Discover top fintech news and events!
Subscribe to FinTech Weekly's newsletter
Read by executives at JP Morgan, Coinbase, Blackrock, Klarna and more
Bunq Hit with €2.6 Million Fine
On August 25, 2025, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), the Dutch central bank, announced a €2.6 million fine against Bunq for serious shortcomings in its anti-money-laundering (AML) controls. The enforcement follows repeated warnings to the Amsterdam-based neobank over several years, signaling regulators’ growing impatience with financial institutions that fall short on compliance.
DNB’s findings focused on four cases between January 2021 and May 2022. In each, Bunq either failed to properly investigate alerts linked to suspicious transactions or did not maintain sufficient ongoing scrutiny of certain customers. According to the regulator, these lapses raised the risk that potential financial crimes went undetected or unreported.
Repeat Issues Prompt Stronger Action
This penalty does not mark Bunq’s first clash with Dutch regulators over AML oversight. The bank has faced both fines and formal warnings in the past for similar compliance gaps. DNB noted that despite earlier interventions, lasting improvements were not achieved.
That persistence of weaknesses, the central bank argued, justified the latest fine. By levying a significant penalty, DNB intends to signal that partial or temporary fixes are not acceptable when it comes to safeguarding the financial system from abuse.
Bunq Pushes Back
Bunq has formally objected to the fine. In a public response, the neobank said it disagrees with the regulator’s decision, while also stressing its commitment to fulfilling the role of financial “gatekeeper.”
The company pointed to ongoing technology upgrades intended to strengthen transaction monitoring and customer due diligence. Bunq maintains that its advanced systems will address the cases highlighted by DNB and ensure compliance moving forward.
Still, the objection sets up a potential legal dispute over how compliance standards are interpreted and enforced in the digital banking sector.
A Broader Regulatory Trend
The Bunq penalty fits into a wider pattern of heightened enforcement across the Dutch financial sector. Authorities have been applying closer scrutiny not only to fintechs but also to large, established banks.
ABN Amro, for example, reached a major settlement with prosecutors in recent years over AML failures, underlining that traditional banks are not exempt from rigorous oversight. ING has also paid significant penalties, while Rabobank is facing ongoing legal proceedings for similar deficiencies.
This trend reflects growing determination by Dutch regulators to hold financial institutions of all sizes accountable for robust compliance. With international bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placing pressure on national regulators to enforce standards, DNB’s actions align with global priorities.
AML Compliance: A Persistent Challenge
The central issue is how institutions monitor the vast number of transactions passing through their systems. Even with advanced tools, effective AML programs require not only technology but also strong governance, well-trained staff, and continuous adjustment to evolving risk patterns.
For digital-first banks like Bunq, the challenge is twofold: delivering the seamless user experience customers expect while meeting the same rigorous compliance standards as traditional banks. Regulators argue that convenience cannot come at the cost of diligence.
The Bunq case underscores the difficulty of balancing speed, innovation, and compliance. It also shows the risk of assuming that technology alone can replace the need for thorough human oversight and sustained investment in compliance culture.
Impact on Neobanks and Fintechs
The enforcement action against Bunq will likely resonate across the broader fintech sector. Regulators are sending a message: size and business model do not reduce responsibility for robust AML systems.
Neobanks, often built on promises of agility and low-cost service, may face growing compliance costs as they scale. For investors and customers, fines like Bunq’s highlight that regulatory risk is a core factor in assessing the durability of new financial players.
Meanwhile, incumbents can point to these cases as evidence that maintaining large compliance departments and costly monitoring systems is not optional but essential to operating under scrutiny.
What Comes Next
Bunq’s objection means the final outcome may take months or longer, depending on how the case progresses through appeal channels. The company will continue operating, but it faces the reputational challenge of being publicly cited for repeat deficiencies.
For DNB, the fine reflects a strategy of steadily raising penalties when institutions fail to meet expectations after previous warnings. That approach is intended to drive systemic improvements rather than isolated fixes.
Market observers note that similar enforcement actions are likely to continue, particularly as Dutch regulators aim to demonstrate toughness after years of criticism that AML rules were unevenly enforced.
Conclusion
The €2.6 million penalty against Bunq illustrates the rising stakes in anti-money-laundering compliance for both fintechs and traditional banks. By repeating warnings and escalating enforcement, DNB is making clear that it expects consistent, sustainable improvements rather than temporary fixes.
For Bunq, the challenge is not only technical but cultural: proving that a fast-growing neobank can combine innovation with the discipline regulators demand. For the sector at large, the message is unmistakable.
