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Loren

It’s a devastating time for Europe and across the world as military action in Ukraine escalates. Millions of people are facing a serious humanitarian crisis and in need of urgent assistance as people displaced from Ukraine become homeless or embark on a painful journey to a different country and families are separated.

For displaced Ukrainians who need a local account in the EEA or UK to send or receive payments, we’re offering EUR and GBP accounts with no fees.

## Ukrainians in the EEA
If you’re displaced from Ukraine and in the EEA, you can open a Monese EUR [account](https://monese.com/features/account-opening "Opening an account has never been easier"), and we’ll refund all the fees for anyone who signs up with a Ukrainian ID. You can sign up automatically through the Monese app using the EEA address you’re present at. Depending on the country you're in, you may also need to provide us with an immigration document to open your Monese account. 

## Ukrainians in the UK
If you’re displaced from Ukraine and in the UK, you can open a Monese GBP or EUR [account](https://monese.com/features/account-opening "Opening an account has never been easier"), and we’ll refund all the fees for anyone who signs up with a Ukrainian ID. You can sign up automatically through the Monese app using the UK address you’re present at. You may also need to provide us with an immigration document to open your Monese account.   

### How do I sign up to Monese?
You can download the Monese app on your phone from the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/monese-a-banking-alternative/id1102793407 "Monese: A Banking Alternative"), [Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.monese.monese.live&hl=en_IE&gl=US "Monese - Mobile Money Account") or [Huawei’s AppGallery](https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C103759763 "Monese - Mobile Money Account for UK & Europe") to sign up. 

### How can I order a Monese card? 
You can order your Monese card by tapping on ‘Card’ in the app, then ‘Order a debit card’. While you wait for your physical, contactless Mastercard prepaid debit card to arrive in the mail, you’ll be able to make use of a [virtual card](https://monese.com/blog/create-virtual-card "Create a virtual card") in-app straight away, which you can also link to [Apple Pay](https://monese.com/features/apple-pay "Easier, faster, more secure payments. Now available with your Monese cards."), [Google Pay](https://monese.com/features/google-pay "Monese with Google Pay™") or your [PayPal](https://monese.com/products/paypal "Monese with the power of PayPal") account.  

### How do I add money to my Monese account?
To top up your Monese account, [here](https://monese.com/blog/add-money "All the ways to add money to your Monese account") are all the ways to do so. If you have family or friends overseas that would like to send you money during this crucial time, here’s a quick guide on [how to receive payments from outside of Europe](https://monese.com/blog/receive-payments-outside-europe "How to receive payments from outside Europe").

## Existing Ukrainian Monese customers 
For now, we’ll be refunding all fees for current Monese customers with Ukrainian IDs. 

<br/><br/>
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If you have any questions or need help getting started with a Monese account, visit our [FAQs](https://support.monese.com/hc/en-gb/categories/360002841119-Getting-Started-with-Monese "Getting Started with Monese") for more information. Feel free to email us at [community@monese.com](mailto:community@monese.com) for guidance or contact our [Support](https://monese.com/contact "Get in touch with us") team for assistance. And if you know anyone who would benefit from our fee-free GBP or EUR accounts during this time, please share this post to let them know.

Monese accounts for displaced Ukrainians 

Peace Blog Post

White peace sign on Monese blue background

Blog post > Monese accounts for displaced Ukrainians 

For displaced Ukrainians who need a local account in the EEA or UK to send or receive payments, we’re offering EUR and GBP accounts with no fees.

EUR and GBP accounts without any fees

We’re excited to announce our acquisition of [Trezeo](https://www.trezeo.com/ "Trezeo Homepage"), the award-winning Dublin and London-based specialist financial services provider for the self-employed. 

This is our first acquisition at Monese and it’s part of our wider push into credit and lending for independent, self-employed workers and those with untraditional lives and work.

Trezeo offers a unique subscription-based income smoothing and digital financial safety net to the UK’s independent workers, gig workers and the self-employed. Trezeo is an [FCA](https://www.fca.org.uk/ "Financial Conduct Authority") authorised lender and backed by many highly experienced investors and partners including: [Barclays](https://www.barclays.co.uk/ "Barclays Homepage"), through its accelerator powered by [Techstars](https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/london "Techstars London Accelerator"); Ireland’s national start-up accelerator program, [NDRC](https://www.ndrc.ie/ "A New Era for Entrepreneurship"); and [Nationwide](https://www.nationwide.co.uk/ "Nationwide - Building Society") through its [Open Banking for Good](https://www.openbankingforgood.co.uk/ "OB4G") challenge. The company was founded in 2016 by Garrett Cassidy and Flavien Charlon. 

We’re two companies with a shared vision for the future of financial services; both serving independent, gig economy and nontraditional workers, and we both have a deep passion for engineering excellence in product development.

__Norris Koppel, Founder and CEO of Monese, said:__ “We’re very excited to be announcing this acquisition today. This is the start of us moving further into credit and lending and broadening our services for independent and self-employed workers, which will significantly enhance our offering to our existing customers. Many of Trezeo’s target customers are our customers: gig workers, side-hustlers, go-getters and all those working towards achieving their dreams. We know these workers are looking for more of a safety net, particularly when it comes to accessing credit. 

“Modern, digital financial services have a great opportunity to serve this ever-growing workforce and help them juggle the pressures and priorities of post-pandemic life”.  

__Garrett Cassidy, CEO and Founder of Trezeo, said:__ “We are very pleased to be announcing the acquisition of the business by Monese. We started Trezeo five years ago with the ambition to serve the independent and self-employed workers who power towns and cities. We have since developed a totally unique financial services platform for this rapidly growing workforce. 

“This acquisition allows us to continue to deliver our mission, under the Monese brand, to a much bigger audience across Europe. We are two companies that are very closely aligned in mission and purpose. We’re very excited about what we can achieve together”.

Following the combining of Monese and Trezeo, we’ll have a team on the ground in Ireland and we’ll be launching credit and lending in the UK – crucial for customers. So stay tuned and watch this space! 

We’re moving into the credit and lending space


We’ve acquired financial services provider Trezeo

Monese+Trezeo - Landscape

Monese trezeo acquisition puzzle pieces blue background  

Blog post > We’ve acquired financial services provider Trezeo

We’re excited to announce our acquisition of Trezeo, the award-winning Dublin and London-based specialist financial services provider for the self-employed. 

We’re moving into the credit and lending space

We’re very excited to announce the launch of our cloud-based transactional banking platform alongside a strategic partnership with [Investec](https://www.investec.com/en_int/welcome-to-investec.html "Investec Homepage"). 

The pandemic has accelerated digital transformations significantly. Yet many businesses across Europe have been left behind, trying to ‘unlock’ digital financial services. This includes some banks, but also online businesses like marketplaces, and even some fintechs. There is a huge appetite amongst traditional and non-traditional companies to reduce the transformation time from years to months or even weeks. 

With this platform, we believe we can help these businesses take their digital banking offering to a totally new level, get them to market as quickly as possible and get them ahead of consumer demand.

Our new BaaS platform is cloud-based, modular and fully integrated with leading financial services partners. BaaS users will have access to everything they need to deliver services like core money management technology to risk engine or mobile app development. Clients will be able to use the platform to build fully bespoke, end-to-end, online money management services which can be customised from country to country. 

This makes our platform cost-effective and scalable, while also giving financial service providers the ability to offer a modern digital money management experience to consumers fast.

Investec is a distinctive bank offering investment and wealth management services to private, institutional and corporate clients. They’ll be adopting our new BaaS platform to accelerate the development of its transactional banking proposition in collaboration with us at Monese. 

At Monese and Investec, we’re closely aligned and committed to opening up the full extent of digital banking possibilities for consumers, especially in a post-pandemic world. Together, we aim to make sure that banks, fintechs and marketplaces can meet the accelerating post-pandemic demand for modern digital financial services amongst consumers.

__Norris Koppel, Founder and CEO of Monese, said:__ “We’re very excited to launch our BaaS platform and delighted to have such a distinguished partner in Investec, who brings a great deal of experience in delivering exceptional banking services. 

At Monese, we have built a cutting-edge technology platform, one that is tried-and-tested and integrated with some of the best partners in the business. In our experience, core banking providers only cover a small part of the products and services that are required to meet the demands of modern digital banking and so our BaaS offering is completely end-to-end – it’s everything you would need to launch a current account from scratch”. 

__Lyndon Subroyen, Global head of digital and technology at Investec, said:__ “We have a longstanding relationship with Monese, having invested in them through Outward VC fund, and smaller investment vehicles in recent years. This strategic partnership will enable us to leverage their scale, expertise and digital capabilities to deliver Investec’s digital current account offering in the UK. We’re confident that in Monese we’ve found the best partner that will bring enhanced capability for our clients”.

Our partnership with Investec is just one of many we’re proud to have collaborated on in the past year, which has included a European multi-year strategic partnership with Mastercard and we’ve also adopted Thought Machine’s cloud native core banking platform, Vault.

Our new BaaS platform will complement our mobile money app, which allows customers across Europe to [open an account](https://monese.com/features/account-opening "Opening an account has never been easier") quickly in multiple languages and currencies. If you’re interested in learning more about the platform, email us at [platform@monese.com](mailto:platform@monese.com) with any questions.

Plus announcing new strategic partnership with Investec 

Our Banking-as-a-Service platform is here   

Baas Hero

baas banking as-a-service monese coins cloud-based platform technology

Blog > Banking-as-a-Service

We’re very excited to announce the launch of our cloud-based transactional banking platform alongside a strategic partnership with Investec. 

We’re excited to announce we’ve been chosen as one of the UK’s leading late-stage tech companies and joining the [Future Fifty 9.0 program](https://technation.io/programmes/future-fifty/ "Tech Nation") — Europe’s leading growth program for late-stage tech scaleups. The exclusive network of high-growth is designed to bring together, empower and accelerate the growth of the most successful tech companies in the UK. 

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

Monese is one of 22 new companies to join the program this year, driving the growth of UK tech and economic recovery. Among these new joiners, we’re also one of eight fintechs and insurtechs selected to join. 

![FF9.0 MarketingPackAssets Email Header](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/3MJcdNTnQh0GuXi1xpzBuQ/367ac1795c906f8af16ba56d728410e6/FF9.0_MarketingPackAssets_Email_Header.png)

As part of the program, we look forward to peer-to-peer learning and applying these learnings straight away into our work environment. We’ll also be focused on addressing and unlocking answers to some of the different challenges we face as we continue to grow and expand our business. 

We’re proud to be included in this year’s Future Fifty, alongside some of the most prominent tech companies in Europe. It’s a testament to our team’s hard work and drive to help those living in challenging situations to build sustainable financial resilience and provide access to fair and flexible financial services. 

Monese joins the UK’s leading late-stage growth program  

We’ve joined Future Fifty 9.0!

Future Fifty Blog Hero

Monese logo white background green curtains blue screen

Blog post > We’ve joined Future Fifty 9.0!

