Revolut
Revolut is a global neobank and financial technology company founded in the United Kingdom in 2015 by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko. It began as a multi-currency card for travellers and expanded into a broad "financial super-app" spanning banking, currency exchange, stock and crypto investing, and business accounts.1
History
Revolut launched in 2015 focused on fee-free foreign-exchange spending. It scaled rapidly across Europe and later pursued licences in multiple jurisdictions, securing a UK banking licence with restrictions in 2024.2
Founders
Nikolay Storonsky (also known as Nik Storonsky) is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Revolut, the British-founded global neobank and financial super-app. Born in 1984 in Russia and later based in London, Storonsky worked as a derivatives trader at Credit Suisse and Lehman Brothers. Frustrated by opaque foreign-exchange markups while travelling, he founded Revolut in 2015 (incorporating the company earlier) and invested personal capital to launch a multi-currency card with interbank-style rates. Under his leadership Revolut expanded into banking, investing, crypto and business accounts across dozens of markets and later secured a UK banking licence with restrictions. Storonsky has also founded the AI-driven venture firm QuantumLight.
Vlad Yatsenko is co-founder and chief technology officer of Revolut. A software engineer who previously worked at Deutsche Bank and UBS, Yatsenko joined Storonsky early to build Revolut's product and infrastructure. He has overseen technology as Revolut evolved from a travel FX card into one of Europe's most valuable private fintech companies.
Licences
Revolut's regulatory posture varies by market: it has operated under e-money and specialised licences across Europe and pursued full banking authorisations, including a UK banking licence with restrictions ("mobilisation") in 2024. Product availability (banking, trading, crypto) depends on local approvals.
Products
The app bundles current accounts, multi-currency wallets, international transfers, budgeting tools, savings vaults, stock and cryptocurrency trading, and subscription tiers (Standard, Premium, Metal, Ultra). A separate Revolut Business product serves companies.
Global expansion
Revolut operates across Europe and has expanded into markets including the United States, Japan, Australia, and Brazil, adapting its licensing approach to each jurisdiction.
References
- Revolut markets itself as a "financial super-app" spanning multiple product lines. https://www.revolut.com/about-revolut/
- Revolut received a UK banking licence with restrictions ("mobilisation") in 2024. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/prudential-regulation/authorisations/which-firms-does-the-pra-regulate
Frequently asked questions
- What is Revolut?
- Revolut is a British-founded global neobank and financial technology company offering banking, currency exchange, and investing.
- When was Revolut founded?
- Revolut was founded in 2015.
- Where is Revolut headquartered?
- Revolut is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
- Who founded Revolut?
- Revolut was founded by Nikolay Storonsky, Vlad Yatsenko.
- What type of company is Revolut?
- Revolut is described as Licensed / super-app in its neobank.wiki profile.
See also
- Airwallex — Airwallex is an Australian-founded business fintech for global accounts, payments and spend management.
- Alex Johnson — Alex Johnson is the founder of Fintech Takes, a widely read fintech newsletter and podcast; he is active on X as @AlexH_Johnson.
- Alexandre Prot — Alexandre Prot is co-founder and CEO of Qonto, the Paris-based European business neobank.
- Ali Niknam — Ali Niknam is founder and CEO of Bunq, the Amsterdam-based licensed Dutch neobank.
- Ally Bank — Ally Bank is a large U.S. online bank offering deposits, loans and investment products without branches.