Bnext raises $25 million for its mobile banking alternative

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Fintech startup Bnext has raised a $25 million funding round
The Spanish company is building a banking product and has managed to attract 300,000 active users.DN Capital, Redalpine and Speedinvest are
leading today’s funding round
Existing investors Founders Future and Cometa are also participating
Other investors include Enern, USM and Conexo.When you open a Bnext account, you get a card and you can upload money to your account
Bnext accounts aren’t technically bank accounts — the company has an e-money license
You can then use your card and spend money anywhere around the world without any foreign transaction fee
You also can freeze and unfreeze your card from the app.“As of now we’ll stick to the e-money license, as our international expansion
plans complicate potential passporting of banking licenses
We will first need to understand in which countries makes more sense to get a banking license, and then we’ll make a decision,”
co-founder and CEO Guillermo Vicandi told me.You also can connect to your traditional bank accounts from the Bnext app
This way, you can manage your money from a single app.And Bnext takes this one step further by offering financial products from third-party
companies as well
It’s clear that the company wants to build a financial hub, the only finance app that you need.You can lend money to small and medium
businesses and earn interest through October, you can save money using Raisin, you can get a loan, a mortgage, an insurance product, etc
Bnext generates revenue from those partnerships.While Bnext only operates in Spain for now, the company has managed to attract 300,000
active users
It processes €100 million in transactions every month ($109 million).Up next, Bnext plans to offer premium plans with more features and
individual IBANs
The company also plans to expand to Latin America, starting with Mexico later this year.