We’re excited to announce we’ve been chosen as one of the UK’s leading late-stage tech companies and joining the Future Fifty 9.0 program — Europe’s leading growth program for late-stage tech scaleups.

As one of the top 5 most requested finance apps from Huawei device users in the UK, we're excited to announce that Monese is now available for download in [Huawei's AppGallery](https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C103759763 "Monese on AppGallery")! The app comes with the [features](https://monese.com/features "Learn about the features on your Monese money account") you know and love so your financial life is literally within reach and at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere.  

![AppGallery Visual (2)](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/5UTg6xuK7oBQQK0Yk3LmJ/294655ee0b6dff71378dbe1220a208e7/AppGallery_Visual__2_.png)

## What are the benefits of downloading Monese? 
Monese makes opening a mobile money account fast and easy, straight from your phone so you can start: 

- sending money abroad with no hidden fees
- [receiving your salary](https://monese.com/blog/receive-salary "How to receive your salary in your Monese account")
- budgeting your monthly or weekly spending
- analysing your day-to-day spending
- making instant and free transfers between Monese accounts, no matter the currency  

And there’s so much more! The Monese app comes jam-packed with useful features to make your everyday money management as simple as ever. 

![Monese App on Huawei screen](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/ETga1aXxUcmqMaJZK5NV3/f4ea366c49085ad662bd3796cce3e112/Phone_Visual.png)

## What are the features that come with Monese? 
Download the Monese app today to start making use of your multi-currency account and powerful [tools for better money management](https://monese.com/blog/manage-money "Tools to use to better manage your money"). Your Monese account comes with:  

- [international money transfer service](https://monese.com/money-transfers "International money transfer – send money safely for less") at great rates
- [virtual card](https://monese.com/blog/create-virtual-card "Create a virtual card") for an extra layer of security when shopping in-store or online
- [pots](https://monese.com/products/savings "Grow your savings") to keep your savings separate from daily spending
- [Direct Debits](https://monese.com/blog/setting-up-direct-debits-with-monese "Setting up Direct Debits with Monese") so you never miss a bill or payment again 
- [Recurring Payments](https://monese.com/blog/make-regular-transfers-with-recurring-payments "Make regular transfers with Recurring Payments") for regular transfers
- instant notifications whenever there’s activity on your account 
- [budgeting](https://monese.com/features/budgeting "Budgeting made easy") tools and [Spending Overview](https://monese.com/blog/simple-spending-overview "An easy way to stay on top of your spending") screen 
- state-of-the-art protection and [security](https://monese.com/features/security "Security is at the heart of what we do") 
- contactless Mastercard prepaid [debit card](https://monese.com/features/debit-card "Get a prepaid debit card from Monese") 
- quick ways to [top up your account](https://monese.com/features/add-funds "Adding money easily") instantly, including with cash  

Once you join Monese, you can also open a [joint account](https://monese.com/products/joint-account "Open a Monese joint account online") with a loved one, partner, friend or 
family member. 

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

## Use Monese in your language 
You can download Monese from the AppGallery and change your settings to use it in any one of the 14 languages we support in-app: English, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Bulgarian, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Turkish, Estonian and Lithuanian.

<br/><br/> 

Head to Huawei's AppGallery on your phone and search for the Monese app to get started today. For your security and latest app updates, make sure you’re only downloading the Monese app from official sources, like the AppGallery. Keep in mind that the Google Pay feature isn’t available in the app if installed from Huawei's AppGallery. 

If you love our app, don’t forget to rate us! We love reading your positive feedback. 

[![Huawei badge black](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/7whnGL0f7W4lyOv4wTcKM6/83b0fca38b8e8752a4073a7b8b012eea/Badge-Black.png?w=200&fm=webp)](https://appgallery.cloud.huawei.com/ag/n/app/C103759763?channelId=Monese+blog&id=67e6a35e88dc47288ea695bbda9e2aa6&s=DBE4C1F0869EE37FFC73C7A449B026EB52623478C11DBE765902ACFE5DC2FB0D&detailType=0&v=)

Download the app today for the features you know and love  

Monese now available in Huawei's AppGallery

Huawei Blog Hero V2

Blog post > Monese now available in Huawei's AppGallery

Monese is now available for download in the Huawei AppGallery! The app comes with the features you know and love so your financial life is literally within reach and at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. 

Monese now available in Huawei AppGallery

It’s been a year unlike any other, and not being able to go out to the pub, the shops or the cinema has — along with many other things — had a big impact on where and how our customers spent and saved money. 

To see exactly what effect the Covid-19 pandemic and the local and national lockdowns in the UK have had on our financial habits, we’ve looked back over our pre-pandemic customer transactions from March 2019—February 2020 and compared them with our lockdown spendings of March 2020—February 2021.

![Year in lockdown - 16% more money Monese coins](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/2bb9yndE4nMHLYGb2atHAr/ad884f59c499751c4f3f75cf7101bd34/AYIL_Landscape_01_2x.png)

Despite being stuck at home, we discovered that, on average, each person has spent 16% more in the last 12 months than in the previous year, with spending increasing in a few key areas.

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

## Shopping online skyrocketed 
Across the nation, non-essential shops were closed for a large part of the year, meaning that many [high streets were nearly deserted](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/deserted-streets-shops-shutters-down-19574139 "Manchester Evening News") and shopping centres shut their doors too. The effect of this was a massive surge in online shopping, particularly in November and December 2020, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday driving even more people online. Looking at all transactions made by Monese customers over the last 12 months, a staggering 80% more money was spent at online retailers versus the year before.

![A year in lockdown - online shopping laptop ](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/7FglRdgTUzkk0M3tkCR6kd/a75bb2755acfbcaf54aea3745d1863d5/AYIL_Landscape_02_2x.png)

This figure includes online grocery shopping, which grew in popularity as many people sought to avoid supermarket trips and long queues. Some supermarkets reported that, particularly at the start of each new lockdown, [their delivery slots had sold out completely](https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/tesco-asda-sainsburys-iceland-waitrose-4667593 "Herts"), although this pressure eased as lockdowns progressed.

One of the more recent challenges and expenses that has come with online shopping has been the arrival of [EU-UK shopping taxes](https://monese.com/blog/parcel-taxes "Monese blog: your money or your parcel ") after Brexit. Some buyers were caught out by unexpected customs tariffs, handling charges and VAT costs. 

## DIY spending surged
We calculated that on average our customers spent 184% more on DIY tools and products in the last year, showing just how popular painting, decorating and home renovating was. Interestingly, the weeks our customers spent the most on DIY kit and caboodle was 22 November, followed by 16 August — not during the first national lockdown as may have been expected.

![ Year in lockdown - DIY tools and hammer](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/71sQs0e4mN07RsnOzg7g5b/6d16a95206e4d9bc7b49ec85a82780ae/AYIL_Landscape_03_2x.png)

In the first national lockdown, hardware stores were forced to close as DIY products were not deemed to be ‘essential items’. When the government allowed these to reopen from 23 April 2020,  business boomed, with [reports of long queues](https://www.itv.com/news/central/2020-04-23/diy-stores-reopen-to-long-queues-during-lockdown "itv: DIY stores reopen to long queues during lockdown") at DIY chains across the nation. 

While buying things for your home can be expensive, [some projects are reported to add value](https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/how-to-add-value-to-your-home "Homebuilding and renovating: How to Add Value to Your Home - 23 Value-Boosting Tips") to your property too, so it’s an investment that can pay off in the long term. Some people also find decorating and DIY relaxing, fulfilling and a welcome distraction from some of the worries of last year.

## Supermarket spending shot up
Another area where our customers spent a lot more money was at the supermarket — perhaps not surprising that while we couldn’t go out for dinner or to the pub, we bought more groceries for meals at home. On average, we estimate that households spent 51% more at the supermarket in the last 12 months.

![Year in lockdown - groceries food](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/7hJ1PZt6G2Yl6eHmzNZI6v/2679e9478e471063b1b5098b170dd795/AYIL_Landscape_04_2x.png)

The peak week for supermarket spending in the last 12 months was just before Christmas (20 December) which was also the biggest week in 2019. 

However, the biggest annual increase took place just before the first national lockdown, during the week of 15 March 2020 when 47% more was spent at the supermarket than during the same week in 2019. This date ties in with [reports of stockpiling and panic buying](https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/supermarkets/stockpiling-spend-hit-60m-in-first-week-of-coronavirus-panic/602952.article "The Grocer: Stockpiling spend hit £60m in first week of coronavirus panic"), with many households dashing to supermarkets to buy dried and canned foods, and endless amounts of toilet roll. 

Fortunately, things settled down a bit by the end of March and, while spending was still higher during the remainder of the year, we didn’t see any similar surges as in that first, worrying week in spring.

## Utilities bills went through the roof
With more people working from home than ever before, the nation’s utilities bills also soared. We estimate that the total cost of water, electricity and gas bills grew by 69% in the last 12 months. The cost started to jump up around 26 April — one month after we started working from home — and stayed at this higher level for the rest of the year.

![Year in lockdown - Utility bills paperwork document](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/1jfYYTL6JZIyMvyK4xvAwX/89fdeb842a1afb0951c9c7a947a22133/AYIL_Landscape_05_2x.png)

Another potential reason the nation’s electricity bills went through the roof last year could be because Britain went mad for hot tubs. [Many retailers said they’d sold out](https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-8414201/Hot-tub-sales-rise-1-000-Britons-enjoy-hot-weather.html "This is Money: 'We've sold out': Hot tub sales rise by 1,000% and suppliers struggle to keep up with demand as Britons spend more time and money in the garden") by the summer. If you fancy joining in on the trend, it’s worth noting that they come with [a potential annual running cost of £600 per year](https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/is-it-normal-for-a-hot-tub-to-cost-600-a-year-to-run--164414689.html "yahoo! finance: Thousands upfront and £600 a year to run - is a hot tub ever worth the money?")!

## Other places we spent more money
A few of the other areas our customers spent more money last year are at: 

- digital games stores (+168%)
- car washes (142%) 
- pet shops (+113%)
- motorcycle dealers (+101%)
- jewellery and watch retailers (+98%)
- musical instrument shops (+71%)
- TV streaming services (+68%)
- craft shops (+46%)
- toy shops (+40%)
- second-hand shops (+40%)
- pharmacies (+31%)

A lot of us got a new pet during the lockdowns, with many explaining that their ‘pandemic puppy’ has helped them get through this challenging time. A year on, some animal shelters are sadly reporting that [they’re getting a lot of pets handed over](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-55719338 "BBC: When your pandemic puppy doesn't work out ") because their owners aren’t able to look after them. 

Getting a pet, particularly a dog, can be very expensive — as much [as £33,000 throughout their lifetime](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jan/20/can-you-afford-dog-33000-pet-insurance-food "The Guardian: Paws for thought … can you really afford to get a dog?") — so it’s really worth thinking about if you can afford that sort of financial commitment before you buy your furry friend. After all, a dog is for life, not just for lockdown.

