How many neobanks are there in the world? No one knows the exact number, but the most recent sourced counts put it at roughly 370 to 380 active neobanks worldwide as of July 2026, and older counts ran from about 235 to 256.
The figures differ because trackers define “neobank” differently, for example whether to count only licensed banks or any bank-like app. Treat any single number as an estimate tied to a date and a definition.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
If you came here asking how many neobanks are there, you have the quick number above. If you want to quote it, or understand why searches give you answers from 60 to several thousand, read on. This article lists the counts I could verify, who produced them, what they actually counted, and the reasons they cannot be combined into a single reliable figure. It is for readers, students and writers who need a defensible statistic rather than a round number.
Sourced counts of how many neobanks are there, by date
| Date | Count | Source and what it measured |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 60 launched by this date | Payments Industry Intelligence (January 2021), digital challenger banks launched worldwide. |
| Late 2020 to early 2021 | 256 live | Exton Consulting’s Country Neobanking Index, as reported by Crowdfund Insider (December 2020) and Finextra. |
| 2023 | 235 licensed digital banks | Statista overview of licensed digital banks. |
| July 2026 | 368, and a directory listing of 379 to 382 | An analyst’s neobank directory, neobankbeat.com, as described in a republished essay and on the site itself. |
Because the table mixes different definitions, do not read it as a growth chart. A jump from 256 to 368 might reflect real launches, a wider definition, or both.
What the earlier counts measured
The 2020 and 2021 figures
The Exton Consulting count, widely repeated, found at least 256 neobanks live at the end of 2020, with many more in development. Crowdfund Insider reported it on 22 December 2020. Payments Industry Intelligence, on 4 January 2021, described the same period with these details: more than 70 launches in 2019, the UK with 37 challengers, Latin America with close to 50, and 43 neobanks operating in more than one market. It defined a neobank as a full digital challenger bank set up to compete with incumbents, and excluded fintechs that address a single pain point.
Finextra’s headline said numbers “approach 300”, while its body cited 256 live. Headlines in this area often round up, which is therefore another reason to check the original number.
The 2023 licensed digital bank figure
Statista’s digital banks page states that the number of licensed digital banks worldwide reached 235 by 2023. It also reports that Europe and Central Asia have the most digital banks based on 2025 data, but the underlying chart is paywalled, so I cannot quote a 2025 total. The word “licensed” is important: this measure counts banks with a licence, not every app that looks like a bank.
The July 2026 count and its limits
The most recent count I found comes from a directory called neobankbeat.com, run by a developer-relations professional in the crypto industry. In a July 2026 essay, he counted 368 verified, actively operating neobanks: 254 traditional challenger banks, 58 hybrid fiat and crypto apps, and 56 web3-native apps. Only 127 of them, he reported, hold full banking licenses; the rest use e-money licenses or rely on partner banks or card issuers. The directory itself lists 382 in its headline figure and 379 in its page title, with a breakdown of 261, 62 and 59, and says its data was compiled from public sources in July 2026.
However, some cautions apply. This is a single tracker, not an official statistic. For instance, it includes crypto-focused and self-custody apps that many people would not call banks. Its inclusion rules, such as removing firms that have closed or merged, are the author’s own and the essay is opinion-style. In short, use it as a recent estimate with a clear label, not as a census.
Why no one can say exactly how many neobanks are there
- No standard definition. A licensed digital-only bank, a fintech sitting on a partner bank, and a crypto wallet that offers a debit card are all called neobanks by someone. Our guide to the definition of a neobank goes through these differences, and neobank vs challenger bank covers the overlap of labels.
- No official register. Although regulators license banks and e-money firms, none of them keeps a list called “neobanks.” Counting means judging which of thousands of licensed firms qualify.
- Constant launches and closures. Meanwhile, apps launch, merge, rebrand or quietly shut. The July 2026 essay notes five entities leaving its list that month through liquidation, merger or transformation.
- Different geography. Some trackers cover a handful of major markets, others claim to be global.
- Licence status matters. The gap between 235 licensed digital banks and 368 broader neobanks shows how much depends on whether you count a banking licence as a requirement. See neobank vs virtual bank for another labelling boundary.
A practical way to judge any answer to how many neobanks are there is to ask three questions. Does it count only entities that hold a banking licence, or also e-money firms and apps that rely on partners? Does it count only live products, or also announced and planned ones? And does it say when the data was collected? A figure that answers none of these is a marketing claim rather than a statistic. Where a source gives both a headline and a body figure that disagree, as happened with the 2020 Finextra piece and with the neobankbeat.com directory, prefer the more detailed number and say that the source is inconsistent.
Counts versus customers
Knowing how many neobanks are there says little about their importance. In reality, a few firms dominate. For example, Tech.eu reported in November 2025 that Revolut had over 65 million customers, and Chime reported 10.4 million active members for the quarter ended 30 June 2026, using a definition that counts members who started at least one money movement transaction in the last month of the period. Likewise, company-reported customer numbers use different definitions too, so they are not directly comparable.
What this means for you: how to quote how many neobanks are there
- Give a range and a date. For example, “about 370 to 380 as of July 2026, according to one directory.”
- Name the source and the definition. Say whether it counts licensed banks or any bank-like app.
