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A fee of 1.49% for buying or selling applies. Crypto cannot be deposited or spent, only converted back to fiat inside Revolut. Additionally, Revolut banks with Metropolitan Commercial Bank<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peters|first=Jay|date=2020-03-24|title=Popular European banking app Revolut is launching in the US today|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/24/21188412/banking-app-revolut-us-launch-mobile-bank|access-date=2021-07-13|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=2021-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715055342/https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/24/21188412/banking-app-revolut-us-launch-mobile-bank|url-status=live}}</ref> of New York, which does not allow the transfer of fiat money to or from cryptocurrency exchanges. | ||
=== Retail App === | === Retail App === | ||
Users with a personal Revolut account have access to services in some markets including payments and cards, savings, credit, investment and trading, cryptocurrency trading, multi currency accounts, shared accounts, premium lifestyle features and donations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Paige |first=Will |title=Revolut joins heated competition to win cut of Europe's booming BNPL market |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/revolut-rolls-out-buy-now-pay-later-product-across-europe-2022-6 |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> | Users with a personal Revolut account have access to services in some markets including payments and cards, savings, credit, investment and trading, cryptocurrency trading, multi currency accounts, shared accounts, premium lifestyle features and donations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Paige |first=Will |title=Revolut joins heated competition to win cut of Europe's booming BNPL market |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/revolut-rolls-out-buy-now-pay-later-product-across-europe-2022-6 |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
==Regulation and litigation == | |||
==Protection of funds== | |||
Revolut is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which ensures end-to-end security of information and protection of funds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Revolut launches Instant Card Transfers in Singapore |url=https://thepaypers.com/online-mobile-banking/revolut-launches-instant-card-transfers-in-singapore--1263732 |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=thepaypers.com |language=en}}</ref> The standards are internationally recognized regulations set to protect cardholder data.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Revolut Reader Review |url=https://www.businessexpert.co.uk/payment-processing/revolut-reader-review/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Business Expert |language=en-GB}}</ref> | Revolut is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which ensures end-to-end security of information and protection of funds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Revolut launches Instant Card Transfers in Singapore |url=https://thepaypers.com/online-mobile-banking/revolut-launches-instant-card-transfers-in-singapore--1263732 |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=thepaypers.com |language=en}}</ref> The standards are internationally recognized regulations set to protect cardholder data.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Revolut Reader Review |url=https://www.businessexpert.co.uk/payment-processing/revolut-reader-review/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Business Expert |date=14 March 2024 |language=en-GB}}</ref> | ||
=== Revolut Bank === | === Revolut Bank === | ||
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===UK fraud victims=== | ===UK fraud victims=== | ||
Although Revolut originally applied for a UK banking licence in 2021, it was only granted one in July 2024.<ref name=":19" /> Prior to having a banking license, Revolut was not a bank and not a signatory to the Contingent Reimbursement Model Scheme. This means it was not |
Although Revolut originally applied for a UK banking licence in 2021, it was only granted one in July 2024.<ref name=":19" /> Prior to having a banking license, Revolut was not a bank and not a signatory to the Contingent Reimbursement Model Scheme. This means it was not obliged to reimburse many who would be eligible under the code.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dalton |first=Nia |date=2024-01-19 |title=Relationship coach scammed me of £5k - he's exploited women across the world|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/relationship-coach-scammed-over-5000-30727873 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=The Mirror |language=en}}</ref><ref name="vahl">{{cite news |last1=Vahl |first1=Shari |last2=Espiner |first2=Tom |date=5 December 2022 |title='I had £8,000 stolen but Revolut won't refund it' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63796738 |website=BBC News}}</ref> In 2023, the company reported a 35% reduction to ]s (APP) fraud.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Revolut doubles financial crime headcount since 2021 to combat fraud|date=31 October 2023|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2023/1031/1413840-revolut-doubles-financial-crime-headcount-since-2021/ |website=rte.ie}}</ref> However, the number of complaints of fraud reported to ], the UK reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, by Revolut customers rose from 567 in February 2023 to 1,086 for February 2024.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/apr/10/im-a-victim-of-scammers-but-revolut-says-no-to-a-refund |title=I'm a victim of scammers. But Revolut says 'no' to a refund |first=Miles |last=Brignall|work=The Guardian |date=10 April 2024}}</ref> | ||