## Places we spent less money
At the other end of the scale, there were, of course, many areas where our customers spent a lot less money in the last year. Perhaps not surprisingly, customers spent 81% less at cinemas; 66% less at theatres; and 56% less at bars, night clubs and pubs. 

Our customers also spent 26% less at restaurants in the last 12 months. However, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme certainly gave the hospitality sector a boost, and our average restaurant bill (per visit) went from £47.70 to £59.16 in August 2020.

Monese customers also spent a lot less on travel: 49% less on train tickets, 32% less on airline tickets, 27% less on car rental, and 23% less on bus tickets too.

## Savers also squirreled away more money for rainy days
While many people were spending more money during lockdown, we were pleased to see that others have been able to set aside more savings for the future too. It’s great to have a [safety net](https://monese.com/blog/emergency-fund "Monese blog: How to build an emergency fund") if you can.

![Year in lockdown - Vault Monese coins gold](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/6mzsks2TE8fHS5jIbe6xXm/8654df7d1d559fbaf813983eb1450ad2/AYIL_Landscape_06_2x.png)

On average, Monese customers that use [our saving pots feature](https://monese.com/features/pots "Monese: Save with Pots") put aside in excess of three times more in the ‘year in lockdown’ versus the previous year. The average Monese saver also doubled the value of their pot! 

We ran a survey earlier in the year to find out what people were saving for and discovered that over a third were setting money aside for a rainy day (37%), one in four were looking to hit a specific savings milestone (26%) and a similar number were putting cash aside for a holiday (25%) in the coming months. 

If you live with a partner, it can be easier to hit a specific savings goal if you’re both invested in doing so. But we know that talking about money with our nearest and dearest can be a challenge, so we wrote up a blog about [how to tackle those tricky conversations about money](https://monese.com/blog/savings-goals-with-partner "Monese blog: Setting savings goals with your partner"), as well as how to set a joint budget and savings goals. A [joint account](https://monese.com/products/joint-account "Open a Monese joint account online") is a great place to start and can be set up in minutes!

## Looking to the year ahead
With the lockdown easing roadmap now revealed, many of us are looking forward to getting back to ‘normal’: visiting loved ones, [organising holidays](https://monese.com/blog/travel-2021 "Monese blog: Top tips for your next travel attempt"), heading out on shopping trips and, of course, getting a round of drinks in for colleagues after a long working week. 
If you’re worried about money and the resumed cost of commuting and socialising, then it’s important to plan ahead as best you can. 

With Monese, [our features](https://monese.com/features "Learn about the features on your Monese money account") make it easier to budget and manage your money. Take a look at [our products](https://monese.com/products "All your Monese accounts in one app") to see all you can do.
<br/><br/>

How did your spending and saving change during the year in lockdown? Let us know on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/MyMonese "Monese official Facebook page"), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/monese "Monese official Twitter page"), [Instagram](https://instagram.com/monese "Monese official Instagram page") or write to us at [community@monese.com](mailto:community@monese.com).

<br/><br/>
__Methodology__

*We analysed Monese card transaction data comparing consumer spending data for March 2019 to February 2020, with data for March 2020 to February 2021. We compared spending between these two time periods across a number of categories and analysed this on a week-by-week basis. This allowed us to rank consumer spending categories as well as amount spent and rate of consumer spending throughout the past year. Monese has over one million customers in the UK.*

We look at how the spending and savings habits of Monese customers have changed over the last 12 months

A year in lockdown: what we spent and where we spent it

Year in Lockdown - hero image

shopping online laptop tools DIY groceries Monese coins in vault savings utilities bill 

Blog post > A year in lockdown: what we spent and where we spent it

We’ve looked back over our pre-pandemic customer transactions from March 2019—February 2020 and compared them with our lockdown spendings of March 2020—February 2021.

The United Kingdom [left the European Union](https://monese.com/gb/en/blog/brexit-update) at the end of January. Since then there’s been a period of transition, where both sides have been trying to work out their future relationship. This transition period is coming to an end on the 31st of December – but no matter the outcome, we want you to know we’re fully prepared. 

Whatever happens, you’ll still be able to use our smart and connected service to continue to do things like:
- Sending and receiving money, locally and internationally
- Using your card to pay in-store or online, or withdraw from ATMs
- Topping up your account with cash (in any country this is already available in)
- Using your app in any of the 14 languages we support, and chatting to our multilingual support team

### Is this going to affect me?
Last year, we worked with our licensing partner to create a new regulated entity in Belgium. We set this up so that we can provide you with the same level of service after Brexit. Since then, most of our customers from across Europe received new and improved [European account numbers](https://monese.com/gb/en/blog/new-eu-iban-account-number), and those of you who live in Romania are set up with local [Romanian account numbers](https://monese.com/gb/en/blog/ron-accounts). And we’ve started rolling out [French account numbers](https://monese.com/gb/en/blog/french-iban-account-number)!

From next year, many of you won’t see any changes to how your account or card works. But some will see some small changes. For example:

- If you live in the UK and have a RON account, we may have to move it under our EU licensing partner
- If you don’t live in the UK and you have a GBP currency account that you haven’t been using for a while, we’ll ask you if you want to keep using it moving forward 
- If you live in the European Economic Area and your EUR account number starts with GB, we may update your IBAN 

If you’re a Monese customer, we’ll send you any important details via email, and we’ll be in touch with anything else you need to know as this transition period comes to an end.

### What happens next?
We’ll keep updating you regularly on this, but in the meantime, you can find more details in our [terms](https://monese.com/terms), or in our [help centre](https://support.monese.com/hc/en-gb/categories/360000729699-Monese-and-Brexit).

If you have any other questions about Brexit and how it will affect your Monese account, feel free to reach out to our Support team through the app or by emailing us on [support@monese.com](mailto:support@monese.com).

Following Brexit earlier this year, the transition period ends on 31 December. Here’s how we’re prepared.

What does the end of the Brexit transition period mean for me?

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Blog post > What does the end of the Brexit transition period mean for me?

ProxyAddress is a service that gives ‘duplicate’, or proxy, address details to those facing homelessness, so they can access vital services. From today, it’s launching this service with a groundbreaking pilot program in the London borough of Lewisham. We’ve partnered with [ProxyAddress](https://www.proxyaddress.co.uk/ "ProxyAddress") to offer Monese accounts to those who are homeless and without stable address details.

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

## Losing your home means losing your address 
In 21st century Britain, an address is not just a location — it’s a de facto form of ID. Without a fixed address, these already at-risk people are cut off from crucial services such as healthcare, receiving post, applying for jobs, getting benefits and opening a bank account. 

At [Monese](https://monese.com/about "About Monese"), we understand how not having an address, or proof of address, becomes a huge barrier to accessing financial services.  

## How does ProxyAddress work?
<p><iframe width="758" height="426" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uW9pxirNpVE?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>

To combat this prevailing problem, ProxyAddress uses duplicated address details of existing homes to provide those facing homelessness with a consistent, secure and free address, which they can use to access the support they need. These are addresses donated by individuals or organisations. During the pilot program in Lewisham, people facing homelessness can access the scheme via Lewisham Council. The council's housing department will guide them through a homelessness application, which includes an eligibility check. They’ll then be issued with a ProxyAddress and presented with the option to sign up to Monese and other providers.  

## Homelessness in the UK
Rough sleeping in the UK has risen sharply in the last decade — up 165% since 2010. New research conducted by ProxyAddress shows that more than 1 in 20 people believe they’ll face homelessness within the next six months, and 1 in 5 know at least one person who’s been made homeless in the last three years, rising to 1 in 3 for under-25s. ProxyAddress found that these stark numbers are due to inaccessible housing and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, among other contributing factors.  

## How we’re helping 
While we don’t ask for traditional documents such as a utility bill or a credit check to open an account at Monese like banks do, we do need an address at which to register a customer’s account and send their Monese card to. 

During the trial with ProxyAddress, people registered homeless with Lewisham Council will be eligible to participate and sign up to Monese using their allocated proxy address. Upon signing up with us, they’ll receive a non-personalised debit card giving them instant access to any funds that are deposited into their accounts. They’ll also be upgraded to a Monese Premium account for free.  

## Financial services for all
We’re committed to financial inclusion here at Monese. Many of our customers are working in the gig economy, self-employed or living in a different European country to that in which they were born, and aren’t so well served by mainstream banks. 

We allow people without a credit history or the traditional documents required by banks, to open an account with us quickly and easily. Customers can also use our app in 14 languages and get help from our multilingual Support team. Finally, our [money transfer](https://monese.com/money-transfers "Money transfers with Monese") service allows our customers to send money back home at excellent international exchange rates. 

This new partnership with ProxyAddress is one of several initiatives we’ve launched to make sure financial services are open to everyone: 
- __March 2019:__ We launched an online directory of inclusive financial institutions, depending on customers’ needs, as part of our ongoing work with the [Emerging Payments Association](https://www.emergingpayments.org/ "Emerging Payments Association")
- __July 2020:__ We more than doubled our cash top-up network by launching tens of thousands of new locations in Europe via a partnership with [Paysafecash](https://monese.com/gb/en/blog/add-cash-paysafe "Add cash to your Monese account with Paysafecash"). Cash top-up functionality is another key element that customers expect from their primary account. Together with our Post Office and PayPoint partnerships in the UK, we’ve created one of the largest cash top-up networks in Europe

We sincerely hope that via this partnership with ProxyAddress, we’re able to help even more people in our communities. If you’re someone who’ll benefit from this new partnership, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/MyMonese/ "Monese on Facebook"), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/monese "Monese on Twitter"), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/monese/ "Monese on Instagram") or email us at [community@monese.com](mailto:community@monese.com "Email Monese"). 


We’ve partnered with ProxyAddress so those facing homelessness in the UK can open a Monese account

Monese accounts for people without stable addresses

Monese and ProxyAddress

Blog post > ProxyAddress launch

During the Covid-19 lockdown, we reached out to some of you and asked you to share your stories on the impact the pandemic has been having on you &mdash; we also carried out an online survey. The results showed the true resilience and flexibility of our gig economy workers during the outbreak.

It was important for us to reach out, because not only do gig economy workers make up a large part of our customer base, but we sincerely believe they deserve continued support and recognition, even well beyond this crisis. 

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

## We did some digging...
To truly begin to appreciate our essential workers, we thought it necessary to explore what it’s taken for them to keep our cities powered and the economy moving &mdash; though at a much slower pace than we’d like.

### Impacted wages 

Our findings showed that during the lockdown period, income dropped by 9% for gig economy workers in the UK. While the average income in a typical month was £1,134 after taxes, in March 2020, it fell to £1,037. Gig economy workers in Scotland took the biggest hit with their wages dropping a significant 15%. 

![Graph](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/3lPbToalUdnppX4eAHYwdQ/5668b02c63732e6a4e556093b6956059/Graph.png)

This decrease in wages poses a serious problem. Many also told us that they don’t have enough savings to last them long should they lose their job during the crisis:

- Almost three in ten (27%) said they only have enough savings to survive for one month or less if out of work.
- One in ten (12%) would only survive for up to 2 weeks.
- A quarter (25%) said they had zero savings to fall back on.

