Our Story

2014

When Monese founder Norris Koppel first moved to the UK from Estonia, he faced a frustrating experience that is all too common.

With no UK credit history or utility bills proving his address, he was immediately denied a bank account. Without one, he found it near impossible to receive his salary or rent an apartment.

2015

From his painful experience, Monese was born - a mobile money account that was inclusive, instant and on-demand.

Monese launched in September 2015 as the first 100% mobile account in the UK.

Today, people from all over Europe can open a UK account in minutes, free from the hidden fees and restrictions that legacy banks impose.

6 months later…
Our customers are writing great reviews about our service

2017

Monese customer transactions surpassed
half a billion pounds

Bank to the future

Not only did we want to make opening and using an account as easy as ordering an Uber, we also wanted to ensure it was accessible to everyone and not just a select few with perfect credit scores and several month’s worth of utility bill documentation.

Fast forward to the present day and we have opened tens of thousands of mobile only, on-demand accounts for customers all over the UK and the wider EU, we’ve been officially named ‘Best Challenger-Bank' in Europe and have even been awarded €1.1 million by the European Commission for research and innovation!

We're also incredibly proud that the product we’ve created is improving the lives of so many customers that legacy banks fail to serve.

Used as a primary salary account
75% of incoming funds
from salary payments

Secured $60 million in Series B Funding

In September 2018, Monese secured $60 million in Series B Funding to support product development and international expansion. This funding round was led by Kinnevik, a global investor focused on digital businesses, with participation from PayPal, European investor Augmentum Fintech and International Airlines Group for its loyalty and data business Avios Group Ltd. Existing investors, including Investec’s INVC Fund, also participated.

Launched Monese Business

Named one of ten
Disruptors to Watch