Qonto vs Shine
short answerBoth are traditional neobanks. Qonto is built for SMB & startups; Shine is built for freelancers & creators. Compare custody, license, FX markup and fees field by field below.
Qonto: 500K+ SME clients across FR/DE/ES/IT.
Shine: Freelancer banking (Société Générale).
Side by side
| Qonto | Shine | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | traditional | traditional |
| Audience | SMB & startups | freelancers & creators |
| HQ | Paris, FR | Paris, FR |
| Founded | 2016 | 2017 |
| Custody | Custodial | Custodial |
| Regulation | License pending (partner model today) | Payment institution |
| License detail | Payment institution (ACPR); pursuing credit license | Payment institution (ACPR n°71758, France); funds safeguarded at Société Générale |
| Card | MC · Business debit | MC · Business debit |
| Cashback | — | — |
| Yield | — | — |
| FX markup | Entry card 2% on non-EUR card payments; Plus 1%; X plan 0% (business only) (2026-07) | — |
| Services | fiat pay-in (bank rails), fiat pay-out (bank rails), own IBAN / account no., virtual cards | — |
| Stablecoins | No | No |
| KYC | Yes | Yes |
| Regions | Europe | Europe |
| Reported users | — | — |
Figures compiled from public sources, for comparison only — not financial advice. "Up to" rates change constantly; always confirm with the issuer. Spotted an error? Suggest a fix.