While nearly half (49%) admitted to feeling worried about their work as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, interestingly, the health of the nation was of greater concern than their wellbeing. People told us that they were more concerned about the impact the outbreak has had on general public health (61%) than on their job or income (33%).

### Strength, resilience and flexibility 

To also prove the flexibility and agility of these workers, almost one in three (30%) said that if they lose their job, they’d take any job available:

- 29% said they’d consider becoming a delivery driver.
- One in three (33%) would take a job as a cleaner.
- ver half (59%) would apply for any job in a supermarket.

### Safety concerns

Survey results also showed that one in three (32%) of gig economy workers didn't feel safe going to work but felt they had to because they needed the income. Some other statistics taken from the survey regarding safety issues include the following:

- 29% continued working without protective gear (gloves, mask, hand sanitiser).
- More than one in 20 (6%) continued to work with suspected Covid-19 symptoms.
- Nearly six in ten (57%) don’t believe they’re getting paid enough for the health risk they’re currently taking at work.

### Feeling undervalued 

Almost half (45%) of gig economy workers thought their significant role of keeping the economy going would continue to be recognised by the UK public when the outbreak is over. However, 49% thought the Government would not continue to recognise their positive role in the crisis. 

And it seems that gig economy workers don't feel protected by the Government's response. They think the late delivery of the self-employed financial scheme has created an 'upstairs-downstairs' social divide between those employed and those self-employed:

- Almost half (48%) said that the Government's support scheme for the self-employed isn't useful to them.
- One in six (15%) said that the scheme doesn’t support them in the way they need support. 
- Eight per cent were worried that compensation would not reach them until June. 
- One in 15 (7%) said they weren’t eligible for the scheme as they had registered as self-employed after the cut-off date.

## Our takeaway
It’s impossible to ignore the essential role millions of gig economy workers are playing in keeping our cities going at this critical time, at the sacrifice of their own health. Many of whom are currently juggling two or three jobs to make ends meet. The coronavirus crisis has certainly highlighted who these essential workers really are - some of the lowest-paid people we depend on are the people who’ve continued to power our cities throughout this global crisis. From frontline workers in transport, retail and food, it’s the millions of self-employed taxi drivers, couriers and delivery workers who’ve helped keep food on our supermarket shelves and enabled the rest of us to carry out social-distancing safely. 

We often take the people powering our cities for granted. They’re the engine room of the economy. We receive parcels at all hours, our shelves are full and drivers deliver. Perhaps for the first time, we realise the role they play in keeping our cities moving and come together to recognise their monumental efforts. We hope that society will continue to appreciate all their hard work even once this crisis is over.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank those who responded to our email and participated in our research. Most of all, thank you for keeping our cities going. 

Gig economy workers have kept our cities going during the pandemic... but at what price? 

The true cost of the essential worker during Covid-19

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Blog post > The true cost of the essential worker during Covid-19

During this difficult period caused by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, we want you to know we’re taking every measure available to us to keep you and your money moving.

Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a [global pandemic](https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020). This has seen a strong response from governments and companies of all sizes, and most of us will be ultimately affected in some way.

Here’s what we’re doing to make sure you’ll continue to have access to your money, however this may be impacting you. 

### It’s business-as-usual for us
All Monese services will keep working as they’ve always been. There won’t be any changes to how your Monese account and card operate.

As a technology-led business, we’re in a great position to manage situations like this. Our team is fully set up to continue giving you the same quality service you’re used to. All our employees are working from a safe environment; everyone from across our four offices is encouraged (and given everything they need) to work from home. Many of us often work this way anyway!

You can always find more details about our service status [here](https://status.monese.com/) (it’s all systems go), but we’ll update it - and this post - if anything changes.

### We’re mobile by design
Our service is mobile and flexible by its very nature. Our app allows you to manage your money from the comfort and safety of your own home (without having to venture out to a high street branch).

Aside from that, here are some of the features that might be more useful now than ever:
- __Contactless payments:__ all Monese cards come with contactless technology, so that you never have to touch a card machine when paying for something (just hover it closely over the machine, and it’ll do its magic). This is something that’s also been [recommended](https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/35384/who-urges-switch-to-contactless-to-slow-virus-transmission) by the WHO.
- __Pay with your phone:__ Monese cards support [Apple Pay](https://monese.com/blog/2019/04/apple-pay-is-here) in 31 countries and [Google Pay](https://monese.com/blog/2019/09/google-pay-europe) in 12 countries, so you can pay quickly and safely without even having to get your wallet out.
- __Shop online:__ if you’re trying to avoid physical stores, you can safely use your Monese card to shop online. Or you can [create a virtual card](https://monese.com/blog/2019/12/create-virtual-card) to separate your purchases and lock it when you aren’t using it. Our cards are also enabled with 3D Secure. This gives you an additional layer of security for many online stores, by texting you a one-time password to type in before completing the purchase.
- __Use your phone to move money:__ if you need to receive or send money to your friends and family during this difficult period, you can do so with just a few taps. Our apps will let you set up fast transfers of all kinds, and if they’re between Monese accounts, they’re totally free and instant. 

### Latest updates
We're updating this post as we add more news, advice and guidance to the blog – keep checking back to stay in the loop!

## If your travel plans are disrupted
__Updated on 17 March:__ If your travel plans are now up in the air, we feel you. That’s why we’ve gathered [some advice](https://monese.com/blog/2020/03/covid-19-travel-disruption) that might help guide you, including some of our team’s recent experiences and learnings. And we’re preparing many more tips and recommendations, which we’ll add to our blog as we have it.

## How to stay away from scams
__Updated on 31 March:__ There's been an increase in scam attempts amidst the coronavirus pandemic - [here's](https://monese.com/blog/2020/03/avoiding-coronavirus-scams) what you need to be watching out for so you don't fall victim to fraud. Plus [here](https://monese.com/blog/2020/03/make-sure-youre-talking-to-us)'s how to make sure you're really talking to us.

## New contactless limits
__Updated on 1 April__: As of April 1st, Mastercard has raised contactless payment limits for many countries &mdash; just keep in mind that merchants need to update their card machines. Here are some examples of what the limits have been raised to now: £45 in the UK, €50 in Germany, 100 zł in Poland, €50 in Portugal and €50 in Spain.

## Tips on working from home
__Updated on 2 April:__ Many people are now stuck working from home - including us! We've gathered some [tips from our team](https://monese.com/blog/2020/03/stay-sane-working-remotely) to help you stay happy, healthy, motivated and sane while working remotely. And we've made [a Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/monese/status/1245716282063892481) exploring how Monese parents are coping with working from home with kids!

## Keeping your spending in check
__Updated on 6 April:__ Staying home for most of the time gives you a good chance to review some of your regular spending. [We've got a few ideas](https://monese.com/blog/2020/04/keep-spending-in-check-self-isolating) for where to start, plus how to be mindful of the toll this situation's taking on sole traders and small businesses.

At Monese, our mission is to make it easy to manage your money - wherever you are in the world. We’re all in this together; we’re a business designed to keep you moving whatever happens, and we’re always [here for you](https://monese.com/contact).

Stay safe!

While everyone’s trying to cope with the outbreak, we’re focused on keeping you and your money safe

Dealing with Covid-19

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Blog post > Dealing with Covid-19

Today, the United Kingdom officially leaves the European Union. A period of transition will follow, where both sides will be working out their future relationship. But no matter the outcome, we’re here to remind you that we’re fully prepared.
To deliver on our ambition to give you the financial freedom to thrive anywhere, we knew we’d need to be set up to serve many customers in many countries around the world &mdash; regardless of Brexit. 

So whatever happens, you’ll continue to receive the same smart and connected service:

- You can continue to use your Monese account and cards.
- You can continue to send and receive money.
- You can continue to send money abroad at great rates.
- You can keep using all the Monese app features you know and love.

### How is it going to affect me?
It’s important to know that there will be no change to how your Monese account and card operate. You can carry on using them as usual, and don’t need to do anything. How is Monese prepared?

We worked with our licencing partner to create a new regulated entity in Belgium. This was set up last year, and it’s meant to let us provide you with the same level of service following Brexit. 

__If you live in the UK__ and have a Monese account, it will continue to be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. If you have a EUR account, you’ll keep your account number (IBAN) that starts with ‘GB’, which will continue to work just as before.

__If you live in France__ and have a Monese EUR account, it will still have an account number (IBAN) that starts with ‘GB’ for the time being. But we’re working on delivering a much better solution here, which we'll be able to update you on soon.

__If you live anywhere else in the European Economic Area__, your Monese account is now regulated by the National Bank of Belgium (NBB). You should’ve already received a new account number (IBAN) for your Monese EUR account. It starts with ‘BE’, and you can use it to set up direct debits in euros! Your old account number (IBAN) still works as well.

You can always find all your account details on your Monese app: on your home screen, just select the account you want to look at and then tap on ‘Account details’.

### What happens next?
The transition period is set to last through to 31 December 2020. During this time, the UK will negotiate its trade relationship with the EU, and many other countries around the world. We’ll be following these events very closely, as we work with our partners and regulators to adapt to any changes that may come our way next year.

We’ll continue to update you regularly on this, but in the meantime, rest assured that you can keep using your Monese account as you always have been.
You can find more details in our [Terms and Conditions](https://monese.com/terms "T&Cs"). If you have any other questions about Brexit and how it will affect your Monese account, feel free to reach out to our Support team on [support@monese.com](mailto:support@monese.com "Email us").

We’re fully prepared for this scenario, and there won’t be any changes to how your Monese account works

Brexit is here, but we’ve got you covered

Blog post > Brexit is here, but we’ve got you covered

Following [last month’s update](https://monese.com/blog/2019/09/update-preparations-brexit "Brexit update"), we want to tell you how we’re bringing you a more localised service all across Europe. 

__We’re excited to say that we’ve started rolling out European account numbers (IBANs) for Monese EUR accounts, to customers based outside the UK!__

## Where’s my new EUR account number?

![EUR IBAN account number screen](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/5u0NHa7RNJSomy7COoYvu8/4c5fa51700ba91e05ed0d961f23fdc4e/eur-iban-account-number-1b.png)

If you’re based outside of the UK or France, you can find your new account number (or IBAN) in your Monese EUR account, under ‘Account details’ – it begins with the letters ‘BE’. You can also find it in your ‘Account’ menu, in the top left corner. If you aren’t seeing this, make sure you’re using the latest version of the app.

Your old IBAN (which begins with the letters ‘GB’) and BIC will continue to be visible under ‘Account details’ – and will continue to work as normal. This means you’ll still be able to receive money to it. However, we recommend that you start using your new ‘BE’ IBAN for any incoming payments (like bank transfers) – you can easily share it with anyone, including your employer, by tapping on ‘Share’ from your ‘Accounts details’ page. 