Prior to Revolut having a banking license, complaints were made by defrauded Revolut customers to the ], who in some cases required Revolut to reimburse and compensate victims, and remove ] wrongly placed against the individuals.<ref>{{Cite report|url=https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decision/DRN-4189491.pdf|title=Decision Reference DRN-4189491|publisher=Financial Ombudsman Service|date=12 July 2023}}</ref> | Prior to Revolut having a banking license, complaints were made by defrauded Revolut customers to the ], who in some cases required Revolut to reimburse and compensate victims, and remove ] wrongly placed against the individuals.<ref>{{Cite report|url=https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decision/DRN-4189491.pdf|title=Decision Reference DRN-4189491|publisher=Financial Ombudsman Service|date=12 July 2023}}</ref> | ||
Many financial service customers in the UK have been subject to fraud, but Revolut has been involved in more cases than any major High Street bank, and has a reputation for not reimbursing victims, which full banks are more likely to do. ActionFraud received 10,000 reports of fraud naming Revolut in 2023, 2,000 more than ], one of the UK's largest banks, and twice as many as a competitor bank of similar size to Revolut. That year over 3,500 complaints about Revolut were made to the ], more than any other financial institution. Consumer organization ] did not recommend banking large sums of money with Revolut, saying "They have a track record of not reimbursing people who fall victim to fraud or find themselves in this incredibly difficult situation, of money being taken from accounts even after scam activity has been reported."<ref name=fraud>{{Cite news| title=Revolut customers say e-money firm failed them after being scammed | publisher=] |
Many financial service customers in the UK have been subject to fraud, but Revolut has been involved in more cases than any major High Street bank, and has a reputation for not reimbursing victims, which full banks are more likely to do. ActionFraud received 10,000 reports of fraud naming Revolut in 2023, 2,000 more than ], one of the UK's largest banks, and twice as many as a competitor bank of similar size to Revolut. That year over 3,500 complaints about Revolut were made to the ], more than any other financial institution. Consumer organization ] did not recommend banking large sums of money with Revolut, saying "They have a track record of not reimbursing people who fall victim to fraud or find themselves in this incredibly difficult situation, of money being taken from accounts even after scam activity has been reported."<ref name="fraud">{{Cite news |date=14 October 2024 |title=Revolut customers say e-money firm failed them after being scammed |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6epzxdd77o |publisher=]}}</ref> | ||
==Criticism== | ==Criticism and controversies== | ||
===Employment practices=== | ===Employment practices=== |
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Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Financial technology |
Founded | 1 July 2015; 9 years ago (2015-07-01) |
Founders | |
Headquarters | London, England |
Area served | United Kingdom, European Economic Area, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, United States, Brazil |
Key people |
|
Products | current accounts, debit cards, stock trading, personal loan, foreign exchange, insurance, BNPL, Business account |
Services | Peer-to-peer payments, currency exchange |
Revenue | £1.8 billion (2023) |
Operating income | £438 million (2023) |
Net income | £344 million (2023) |
Total assets | £17.4 billion (2023) |
Number of employees | 8,152 (2023) |
Website | revolut |
Revolut Group Holdings Ltd, doing business as Revolut, is a British multinational neobank and fintech company that offers banking services for individuals and businesses. The company was founded in July 2015 by British-Russian businessman Nikolay Storonsky and British-Ukrainian software engineer Vlad Yatsenko and operates in 48+ countries. It is one of the most popular online banks in Europe.
The bank offers free and subscription-based digital banking services, primarily through a mobile app. Features include domestic and international bank transfers, pre-paid debit cards, a stock and cryptocurrency exchange, as well as other features such as savings accounts and loans.
