OCC Rejects Bunq’s US Bank Charter Bid

Dutch fintech Bunq has built its business around mobile banking for internationally minded customers in Europe and is seeking to extend that model to the United States, initially targeting digital nomads and expatriate communities. A national bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency would have allowed Bunq to operate under a federal banking framework and offer a broader suite of services, making the application a key test of its transatlantic expansion strategy.

Bunq filed a fresh de novo national bank charter application with the OCC on Jan. 7, 2026, nearly two years after withdrawing its first bid on Jan. 30, 2024, following a 301-day review. The rejection became public on Aug. 7, 2026, with the OCC citing insufficiently detailed US expansion plans, questions over financing and concerns about management’s familiarity with US banking laws. No proposed capital amount was disclosed. Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ali Niknam said Bunq would absorb the feedback, revise its approach and continue pursuing the US market.