![EUR IBAN old account details screen](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/3zCNWe3sMWimYN6dQvqgMC/1f237cc635727aac2f4226febfc9fb26/eur-iban-account-number-2b.png)

Rest assured that there are no changes to how your Monese account and card operates – you can carry on using your Monese card and account as normal, and you don’t need to do anything.

### If you’re based in the UK or France

If you’re based in the UK, your Monese account will continue to be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK. This means that your EUR account will continue to start with the letters ‘GB’, and you can use your GBP account to set up any UK Direct Debits.

If you’re based in France, however, your new IBAN isn’t ready just yet – but we’ll have an exciting update for you soon!

## Say hello to Direct Debits

One of the great things about your new IBAN, if you’re based outside the UK, is that you’ll be able to make Direct Debit payments from your personal EUR account!

Direct Debits are an easy and convenient way to manage your payments and bills from your Monese account. They give you the peace of mind that your bills are being paid automatically, so you never miss a payment. These work through the SEPA scheme, and you can find out more about them [here](https://www.europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/what-we-do/sepa-direct-debit "SEPA Direct Debit").

To set up a Direct Debit, tap on ‘More’ from the home screen, where there will be an option to set up a Direct Debit payment. 

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

We’re really excited to see how you’ll be using your new EUR account numbers and Direct Debits. If you want to read more about these changes, feel free to explore our [Help Centre](https://support.monese.com/hc/en-gb/categories/360000729699-Brexit-and-Monese "Brexit FAQs") or browse through the latest [Terms](https://monese.com/terms "Terms and conditions"). And if you have any questions, our [Customer Support team](https://monese.com/contact "Contact us") is always here to help.

[More on our Brexit preparations](https://monese.com/blog/2019/09/update-preparations-brexit "Brexit update")

Here’s the latest on how you’re getting an even more localised Monese service, regardless of Brexit

Introducing your new European account number

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 Blog post > Introducing your new European account number

### What happened?
Thomas Cook, the 178-year-old tour operator, has [collapsed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49791249), leaving hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers stranded abroad.

### What can I do?

If you've booked your holiday from the UK, you should be protected by the Civil Aviation Authority’s [ATOL scheme](https://www.caa.co.uk/atol-protection/consumers/about-atol/) (which stands for Air Travel Organiser’s Licence). This should support you if you're currently abroad, and reimburse the cost of replacing parts of your ATOL protected holiday.

### Can Monese help if I'm already abroad?

We appreciate that anyone already abroad may face some unexpected expenses as they try to get home.

If you’re caught up in this, we realise these days can be incredibly difficult and stressful for you. The last thing you want to deal with is unplanned costs like ATM withdrawal fees and costs on foreign currency card spending.

So if you’re a Monese customer and you’re affected by this, email us at [thomascook@monese.com](mailto:thomascook@monese.com) with proof of travel (like a booking confirmation email or boarding pass from Thomas Cook), and __we’ll upgrade you to Monese Premium for a month, for free__, which will give you unlimited allowances and zero fees on any ATM withdrawals, foreign currency card spend and much more.

[Email us](mailto:community@monese.com)

### What about a future booking?
If you’ve got any future flight bookings with Thomas Cook, that are now cancelled and *not* ATOL protected, you may still be able to make a claim via Monese – __we can request a chargeback on your behalf__. Just email us at [thomascook@monese.com](mailto:thomascook@monese.com) so we can investigate this for you.

### Where can I find more information?

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has also set up an official support page for more information, which you can find [here](https://thomascook.caa.co.uk/).

We wish everyone out there a safe and speedy return, and our support team is on standby if you have any further questions.

As thousands of holidaymakers are trying to find their way back home, here’s how we can help



Dealing with the Thomas Cook collapse

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Blog post > Dealing with the Thomas Cook collapse

As thousands of holidaymakers are trying to find their way back home, here’s how we can help

With just under two months to go to the key Brexit date of 31 October 2019, we want to update you on our Brexit preparations and our upcoming plans for a more localised service for our customers across Europe. 

__This includes the introduction of European account numbers (IBANs) with Monese, and direct debits with your Monese EUR account!__

## A globally-minded business from the start

Here at Monese, we are building a new kind of financial service – one that gives you the financial freedom to thrive anywhere.

In order to deliver on this ambition, we knew we would need to be set up to serve many customers, in many countries, around the world. Regardless of Brexit.

## What does Brexit mean for Monese services?

As you might know, it is still unclear on what terms the United Kingdom will leave the EU. There is a chance that it will happen without a negotiated agreement on the key date of 31 October 2019 (i.e. commonly referred to as a ‘No Deal Brexit’).

At Monese we are fully prepared for any Brexit scenario. Our licencing partner has created a new regulated entity in Belgium. This means that Monese accounts issued to customers based outside of the UK will be transferred to this entity. This ensures Monese can continue to provide the same level of service to you after Brexit.

If you are a UK-based customer and have a Monese UK GBP and/or a EUR account, it will continue to be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK. 

__With under two months to go to this key date, we want to reassure you that there will be no change to how your Monese account and card operates – carry on using your Monese card and account as normal. You do not need to do anything.__

## What are the benefits of a ‘more localised service’?

This move to an EU entity will allow us to introduce many more localised features and services for you. We’re very excited to share what we’ve got in store at Monese over the coming weeks!

There are two updates coming to you very soon:

- We will be introducing Monese EU account numbers (IBANs) this Autumn
- You will soon be able to make direct debit payments with your Monese EUR account 

This Autumn, we will issue you with a new account number (IBAN) for your Monese EUR account. Your current IBAN account number will continue as normal and you can continue to receive money, transfers and payments to your current IBAN and your account. One of the benefits of your new IBAN is that you will be able to make direct debit payments with your EUR account.

We will be back in touch with more information soon regarding the introduction of new EU account numbers (IBANs). 

These updates are just the start, and many more features and services are coming up in 2019. Watch this space! 

## Updated Terms & Conditions

We have also updated our [Terms & Conditions](https://static.monese.com/terms-september-2019/en/terms.pdf "Monese Customer terms and conditions October 2019") for all customers, in order to account for regulatory changes to those of you based in the rest of Europe. You do not have to do anything in order to agree to these new Terms and Conditions. If you continue to use your Monese account or card after 30 September 2019, these new Terms and Conditions will apply to you. 

We have further information about what Brexit might mean for you [here](https://support.monese.com/hc/en-gb/categories/360000729699-Brexit-and-Monese "Brexit and Monese") and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our [Customer Support team](https://monese.com/contact "Contact us").

With just under two months to go to the latest key Brexit date of 31 October, we want to share our plans for a more localised service across Europe



An update on how we're preparing for Brexit

brexit email-copy-4-1 50390c38ed0094a386d62c09f1033516

Blog post > An update on how we're preparing for Brexit

With just under two months to go to the key Brexit date of 31 October 2019, we want to update you on our Brexit preparations and our upcoming plans for a more localised service for our customers across Europe.

With just under two months to go to the latest key Brexit date of 31 October, we want to share our plans for a more localised service across Europe

Over the past few years we’ve been hard at work building a financial service that gives people the financial freedom to thrive anywhere – one that provides an essential means for you to follow your dreams. Today, more and more people expect this financial freedom, as they find themselves in new places – be it for work, family, study, travel, business, or retirement reasons. We believe your money should support you every step of the way, wherever you may be.

Today, we’re very excited to unveil a brand new look at Monese, that puts __our ambition to give you the financial freedom to thrive anywhere, front and centre. It’s called - ‘Be Free’__.

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Alongside introducing ‘Be Free’, we are introducing __new pricing__ and offering you generous fee-free allowances so you can use your cash and your cards abroad without fees. We know that life changes fast for you, so our plans are highly flexible and give you the ultimate freedom of choice. We’re also unveiling our __brand new cards__, for each of these plans.

## Plans that work for you

![Monese New Pricing Plans 2019](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/5VL3xs8JeEjIUewLhFM7Cp/6a74a6bb2231c375afb57ec9316bb765/Monese-New-Pricing-Plans-2019.jpg)

*__Update:__ our pricing has been updated since this blog post was published. You can find the latest details [here](https://monese.com/pricing "Pricing")!*

You currently have the choice to pay a monthly fee or use Monese for free – and that’s not going to change. But while we’ve continued to fine-tune existing features within the Monese app (and add lots of new ones), we also recently decided to change the way you can choose to pay for Monese.

Whether you want to use Monese for free, or you have discovered the value of our Classic and Premium offers, our new pricing plans are designed to be as flexible as you are.

They all come with a free Monese card, a free secondary EUR or GBP account, free debit card top-ups – plus free instant transfers between all Monese users, without any kinds of fees, including currency exchange.

Then, you’ll get tailored, fee-free, allowances for global ATM withdrawals, cash top-ups and foreign currency spending. Here are the details:

- The first allowance covers how much cash you can withdraw from ATMs anywhere in the world and how much cash you can top up your account with each month, before paying any fees
- The second allowance covers how much you can spend on your Monese card in foreign currencies, before paying any fees

Here’s a run-down of each plan in more detail.

### Simple

Our Simple plan is a great one to get you started, and works perfectly if you just need a current account to receive your salary or a card for your travels. It is free and has no monthly fee, and it gives you a neat allowance of free ATM withdrawals, cash top-ups, and foreign currency card spend:

- £/€ 200 allowance for free ATM withdrawals globally and cash top-ups each month (after which a 2% fee applies)
- £/€ 2,000 allowance for fee-free card spend in foreign currencies globally each month (after which a 2% fee applies)
- 2% fee for international transfers in foreign currencies

### Classic

Our Classic plan is best for those who use Monese as their main account, or use cash and international transfers frequently. It costs £4.95 a month, and unlocks even bigger allowances that cover more cash top-ups and ATM withdrawals, and more spending on your card in foreign currencies:

- £/€ 800 allowance for free ATM withdrawals globally and cash top-ups each month (after which a 2% fee applies)
- £/€ 8,000 allowance for fee-free card spend in foreign currencies globally each month (after which a 2% fee applies)
- 0.5% fee for international transfers in foreign currencies (can be more for some currencies)

### Premium

Our Premium plan is the ultimate Monese account, which gives you total peace of mind if you’re spending a lot across different countries and currencies or often transfer larger amounts abroad. It costs £14.95 a month, and gives you a truly unlimited allowance for any and all transactions – meaning you pay a one-off monthly fee and get everything for free thereafter:

- Free global ATM withdrawals and cash top-ups
- Unlimited global fee-free card spend in foreign currencies
- Zero fees for international transfers in foreign currencies

You can switch your Monese plan whenever you want, to suit whatever lifestyle changes come your way - and we won’t tie you to anything. More details are available on our [pricing page](https://monese.com/pricing "Costs").

The new Simple, Classic and Premium plans are available to everyone from today. If you’re an existing customer using one of our old plans, you can upgrade whenever you like.

## New cards to match your plan
![Monese New Cards 2019](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/2HASa81xXTYM65ndKLbRNw/831f2a645cf1705a2826f515c6367373/Monese-New-Cards-2019.jpg)

We’re also launching new Monese contactless cards!