- Avoid mixing sources. Do not subtract a 2023 licensed count from a 2026 directory total.
- Check the original. Find the report or directory that produced the figure instead of trusting a repeated headline.
- If you are choosing a provider, the total number does not help. Look at licence, deposit protection and fit instead; our roundup of the best neobanks in Europe is a place to start for European readers.
Step-by-step: how to produce your own count
If you need a defensible figure for a report, you can build one yourself in an afternoon. The method below is how careful analysts answer how many neobanks are there for a specific market, and it makes your definition explicit.
- Write your definition first. Decide whether you require a banking licence, accept e-money licences, or include any app that offers an account and card. Write it down before you start counting.
- Start from regulator registers. Banking and e-money registers from bodies such as the FCA in the UK, the ECB and national regulators in the EU, and the FDIC and OCC in the US list licensed firms. Filter for digital-only brands.
- Add partner-bank brands. Unfortunately, registers miss fintechs that sit on a partner bank. Use directories, app store listings and industry news to find them, then verify each one is live.
- Remove the dead and the duplicated. Check for closures, mergers and rebrands. A single company can appear under two names in two countries.
- Record the date and the sources. After all, a count is a snapshot. Note the month and list every source so someone else can reproduce it.
Done this way, your answer to how many neobanks are there will differ from someone else’s. That is expected, of course. What matters is that readers can see why.
Worked example: counting in one country
Here is an illustrative example with invented numbers to show how definitions change the result. Imagine a mid-sized European country.
| Definition | What it includes | Example count |
|---|---|---|
| Strict | Digital-only firms holding a full banking licence | 4 |
| Standard | Strict count plus e-money firms offering accounts and cards | 11 |
| Broad | Standard count plus foreign apps actively marketed in the country | 19 |
| Marketing | Broad count plus announced launches and crypto wallets with cards | 27 |
The same country, counted honestly four ways, gives four answers from 4 to 27. Consequently, when two reports disagree about how many neobanks are there, the first thing to compare is their definition, not their arithmetic.
Common misconceptions about how many neobanks are there
- A bigger number means a healthier industry. Many entries on broad lists are tiny or barely active. Customer numbers and profitability tell you more; see our guide to whether neobanks are profitable.
- The count only goes up. Closures and mergers happen every month. The July 2026 directory removed five entries in a single month.
- Every neobank is a bank. In the July 2026 count, only about a third held a full banking licence. The rest rely on e-money licences or partner banks.
- There is an official statistic. No regulator or international body publishes one, so every figure comes from a private tracker or consultancy.
- Older counts are wrong. They were usually right for their definition and date. They are simply not comparable with newer, broader ones.
Frequently asked questions
How many neobanks are there in the world?
The most recent sourced count I found is 368 active neobanks as of July 2026, with the same author’s directory listing 379 to 382. Earlier counts include 256 live at the end of 2020 and 235 licensed digital banks in 2023. No official figure exists.
Why do different sources give different numbers?
They use different definitions, geographies and dates. Some count only licensed digital banks, others include fintech apps, crypto neobanks and e-money providers.
How many neobanks hold a full banking licence?
One July 2026 tracker reported 127 of 368 hold full banking licenses. The others operate under e-money licenses or rely on partner banks. This is a single tracker’s figure and is not verified by a regulator.
Which country has the most neobanks?
I could not find a reliable current ranking by country. Statista’s 2025 data says Europe and Central Asia has the most digital banks, but the numbers are paywalled.
Is the number of neobanks growing?
Launches were rapid around 2019 and 2020, according to Exton Consulting figures reported at the time, but closures and mergers also occur, and definitions have changed, so net growth is hard to measure from public sources.
More questions about how many neobanks are there
What is the biggest neobank in the world?
It depends on the measure. By company-reported customers, the July 2026 essay cited WeBank, Nubank and Revolut as large players, but these are company figures and use different definitions of a customer.
Do all neobanks have FDIC or similar protection?
No. Protection depends on whether the neobank is a licensed bank or uses a partner bank. See our guide on FDIC insurance and neobanks.
How many neobanks are there in Europe?
There is no official count, but Statista reports that Europe and Central Asia have the most digital banks of any region, and the 2021 industry data put the UK alone at 37 challengers. Any European total depends on whether e-money firms are included.
How many neobanks are there in the United States?
No verified public count exists. Many US neobanks operate on partner banks rather than their own charters, so they do not appear in bank registers, and trackers disagree on which apps qualify.
How often do neobanks close or merge?
Regularly. The July 2026 directory recorded five exits in one month through liquidation, merger or transformation, which is one reason any count should carry a date.
Sources and further reading
- neobankbeat.com directory (July 2026)
- KuCoin News: republished essay on 368 neobanks (July 2026)
- Crowdfund Insider: over 250 neobanks (December 2020)
- Finextra: Neobank numbers worldwide approach 300
- Payments Industry Intelligence: The global state of neobanks (January 2021)
- Statista: Digital banks topic page
- Tech.eu: Revolut valuation and customers (November 2025)
- Chime Financial: Q2 2026 results (SEC filing)
This article is general information, not financial advice. Counts are estimates from third-party trackers and may be revised, so check the original sources before quoting them.