Revolut has been subject to criticism and many controversies in the past, such as issues with customer support and long-lasting lockouts, as well as anti-money laundering compliance failures, lack of support for defrauded customers, and even claims of ties to the russian government which the company strongly denied.
The company achieved unicorn status in April 2018, after receiving €205 million in investments during Series C round funding, which valued the company at over €1.4 billion.
History
Early History (2015–2017)
Revolut was founded on the 1 July 2015 by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko, offering individuals in the United Kingdom and European Economic Area (EEA) a smartphone app linked to a pre-paid Mastercard to spend money abroad using interbank foreign exchange rate. Customers could then spend their money across 90 countries while abroad. According to the company, this allowed for the best possible exchange rates. They also said their vision was to build a payments platform that enable customers and merchants to make low-cost instant payments and marketing platform. The company was originally based in Level39, a financial technology incubator in Canary Wharf, London.
The same month, the company raised £1.5 million during a seed funding round. This was followed by a Series A round the following year, where Revolut raised over £6.75 million, which put them at a total valuation of about £42 million at the time. By that time, they reached around 300,000 users, processing almost £1 billion in transactions according to the company.
Building on its initial success, Revolut then launched a subscription-based app in June 2017 available to businesses across the UK and Europe. Under the name of "Revolut Business", businesses could create an account with a multi-currency IBAN to hold, exchange, and transfer money with 25 currencies. Following the launch of Revolut Business, the company raised $66 million during a Series B round in July 2017 with the goal to expand across Asia and the United States.
The company was also affected by a major outage with their card processor Global Processing Services in June 2017, causing card payments to fail. Revolut experienced a similar outage along other companies, such as Monzo, back in March of the same year.
EU banking license and international expansion (2018–2021)
Until now, Revolut was only operating as an electronic money institution in the United Kingdom under the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). They first applied for their EU banking license in November 2017, at which time they also started work on their own payment processor. The bank then received its EU banking license as well as an EMI license in December 2018 from the European Central Bank, facilitated by the Bank of Lithuania. Under their new license, the bank could accept deposits and offer consumer credits. However, they were not allowed to provide investment services until later. Stock trading was then made available in July 2019, where customers could now perform commission-free trade on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Initially, this was only available for customers in Revolut's "Metal" subscription plan, but available to all users later on.
Following the acquisition of a banking license, the company announced plans in September 2019 for expansion into 24 new markets across the United States, Asia, and other regions, supported by agreements with Visa and Mastercard. The company said that they also want to hire an additional 3,500 employees. Earlier that year, it had already expanded into Australia, marking its first expansion outside of Europe. The following month, Revolut expanded to Singapore, becoming the company's first Asian market. By 2020, they had also launched in the United States and Japan.
By November 2020, Revolut said they started breaking even. With a £4.2 billion valuation, they became the UK's most valuable fintech company at the time. The company's valuation was brought further during a Series E round in July 2021, with a $800 million funding round bringing them to $33 billion.
The company applied for banking license in the United Kingdom and a bank charter in the United States in early 2021. The European Central Bank also granted Revolut a full banking licence later that year.
Since 2022
After having secured bank licenses, Revolut started moving away from being an e-money institution to a bank. In January 2022, they started operating as a bank in 10 additional European countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.
The Financial Times reported in July 2023 that Revolut had lost $20 million to organized criminal groups due to a flaw in its US payment system between late 2021 and early 2022. The issue affected the company's corporate funds and not customer accounts; some of the money was recouped. Later that year, Revolut announced that they would stop offering cryptocurrency trading services to their US customers due to the "evolving regulatory environment" as the Securities and Exchange Commission intensified regulations regarding certain crypto assets and platforms.
The company became target of a cyberattack in September 2022. An unauthorized third party briefly obtained access to a small portion (0.16%) of customer details. While no funds were accessed or stolen, personal data of over 50,000 customers was accessed by the perpetrator. In the same month, The UK's Financial Conduct Authority added Revolut to its list of companies authorized to offer cryptocurrency products and services. Before, the company had offered crypto trading since 2017, but it was not regulated.