From now on, your Monese cards will match the pricing plan you’re on, rather than the currency of the account they’re linked to – and they come in beautiful combinations of sheer whites and subtly textured blues.

We have also chosen a more aesthetically pleasing vertical design format – because horizontal cards with embossed numbers are quickly becoming a thing of the past, having been originally created to meet the needs of old (now obsolete) card reading tech.

Enter our Simple card – sporting a bright pearl base and a shimmering metallic Monese logo that comes in blue, matching the magnetic strip on the back. Then there’s our Classic card, which wears our trademark blue over a pearl base coat, and has a silver foil for the Monese logo, the magnetic strip and card’s edging. And finally, our Premium card comes in a deep midnight blue, with a textured sparkle; you’ll immediately notice the gleaming holographic foil logo, that matches the card’s edging.

Anyone who orders a card from today (including those using our old plans) will be receiving these new cards.

## Coming soon

You’re going to be seeing a lot more from us over the coming months, so stay tuned! We’re really excited about this new direction, and we would love to hear your thoughts – let us know on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

Introducing a new look, new pricing plans and new cards

Be Free with an account that’s as flexible as you are

Monesebefree

Blog post > Be Free with an account that’s as flexible as you are

In celebration of [Refugee Week](https://refugeeweek.org.uk/ "Refugee Week Homepage"), we're proud to announce an ongoing project to support refugees across the UK. Our trial with the Post Office was part of this scheme, which you can read about [here](https://monese.com/blog/2019/04/addressing-unaddressed-post-office "Monese blog: No address? No problem"). 

We’re committed to giving out our Premium plan to refugees (usually £14.95 a month) for free, for life. The Premium plan waives all transaction fees, granting our customers entirely free current account facilities. 

At the moment we can give refugees access to a Monese mobile money account provided they have been granted asylum and received their Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). Banks are legally obliged to accept BRP’s, however many bank branch staff are not trained to recognise them, which causes issues for many refugees and new migrants across the country. Our hope is that schemes like the one we're running will encourage other financial institutions to open their doors to refugees living and working in the country. 

In an effort to meet customers at their time of need, we are working with refugee charities across the country who help refugees get settled after they have been granted asylum. These charities include [Refugee Education Training Advice Service](http://retasleeds.weebly.com "RETAS Homepage") in Leeds, the [Derby Refugee Advice Centre](http://refsource.gebnet.co.uk/directory/derby-refugee-advice-centre "Refsource"), [RefuAid](https://refuaid.org/ "RefuAid Homepage"), [Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers](http://www.garas.org.uk/ "Garas Homepage"), and [Jobs Education and Training North](http://www.jetnorth.org.uk/contact "JET Homepage"), based in Newcastle.

Having worked with us for the last few months, __Hannah__ from G*loucester Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers* commented:

> Monese are forward thinking and innovative, providing options outside the box to enable refugees in the UK to open accounts quickly and seamlessly. It is a pleasure to be able to work with them and signpost refugee clients to their app and the mobile money account they offer.

__Ruth__ from *Derby Refugee Advice Centre* also commented: 

> Working with Monese has been very beneficial for our clients. Having an alternative to the high street banks, which many of our clients have issues with accessing when they first get leave to remain, has been a huge help. The system has been easy to use and clients like having their account details easily accessible.

__Farhan__, a Monese customer, had this to say:

> It was so quick to open a current account with Monese and I find it very easy to use, particularly when it comes to transferring money.

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As a Europe-wide organisation ourselves, we want to extend this program to the rest of Europe to ensure we are having as much reach as possible. The challenges in the rest of Europe are very different to the UK, as access to financial services varies in difficulty and scope. Refugees in Germany, for example, are easily able to access a current account but not a debit card. We hope that as we extend our own product capabilities, we will be able to offer help with more complex issues. 

In the meantime, this scheme will continue indefinitely in the UK. If you are a refugee or an organisation that works with refugees, please [get in touch to learn how to access a free Monese current account](mailto:partnerships@monese.com "Email us").

Announcing our latest project to support refugees across the UK



Free Premium accounts for refugees

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clouds sky airplane with banner "free Accounts for Refugees!"

Blog post > Free Premium accounts for refugees

In celebration of Refugee Week, we're proud to announce an ongoing project to support refugees across the UK. 

Announcing our latest project to support refugees across the UK

We’ve got some great news!

Monese just surpassed a magical number - over __1 MILLION__ people have now signed up! This is marvellous proof that we are making a real difference and we’re incredibly proud of reaching this milestone. 

Here at Monese, we have been unrelenting in our vision for a new and better type of financial service: __one that gives people the freedom to thrive anywhere.__ 

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

Years ago, I moved to the UK with a great job and high hopes for the next chapter of my life. Opening a bank account took months. It was an expensive and painful experience. Monese was created so no one should have to endure the hassle of opening a bank account in a new country. 

Today, more and more people expect this freedom, as they find themselves in new places - be it for work, family, study, travel, business, or retirement reasons. We believe your money should be with you every step of the way, so you can focus your energy on pursuing your dreams.

3,000 people are joining Monese daily, across 31 countries in Europe, and a majority of our customers use the app as their primary salary account. We already support 12 languages (and counting) in a continued effort to help everyone manage money freely wherever they are.

We’ve worked hard to make Monese even better, by introducing Apple Pay across Europe, launching Monese Business for small businesses, announcing an exclusive partnership with Avios for seamless financial and lifestyle management, and new features to help you manage your money. We continue to be blown away by the feedback and support we receive from our customers. Here’s just a sample:

Diane - “I couldn’t get a bank account anywhere without specific kinds of proof of address which I didn’t yet have access to. Monese was the only solution I found that gave me a prepaid card, sort code/account number so I could send and receive money (rent, salary), and that also let me use direct debits immediately, which was crucial in being able to set up utilities especially. I went from being incredibly frustrated with the inability to get a bank account to thinking now that I don’t really need one.”

Ari - “I waited 2 hours at my local branch to open a bank account and after 2 hours I was still only halfway in the queue! So I went home and, in 7 minutes, I had my Monese account, a card on the way to my home - and a current account in the UK before even moving out there.”

Lachezar - “I've been using Monese for more than 2 years now and it's only getting better with time. The app is getting more user-friendly with every update. It notifies me of every transaction for peace of mind and I can also send money abroad for literally nothing compared to other payment solutions. Lost your card? No problem! You can cancel it in the app in seconds and order a new one. Mine arrived in less than two days. Simply a financial service revolution and I'm glad to be a part of it.”

So much has been achieved against our vision for new and better financial services, but we’re not stopping here! There’s so much more on the horizon we can’t wait to tell you about, but for now we’d just like to say a huge thank you from all of us at Monese for helping us make Monese such a success - we really couldn’t have done it without you!

Over 1 million people have now signed up to Monese – and we couldn’t have done it without you!

Thanks a million!

One Million Monese Signups

Blog post > Thanks a million!

Country Tag > United Kingdom

We're excited to announce a trial with Post Office that we believe will have a positive impact for many newly arrived persons in the UK – in particular, members of the refugee community. This is part of our ongoing efforts to make financial services accessible to all, with the help of nationwide, trusted organisations.

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

## 28 days 
The idea was born out of a need we observed while working with refugees. When refugees are granted asylum in the UK, they are given 28 days to find a job, come off benefits (£35.39 a week), find a house and open a bank account. This time frame is very tight and absolutely critical for newly recognised refugees to get on their feet. According to [a survey](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/08/destitution-is-routine-refugees-face-homelessness-even-after-gaining-asylum) by the Refugee Council, around half live in temporary accommodation or become homeless in this period. 

This is the time frame in which we want to offer Monese as a banking alternative. An account is crucial for a person’s ability to, among other things, receive salaries and pay rent. 

## The address problem
Whilst we don’t ask for proof of address, we do need a residential address at which to register a customer’s account and deliver their debit card to. 

Needless to say, many refugees cannot find a home immediately after they are granted asylum, and many people who newly arrive in the country don’t have an address for the first few weeks. So we need another solution to help people get access to this most fundamental financial service. 

## Enter Post Office
We are teaming up with the Post Office to allow customers without a residential address, regardless of whether they are a refugee or not, to register their account address at – and have their debit card securely delivered to – their local Post Office.

We are starting the process with an eight-week trial with a small number of selected Post Office branches near our refugee and migrant non-profit partners.

For the trial we are also partnering with the [East European Resource Centre](http://www.eeac.org.uk/#/) in London, [Refugee Education Training Advice Service](http://retasleeds.weebly.com/) in Leeds, the [Derby Refugee Advice Centre](http://refsource.gebnet.co.uk/directory/derby-refugee-advice-centre), [RefuAid](https://refuaid.org/), [Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers](http://www.garas.org.uk/), and [Jobs Education and Training North](http://www.jetnorth.org.uk/), based in Newcastle. We hope the spread of partners across the country will allow us to trial the scheme in a variety of different circumstances to ensure that this is a national, and not local, solution. 

As a business we have always had financial inclusion at our core, and want to ensure we are doing as much as we can to embed this in our processes going forward. We’re really excited by this trial and hope that it will prove a solid solution for our customers.

We're launching a trial programme with the Post Office, to help those without a residential address get access to a Monese account

No address? No problem

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Monese blue character mail carrier mail red bag and hat 

Blog post > No address? No problem

Last week, the Emerging Payments Association (EPA) announced the launch of [Inclusion Signpost](https://www.inclusionsignpost.org/), an accreditation service for inclusive payments products. As one of the EPA’s members, we’re proud to be one of the first companies to sign up for accreditation.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r8YZl62t-qY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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Today, 1.5 million people are uniquely financially excluded in the UK. Inclusion Signpost’s aim is to bring that number below a million by 2020, by introducing consumers to payments products that suit their individual needs. It hopes to raise the bar in the industry for inclusive products, and ensure consumers have access to the best, not basic, services. 

Inclusion Signpost will be connected to a comparison site, [Signpost Now](https://signpostnow.org/ "FIND THE ACCOUNT THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU"), which enables consumers to find the best products for them by a series of search criteria. Monese, for example, is a great service for people recently arrived in the UK and seeking a multi-currency account to receive their salary or transfer money back home. It also allows customers to manage money in their own language, with 12 languages available in-app and via customer service.

<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FrhXFDHBopQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p>

Companies can apply for accreditation [here](https://www.inclusionsignpost.org/submit/ "Inclusion Signpost"). Submissions will be rigorously reviewed by an independent body of expert judges, and accreditations will be reviewed annually to ensure the standard keeps pace with the improvements technology can offer. 

There are a myriad of excellent payment services available in the UK that will now have a chance to meet customers in their moment of need. It is an incredibly exciting prospect for both consumers and industry leaders, and we would strongly encourage other companies to join in. 

[Find out more](https://www.inclusionsignpost.org/ "Inclusion Signpost")

We’ve teamed up with Inclusion Signpost to tackle financial exclusion in the UK

Join the fight for financial inclusion

Inclusion Signpost2

Blog post > Join the fight for financial inclusion

With less than two months to go to the key Brexit date of 29 March 2019, we want to update you on our Brexit preparations and let you know that if you’re a Monese customer, we’ve got you covered!

