UK-headquartered payments technology company Currensea has announced a major regulatory milestone, securing a Payments Institution Licence from the Dutch central bank, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). The approval, granted to its newly established subsidiary Currensea Europe B.V., provides the regulatory foundation for the firm to begin serving customers across the European Economic Area (EEA).
The expansion follows a period of hyper-growth for the firm, which was recently named the second fastest-growing fintech in the UK—behind only Allica Bank—in the Financial Times’ annual FT1000 ranking of high-growth European businesses. Currensea has achieved nearly 1000% revenue growth over the past three years and currently serves over 200,000 customers.
Disrupting loyalty with Open Banking
Currensea’s platform is built on Open Banking technology, offering a “multi-bank” debit card proposition that allows users to link their Currensea card directly to their existing bank accounts. This model eliminates the common friction points of traditional rewards cards or digital banks, as users do not need to:
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Open a new bank account to access benefits.
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Manually top up separate balances or change their daily spending behavior.
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Manage multiple cards for different currencies, as the platform automatically saves users on FX fees.
“This licence enables us to build on our success in the UK and bring our award-winning, multi-bank debit rewards offering to customers across the continent,” said James Lynn, CEO and co-founder of Currensea. Lynn noted that the firm will soon announce new partnerships with global travel and hospitality brands, following the success of its UK offerings with Hilton Hotels, Marriott Bonvoy, and United Airlines.
A senior team to lead European operations
To lead the continental business, Currensea has assembled a leadership team based in the Netherlands with extensive experience in international payments:
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Leon Muis (ex-Yolt and ING) serves as head of Europe and CEO of Currensea Europe B.V..
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Simone Aurighi (ex-PayU and Verifone) has been appointed chief Ccmpliance & risk officer.
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Maurice Jongmans, CEO of online payment platform, takes the role of chair of the supervisory board.
Market context: The UK-Europe corridor
Currensea’s international move arrives at a time when UK fintech continues to draw significant investment compared to its European neighbors. Despite a 43% decline in overall UK fintech funding in Q1 2026 reaching $741M, early-stage capital has surged by 177% as investors double down on the next generation of scalable platforms.
Ceri Morgan CBE, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Europe, remarked that Currensea is a prime example of a British founder-led startup working closely with regulators to scale internationally. Operating out of the Netherlands—one of the EU’s leading fintech hubs—Currensea aims to launch its co-branded multi-bank debit cards across all major continental European markets in the coming months.