In January 2023, the company announced that it would transfer its 2 million Irish customers to a new Irish branch, moving them from a Lithuanian IBAN to an Irish IBAN. This was followed by a launch for IBANs in France, Netherlands and Spain in September 2023.
Revolut launched a subscription tier named "Ultra" for individuals in the UK and EEA in June 2023, which was the companys most expensive subscription at the time. Around this time, the bank also began allowing staking for holders of proof of stake cryptocurrencies in the UK and EEA, a feature used by various cryptocurrencies such as Cardano or Polkadot at the time. They also expanded its commission-free stock trading in October 2023, giving customers in the EEA the ability to buy and sell European company stocks in Euro. By the end of the year, it was reported that they reached customer deposits of £15.1 billion. It was also reported that, despite ongoing uncertainty regarding the UK banking license, the company swung to a £25m loss in 2022 after giving out higher wages to staff. This included a near 80% pay jump for its founder and the highest-paid director.
As of June 2024, Revolut has reached 45 million customers globally. In August, the company was seen to be preparing for a potential IPO on the Nasdaq in the United States with an expected valuation of approximately £45 billion, although UK politicians were said to be pushing for a London listing. The cmpany also doubled its headcount over the past two years, employing over 8,000 people in more than 25 countries. The company faced criticism from local Portuguese banks about unfair competition after its subsidiary, "Revolut Bank UAB", was granted a full banking license by the ECB. Revolut was also granted a British banking license the following month, though with restrictions via the standard "mobilization" stage.
A report in October 2024 found that Revolut was named in more fraud complaints in the UK than any major bank in the country, sparking a debate on the effectiveness of its security controls. It was stated that many customers had to turn to the financial ombudsman service after falling victim to fraud earlier that year. By the end of 2024, Revolut reached 50 million customers globally.
Funding and Investments
The company raised £6.5 million ($8.5 million) in a Series A funding round in 2016. An additional £17 million was raised on an equity crowdfunding site. A year later, $66 million was raised in a Series B funding round. Index Ventures, Balderton Capital, and Ribbit Capital all participated.
On 26 April 2018, Revolut raised $250 million in Series C funding. It had a post-funding valuation of US$1.7 billion, making it a unicorn. In February 2020, Revolut completed a Series D funding round of $580 million that more than trebled its value, valuing the company at £4.2 billion and becoming the United Kingdom's most valuable financial technology startup.
In July 2021, Revolut's Series E raised US$800 million from investors, including SoftBank Group and Tiger Global Management, at a US$33 billion valuation. This made Revolut the leading European start up in terms of valuation.
As of June 2023, Revolut has raised $1.7 billion in total funding.
In August 2024, Revolut announced a secondary share sale that valued the company at $45 billion, up from its previous valuation of $33 billion in 2021.
Services
Personal and business banking
Revolut offers banking services including GBP and EUR bank accounts, debit cards, credit cards, currency exchange, stock trading, cryptocurrency exchange and peer-to-peer payments. Revolut's mobile app supports spending and ATM withdrawals in 120 currencies and transfers in 36 currencies directly from the app. Revolut's credit card is available in Poland, Lithuania, the United States, and Ireland.
Revolut also provides customers access to cryptocurrencies by exchanging with 25 fiat currencies. A fee of 1.49% for buying or selling applies. Crypto cannot be deposited or spent, only converted back to fiat inside Revolut. Additionally, Revolut banks with Metropolitan Commercial Bank of New York, which does not allow the transfer of fiat money to or from cryptocurrency exchanges.
Retail App
Users with a personal Revolut account have access to services in some markets including payments and cards, savings, credit, investment and trading, cryptocurrency trading, multi currency accounts, shared accounts, premium lifestyle features and donations.
Regulation and litigation
Revolut is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which ensures end-to-end security of information and protection of funds. The standards are internationally recognized regulations set to protect cardholder data.
Revolut Bank
Revolut Bank UAB, licensed by the European Central Bank, provides deposit account services in 30 EEA markets. Customers in those markets have access to deposit protection of up to €100,000 to their accounts for free. This is covered by the Lithuanian State company Deposit and Investment Insurance.