## A globally-minded business from the start
Here at Monese, we are building a new kind of financial service - one that is unrestricted by national boundaries or financial borders. A financial service that makes it easier for you to live, study, work, travel or retire anywhere in the world; that is fast and keeps people connected; one that speaks your language wherever you happen to live.

In order to deliver on this ambition, we knew we would need to be set-up to serve many customers, in many countries, around the world. Regardless of Brexit.

## What does Brexit mean for Monese services?
As you might know, it is still unclear on what terms the United Kingdom will leave the EU. There is a chance that it will happen without a negotiated agreement on the key date of 29 March 2019 (i.e. commonly referred to as a ‘Hard Brexit’).

At Monese we are fully prepared for any Brexit scenario. This means we will able to continue to support all our customers across Europe without interruptions.

__With less than two months to go to this key date, we want to reassure you that services will continue as before and there will be no increase in the fees that you pay as a result of Brexit. You do not need to do anything.__

__Whatever happens with Brexit, you will continue to receive the same smart and connected service:__

- You can continue to use your Monese current account and debit card 
- Payments will continue to be sent and received 
- You can continue to send money abroad
- Fees will not increase and will remain transparent

If and when Brexit happens we will be required to update our [Terms & Conditions](https://monese.com/terms "T&Cs") for all customers, in order to account for regulatory changes to those of you based in the rest of Europe. But don’t worry, we will be in touch with everyone specifically regarding Terms & Conditions in due course. 
We have further information about what Brexit might mean for you [here](https://support.monese.com/hc/en-gb/categories/360000729699-Brexit-and-Monese "Brexit FAQs") and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our [Customer Support team](https://monese.com/contact "Get in touch with us").

With two months to go to the key Brexit date of 29 March, we want to update you on our preparations.

Brexit: we’ve got you covered!

Brexit Email Copy 4 1

Blog post > Brexit: we’ve got you covered!

With less than two months to go to the key Brexit date of 29 March, we want to update you on our preparations.

Now that the festive holidays are upon us, I want to thank you for all the support you’ve given us this year. I’d also like to share some of the ways we’ve made Monese bigger and better in 2018, and give you a sneak peek at what’s coming up in 2019!

Here at Monese, we are building a new kind of financial service - one that is unrestricted by national boundaries or financial borders. A financial service that makes it easier for you to live, study, work, travel or retire anywhere in the world; that is fast and keeps people connected; one that speaks your language wherever you happen to live.

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

We expect next year to be even more exciting and we can’t wait to get going! 

## 2018: a year of growth 
![Monese 238 ARaudjalg 39479](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/5KLbz3wOpVXTFXbPOXsvAr/16e382413d51c4cdd080789c7921c86d/Monese_238_ARaudjalg_39479.jpg)

This year was a transformative year for Monese that saw us expand our operation in many ways. We also celebrated our 5th birthday, which gave us a great opportunity to look back and reflect on what we have achieved so far...

## Over 700,000 people have signed up
Everyday thousands more are joining Monese. In 2018 our number of sign-ups trebled, and we’ll soon have one million people signed up to Monese. Most of our customers use Monese as a primary account and trust us with their salaries with 75% of our incoming funds being salary payments - this tells me that Monese is meeting a real need. 

## Hello, small businesses
A few months ago, we launched Monese Business, growing our offering to customers and businesses across the UK and Europe. Monese Business can be set-up in five minutes and comes bundled with personal money management in one simple-to-use app. Opening a business account can be a notoriously time-consuming and complicated process, especially if you’re not a local. It can sometimes take weeks, or even months, to open a business account, and Monese Business speeds up and simplifies this process no end.

![business account-open@2x-copy](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/6egn3fvwUr7wVACamcmMr/27f74373cebfeedf406360893a5fc692/business_account-open_2x-copy.png)

We know that life moves fast for entrepreneurs and that their work often takes them all over the world. They need their financial service to be fast, connected, and transparent. Money management for business shouldn’t slow down anyone’s ambitions. Rather, it should be with them at every step, wherever they are in the world. 

## New features

We also introduced a whole host of new in-app features, which have included Pay Your Contacts, 3D Secure support, Smart Transaction screens and Recurring Payments (known as standing orders in the UK) as well as new currencies and card designs.

![IMG 9771](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/6lG9bhmD0jKX8zDyo2S4ds/856b308eef88db02e286039c748e12fe/IMG_9771.jpg)

## We speak your language
Monese customers are able to mamage their money in 12 languages as supported by the Monese app - and we’re not stopping there! We have plans to introduce many more over the course of 2019. In addition, we also provide in-app customer support in 28 languages. So, If you ever need to contact us, there’s a good chance we speak your language.

## Monese Premium for those who want more
Earlier in 2018 we introduced the Monese Premium plan. Designed with the high-end users in mind, we have removed all transactional and foreign exchange fees, providing a truly exceptional and frictionless mobile money management experience. We can confidently recommend Monese Premium as the best package for those who travel frequently - whether it’s for business or pleasure. If you’re travelling for three months around the globe, or spending two weeks on holiday, there’s no reason to worry about restrictions on withdrawals or charges on exchange rates. Monese Premium represents the best value financial service in terms of sending large amounts of money abroad. Everything is included in the cost and capped at a monthly fee - making for an awesome money management experience that is cost effective, stress-free and completely unlimited.

![Monese 291 ARaudjalg 1272](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/6ChKlhUBRvhGP9epOCo8my/10c60a8fc0a3efcefa3c548836ee523a/Monese_291_ARaudjalg_1272.jpg)

## One of the fastest growing FinTechs
Monese is one of the fastest growing FinTech companies in Europe, which is evidenced by the investors it has secured in its latest financing round. In September, we closed $60 million of additional financing from Kinnevik, PayPal, International Airlines Group and Augmentum Fintech. This investment is being used for both product development and international expansion, and it will allow us to make our service accessible to many more customers. These investors bring an unparalleled level of expertise in their field, and are helping guide us as we navigate the next stage of our growth. We were also recently named by the UK’s Sunday Times’ Fast Track as one of 10 ‘Disruptors to Watch’ in 2018.

## New offices
We recently also opened two new offices in Lisbon and Berlin, and now have over 200 people in the Monese team in total working across our offices in the UK, Estonia, Portugal and Germany.

We have been blown away by the support you have given our app on multi-language customer service sites like [Trustpilot](https://trustpilot.com/review/www.monese.com "Trustpilot Monese reviews") where you have given us a great 9.1/10 rating, we're one of the highest rated financial services companies on the site! We’re never complacent and the feedback you have given us this year is very important to us.

## Coming in early 2019 
We are already working on the new products and features that are coming straight to your Monese app in early 2019. 

### New payment channels
We’re working on introducing additional payment channels. We know from our conversations with customers that a lot of you have requested these features and would welcome both the convenience and extra security they offer.

### Better ways to manage money
We will also introduce a range of money management tools in early 2019, so you can enjoy even more control over your finances from within your Monese app.

### More ways to fund your account 
Our customers can fund their accounts via debit card top-ups, bank transfers or cash deposits - we already have more than 40,000 cash deposit locations available. We are soon rolling our more ways to top-up in Europe, and have will soon be introducing support for the SOFORT payment method - as frequently used in Germany and Austria. 

### Meeting our customers
We also plan to host many more customer events across Europe. We really value your feedback and meeting customers face-to-face to understand how we can make even more improvements to our financial service. Expect to hear more from us in the New Year!

![Monese 039 ARaudjalg 0625](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/3ZJFjBvB3Lq41Hq79CtHq3/206da5f59580a42809e00ef930efcc7b/Monese_039_ARaudjalg_0625.jpg)

## We’re hiring! 
Finally, we know that 2019 is going be even better than 2018. We’re growing in every way, and that means we are hiring. So, if you think you’ve got what it takes – or you know some brilliant people who want to help build a smart and globally connected financial service – [we’re recruiting for the following roles right now](https://monese.com/careers "Careers"). 

![Monese 263 ARaudjalg 39830](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/246lRC4rhvdV4V56q14oL4/97073c1b43b1ab8abf3b38dc58947f63/Monese_263_ARaudjalg_39830.jpg)

## Building an instant mobile money account for mobile people 
At Monese we are working to create the world’s most connected and portable financial service. We believe money management should be smart, inclusive and built around you.

Thanks again for all your support over the last twelve months, we really do appreciate it. We can’t wait to share more updates, products and features with you in the coming months. 

Here’s wishing you all a very happy New Year!

Here are some of the ways we’ve made Monese bigger and better in 2018, plus a sneak peak at what’s coming up in 2019!

Why we can't wait for 2019

Monese 2019 S

Blog post > Why we can't wait for 2019

We’ve officially become accredited as a Living Wage Employer, joining the 4,700 companies across the UK who believe a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.

The Living Wage is calculated based on the cost of what people need to get by, and adjusts for the higher cost of living in London. Currently the Living Wage is £9.00 an hour across the UK and £10.55 an hour in London – a substantial leap from the £7.38 National Minimum Wage. 

For thousands of people across the country, the Living Wage has improved their wellbeing by granting them increased independence and flexibility. Hard working employees find they have more time to spend with their families, emergency funds for a rainy day, and restored energy at work. Stories of the difference it has made can be found on the [Living Wage website](https://www.livingwage.org.uk/good-for-society "Good for society"). 

For us, signing up to the Living Wage Foundation is about holding ourselves accountable to the values we hold as a company for years to come, and encouraging others to do the same. It commits us to raising our rates every year as they are adjusted. It also empowers any employees, including contractors working on our premises, to speak up if they are being paid unfairly. 

Largely this has affected our cleaning staff. We are currently paying them the old Living Wage rate of £10.20 an hour, and are now pledged to raising the rates in the next six months (although we plan to do it sooner). 

We are delighted to be a part of this movement, as it is so important to the health and well-being of not only our employees, but employees across the UK. Moreover, it is the right thing to do. We believe that, if we are to maintain our standing as the world’s most inclusive financial service, it's essential that we foster inclusivity and fairness in all elements of our business. 

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

We’re joining the 4,700 companies across the UK who believe a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay

We are officially a Living Wage Employer

Living Wage Employer 02

Monese phone, beach photograph in frame, keys, living wage employer, video game, pacifier, coffee to go mug, groceries, savings in piggy bank

Blog post > We are officially a Living Wage Employer

We’re joining the 4,700 companies across the UK who believe a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.

Last week we took part in [Startup Week Tallinn](https://tallinn.startupweek.co/ "Techstars Startup Week Tallinn") by throwing a #MoneseMeets showcase event at our brand new office in the immensely hip Telliskivi Creative City. The office was so new that we’d only ever held parties there so far!
Almost 200 guests joined us, to get to know our teams and to find out more about the career opportunities we have available.

