French B2B fintech Qonto reaches 600,000 customers, files for banking license

“Is Qonto a real bank?” is one of the top suggested questions in Google searches about the French fintech startup. The answer is no, but it could change: Qonto has filed for a banking license in France, CEO Alexandre Prot revealed.

Qonto, which targets European freelancers and SMBs, currently operates with a payment institution license it obtained in 2018 and that already enabled it to introduce a form of buy now, pay later (BNPL). But a credit institution license would let it offer broader lending, savings, and investment options to its target…