Revolut Ltd
As an electronic money institution, Revolut protects funds via Safeguarding. Using this process, funds are held at partner banks where they receive the safeguards provided by banking institutions. Revolut will soon be able to directly take customer deposits as part of the FSCS scheme following its approval for a UK banking licence.
UK fraud victims
Although Revolut originally applied for a UK banking licence in 2021, it was only granted one in July 2024. Prior to having a banking license, Revolut was not a bank and not a signatory to the Contingent Reimbursement Model Scheme. This means it was not obliged to reimburse many who would be eligible under the code. In 2023, the company reported a 35% reduction to authorised push payments (APP) fraud. However, the number of complaints of fraud reported to Action Fraud, the UK reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, by Revolut customers rose from 567 in February 2023 to 1,086 for February 2024.
Prior to Revolut having a banking license, complaints were made by defrauded Revolut customers to the Financial Ombudsman, who in some cases required Revolut to reimburse and compensate victims, and remove fraud markers wrongly placed against the individuals.
Many financial service customers in the UK have been subject to fraud, but Revolut has been involved in more cases than any major High Street bank, and has a reputation for not reimbursing victims, which full banks are more likely to do. ActionFraud received 10,000 reports of fraud naming Revolut in 2023, 2,000 more than Barclays, one of the UK's largest banks, and twice as many as a competitor bank of similar size to Revolut. That year over 3,500 complaints about Revolut were made to the ombudsman, more than any other financial institution. Consumer organization Which? did not recommend banking large sums of money with Revolut, saying "They have a track record of not reimbursing people who fall victim to fraud or find themselves in this incredibly difficult situation, of money being taken from accounts even after scam activity has been reported."
Criticism and controversies
Employment practices
In March 2019, Wired published an exposé of the company's employment practices and work culture. This found evidence of unpaid work, high staff turnover and employees feeling the need to work weekends in order to meet performance indicators. A later article in December 2019 by Sifted noted that Revolut had a higher rating than its peers on Glassdoor.
In June 2020, Wired published a further exposé of Revolut's dismissal of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which employees, particularly in Kraków, were given the choice of being terminated for underperformance or a mutual agreement to leave the company voluntarily, in order to reduce the headline number of 62 redundancies announced by Revolut. The report said "Current and former Revolut employees say staff were coerced into accepting terminations, even though the company had no legal grounds to fire them" and that employees in Porto were pressured into agreeing to a salary sacrifice scheme in order to keep their jobs. According to Wired, in a message sent to the 495-strong customer support team on Slack soon after the salary sacrifice scheme was announced, head of Support Inna Grynova urged them to participate.
Automated suspension of accounts (2020)
Revolut, in common with traditional financial institutions, uses algorithms to identify money laundering, fraud and other criminal activity. Under certain anti-money laundering legislation, if suspicious activities are being investigated, bank staff are not allowed to tell customers why their accounts have been frozen.
It has been reported since 2020 that Revolut's algorithms suspended accounts for weeks or months at a time after unusual activity was detected. Revolut's policies require customers whose accounts were suspended to request a resolution via in-app chat support. Revolut said that "the system is programmed to temporarily lock an account and place it in a queue, until one of our compliance agents can review the case".
In February 2020, The Daily Telegraph reported that Revolut suspended an account containing £90,000 for more than two months and that another customer travelled 500 miles from Auvergne in France to Revolut's London offices in an unsuccessful attempt to recover £15,000 in an account that Revolut had frozen with no justification given. The account was later closed and the money in it returned to the customer's other bank accounts.
Also in February 2020, The Times reported that Revolut suspended and later closed a business account containing €300,000 belonging to Priorité Energie, an energy transition start-up company, preventing the company from paying its staff. Revolut publicly apologised and eventually rectified the problem.
There were further reports in 2021 of Revolut withholding clients' funds.
See also
References
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External links
- Media related to Revolut at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website