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

The evening was kicked off by Hanna-Mari and Norris, who took the stage to welcome everyone and tell our story.

![tallinnmeet22](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/78s2NmJ9G8NPmzH2LmnLmP/b14d2ac4a9f4bf3dfd8f472d4b34d695/tallinnmeet22.jpg)

We then hosted a panel focused on exploring the borderless generation, where we were joined by Sten Tamkivi (Topia), Maria Magdaleena Lamp (Jobbatical) and our very own Head of International Expansion, Lauri Haav. *Who is the borderless generation? What does it mean to work without borders? Are we heading towards a closed society, or rather one that’s more open through all the technological breakthroughs we’re seeing today? What still needs to be invented in this space?* It was a very inspiring conversation!

![Monese startup-week 16](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/2JAxEsLaIMt1roeUZ1DNSX/dc0504a6169b3302fa5d577912a4c674/Monese_startup-week_16.jpg)

Then each of our teams pitched their skills and know-how – ranging from fraud quizzes to mock support scenarios – and the audience got to vote for the best-in-show. Our Mobile Engineering Team won!
Now – while this may have looked like a job fair from the outside, the team managed to add quite a few twists. Some made ice cream, some mixed cocktails and some were organising ping pong friendlies. We had VR, quizzes, craft beer and an office dog... which we think was a great preview of what it’s like to work here!

![tallinnmeet-s](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/4i5fo8gJYfT0qISb81jCWq/90f2c9730e1e71a330be137f5e9bcc2a/tallinnmeet-s.png)

All in all, it was an amazing night. We had a lot of fun and we were over the moon to see so many people drop by. Thanks to everyone who helped pull this together – including our friends at Hype – and we’ll see everybody at the next one!

​Last week we took part in Startup Week Tallinn by throwing a #MoneseMeets showcase event at our brand new office in Telliskivi.

Monese Meets Tallinn Startup Week

Tallinnmeet1

Blog post > Monese Meets Tallinn Startup Week

Last week we took part in Startup Week Tallinn by throwing a #MoneseMeets showcase event at our brand new office in Telliskivi.

Last week we took part in Startup Week Tallinn by throwing a #MoneseMeets showcase event at our brand new office in Telliskivi

Fantastic news – we’ve been nominated for ‘Best Banking App' at the 2019 edition of the British Bank Awards! 

__Update: we're now among the Finalists!__

[The British Bank Awards](https://smartmoneypeople.com/british-bank-awards "Smart Money People") are not judged by an industry panel. They are voted for by you, our customer. This is your chance to decide who the best-value financial services providers are.

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

Our mission is to deliver a financial service ‘built around you’, one that helps you manage money like a local, wherever you are, wherever you’re going next. That’s why three years ago we launched an easy-to-use app supporting the first current account that doesn’t require proof of address, speaks your languages (and your currencies), and is fully portable across 20 European countries. Not to mention our amazing customer care, that’s constantly rated highly across sites like [Trustpilot](https://trustpilot.com/review/www.monese.com "Trustpilot Monese Reviews") and [Smart Money People](https://smartmoneypeople.com/monese-reviews/ "Monese reviews")!

We’ve already seen some fantastic support this week, which we’re humbled and overwhelmed by – here are some examples:

<iframe src="https://smartmoneypeople.com/review/widget/109116" frameborder="0" style={{width:"100%", height:"354px" , backgroundColor:"#FFF"}}></iframe>
<iframe src="https://smartmoneypeople.com/review/widget/108869" frameborder="0" style={{width:"100%",height:"398px",backgroundColor:"#FFF"}}></iframe>

If you think we deserve the Best Banking App title, we’d really appreciate it if you sent a vote our way. It’s also worth mentioning that if you do cast your vote, the British Bank Awards will also sign you up to a draw for a £1,000 cash prize! 

[Vote here](https://smartmoneypeople.com/british-bank-awards "British Bank Awards")

We’re among the finalists for ‘Best Banking App' at the 2019 edition of the British Bank Awards! Cast your vote now.

Vote for us at the British Bank Awards

Bba 2019 Blog

Monese green ball character bow tie stage paparazzi flashes photography spotlight

Blog post > Vote for us at the British Bank Awards

We’re among the finalists for ‘Best Banking App' at the 2019 edition of the British Bank Awards! Cast your vote now

The next step in our international expansion is here! This week we’re saying hello (*Olá? Bom dia?*) to Lisbon – we've just opened a new office here, in what is one of Europe’s top hubs for tech talent.

Lisbon is now the third city we’re calling home, as well as London and Tallinn, and it will play a huge part in building new perks and features that we know you’ll love. The team will also be key in bringing about even quicker response times and nurturing our ever-growing community. We’re aiming to have 25 new Monesers here by the end of the year, plugging into our wider Development and Community Engagement teams.

Monese Lisbon comes hot off the heels of [our recent funding round](https://monese.com/blog/2018/09/announcing-our-series-b-and-what-comes-next "Announcing our Series B and what comes next"), which allows us to continue hiring the brightest and best, and expand our mission to make global financial services accessible to everyone.

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

If you’ve got what it takes – or you know some brilliant people who want to help build a smart and globally connected financial service – we’re recruiting for the following roles right now:

[iOS Developer](https://monese.workable.com/j/37CF2C9A96 "Careers at Monese")

[Android Developer](https://monese.workable.com/j/F9DF108168 "Careers at Monese")

[QA Engineer](https://monese.workable.com/j/91FB55DE9E "Careers at Monese")

[Senior Automation QA Engineer](https://monese.workable.com/j/99CBE2D886 "Careers at Monese")

[Customer Support Agent](https://monese.workable.com/j/20643D8055 "Careers at Monese")

[Social Media Content and Community Manager](https://monese.workable.com/j/3F71BE2DCD "Careers at Monese")

You can find a full list of [openings here](https://monese.workable.com/ "Monese Workable"). *Até já!*

This week we’re saying hello to our new Lisbon office, marking the next step in our international expansion.

Our Lisbon office has landed

Lisbon Blog

Lisbon tram yellow blue background Monese 

Blog post > Our Lisbon office has landed

This week we’re saying hello to our new Lisbon office, marking the next step in our international expansion

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve secured $60 million in capital, which will allow us to continue to develop the next generation of our mobile financial service and make it accessible to many more people around the world.

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

This backing comes from some world-class investors, who share our belief that financial services are changing. The Series B round is 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.

## The story so far...
This month we’re celebrating Monese’s third year in the marketplace. Back in 2015 we released a basic, bootstrapped Monese product in the UK with the ambition to solve a key problem: how to make personal money management easily accessible to all.

A handful of software engineers and early-employee believers joined us on this intrepid journey. Soon after we launched the first mobile current account in the UK market.

As demand for our product increased over time, so did our ambition. We answered calls from our existing customers to establish our service in continental Europe which we fulfilled in June 2017.

As in the UK, adoption rate has exceeded our expectations. Now, Europe is embracing the Monese product even faster than the UK market. We see this as a vindication of our original mission statement - and a validation of our approach in addressing the inefficiencies and limitations inherent to the current banking system.

Monese today services nearly 600,000 users who are moving over $2.5bn a year. The number of new monthly customers has been tripling since the end of 2017 and, with strong growth still coming from many of our markets, we’re now well-positioned to sail ever onward towards new horizons.

## What does this mean for us as a company?
It means we’re increasing the size of our operation and accelerating our international expansion.

We’ll be able to recruit more all-star talent in our London and Tallinn offices, augmenting existing teams but also opening up new roles all across the business. We’re also going to be opening a new office in Lisbon, Portugal!

And we’re going to need it. At the beginning of 2017 we were a team of 36. Since then, that team has quadrupled to a company that’s now more than 140 people strong. Additional funding means we’ll be able to continue hiring the brightest and best - and expand our mission to make global financial services accessible to everyone.

## And last but not least...
At this point we’d like to extend a huge thank you to all of our customers - without whom none of this would have been possible. We’ve achieved something remarkable – offering a mobile-only platform with a [stellar Trustpilot rating](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.monese.com "Trustpilot Monese reviews"), that the majority of our customers use as their primary salary account. We’re both proud and humbled by this recognition.

We’re now intent on paying this new round of investment forward, and towards the continued development of a financial service that’s modern, smart and accessible everywhere in the world, to anybody who chooses to live their life across more than one country, and is underserved by the traditional financial institutions.

We hope you’ll stick along for the ride!

We’ve secured $60 million in capital, which will allow us to continue to develop the next generation of our mobile banking service.

Announcing our Series B and what comes next

Rocket 02

Blog post > Announcing our Series B and what comes next

We’ve secured $60 million in capital, which will allow us to continue to develop the next generation of our mobile financial service

We’re thrilled to announce that over 500,000 people have now signed up to Monese! This is a huge milestone in our quest to provide next-generation financial services to the world’s ‘unstoppables’, those whose ambitions take them around the world for work.

<div data-comp="signup"></div>

To give you a bit of perspective, 500,000 is more than:

- 5 times the capacity of London’s Wembley Stadium
- the entire population of the country of Malta
- all of last year’s take-offs and landings at Frankfurt Airport

To mark the occasion, we thought we’d share some insight into how Monesers from across 31 different countries use their accounts...

![Salary Deposits Blog](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/4E0arLj7BLYlTSonIAhtEN/27e62f88678f61cba73667b7fcda4c69/Salary_deposits_blog.png)

![Top Mobile](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/QCVWEStS34rtuOu5ryHsJ/f465aa2b3d3de080dfa23af8556885ac/top_mobile_180726_160923.png)

![Favourite Supermarket Blog](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/1mhWuNarSwvD6qOWxQwBIj/e8ade96a7176ac632727126d42242629/Favourite_supermarket_blog.png)

![Average Countries Blog](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/7L9MgwUcbox1iKaRcC5P7z/1b1f66140d317bb34057986f9c3269b7/Average_countries_blog.png)

![Top Country Referrals Blog](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/1ehpyStUQtpmLzHjSFA9KU/979edc07f73ecf19aede552836ef678e/Top_country_referrals_blog.png)

![Direct Debits Blog](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/6D4o3iBCTT2wxcsiiMey4A/e15b2d55694393dbab58b953ecba64ef/Direct_debits_blog.png)

![Top Phone Blog](//images.ctfassets.net/96dxy75w1gjr/4CwCDOf7zdNOigU81sXkxz/fa461215072eb058fbef6b7e0ae83793/Top_phone_blog.png)

Exceeding 500,000 sign-ups is a feat we’re really proud of - and with this momentous milestone now disappearing rapidly into the rear-view mirror, now seems like a good time to say a great big Monese thank you to all of our customers.

Thank you for your glowing reviews. Thank you for the invaluable user feedback. Thank you for mamaging your money with us - and being the bedrock of everything we do. We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you lovely Monesers. You’re one in (half) a million.

We’re thrilled to announce a huge new milestone: over 500,000 people have now signed up to Monese!

We’ve hit half a million sign-ups!

Half Million Signups

500 000 Monese ball colourful characters number sign ups celebration 

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