Costs, licensing, consumer protection Privacy, self-custody, censorship resistance

Hello bank! — Hello! Money Under 30

A plan byHello bank! — Hello! Money · Maestro/Cirrus (+ PagoBancomat)

3.5/5 1.3/5 · Data verified on

Hello! Money is the online account of Hello bank!, BNL BNP Paribas's digital bank: online-only opening, app-based operations and an Italian IBAN with BNL's FITD guarantee. The fee is €0 up to age 30; for everyone else it is €6/month per the published information sheet (some 2026 sources report €6.14 — check the sheet when opening), reducible with salary crediting (−€2) and BNL protection policies (−€1 or −€3) down to zero. Free online SEPA transfers, Hello! Mat debit card and Hello! Card credit card with no fee.

Under 30

Price
Free

What's included

  • Fee waived until turning 30
  • Online SEPA transfers €0
  • Free Hello! Mat debit card and Hello! Card credit card
  • BNL ATM withdrawals €0 · other banks free from €99
€6
Account fee
EU guarantee €100,000
Deposit guarantee
Free
ATM withdrawal
Maestro/Cirrus (+ PagoBancomat)
Network
31
Transparency: Very low
31/100 · see methodology
31
Data exposure: Minimal
31/100 · lower is better for sovereignty · methodology

Data & conditions

Account fee €6
IBAN dedicato · IT · IT
Deposit guarantee EU guarantee €100,000
Multi-currency No (single currency)
Outbound transfers to third-party IBANs Yes
Utility direct billing Yes
SEPA direct debit (SDD) Yes
On-chain crypto withdrawal No
SEPA transfer Free
Card included Hello! Mat (PagoBancomat/Bancomat + Maestro/Cirrus) inclusa, canone €0; carta di credito Hello! Card (Visa/Mastercard) canone €0
Interest on balance 0%
Network Maestro/Cirrus (+ PagoBancomat)
ATM withdrawal Free
Free ATM limit BNL ATMs €0; other banks in Italy: €0 from €99 upwards, €1 below €99
Fund custody Custodial (platform holds funds)
KYC Full
Supported countries EEA · 1+ countries
Regulator Banca d'Italia
Segment B2C
Funding / solidityDigital brand of BNL BNP Paribas · online-only account on a BNL relationship
MiCA / License status Licenza bancaria di BNL (Albo Banche n. 5676) — Hello bank! è il marchio digitale di BNL BNP Paribas BNL's IT banking licence (Bank of Italy)

Strengths

  • €0 fee until age 30 (also for joint accounts between under-30s)
  • Online/mobile SEPA transfers at €0, SDD direct debits at €0, free utility domiciliation
  • Hello! Mat debit card and Hello! Card credit card with no annual fee
  • Free withdrawals at BNL ATMs and at other banks for amounts of €99 and above
  • Supervised bank: behind the brand is BNL, with FITD deposit guarantee up to €100,000
  • No notable sovereignty advantage documented.

Weaknesses

  • Above age 30 the fee (€6/month per the sheet) zeroes only by combining salary crediting and BNL policies
  • Withdrawals under €99 at other banks cost €1
  • Dated transparency documents (2019 sheet, 2021 FID): the actual fee should be re-checked when opening
  • Operations and support tied to BNL systems; instant transfers carry a surcharge (min €1.50)
  • Custodial: the platform holds your funds and can freeze or lose them.
  • Full KYC required: verified identity, zero pseudonymity.
  • Subject to regulation (BNL's IT banking licence (Bank of Italy)): reporting to authorities and freezes on order.
  • FATF-aligned jurisdiction: strong cooperation with authorities.
  • Closed source: no way to verify what it does with wallet and data.

Verdict

C D ★ 3.5/5 ★ 1.3/5

Hello! Money is a good account for under-30s: a genuine zero fee, free online transfers, debit and credit cards with no fee, and the FITD guarantee of a supervised bank (BNL). Above 30 the picture changes: €6/month per the information sheet, waivable only by weaving together salary crediting and house policies — the same loyalty scheme as the BNL X account, at a lower price. Transparency note: the documents published on the site date from 2019-2021 and third-party 2026 sources cite €6.14; the number should be re-checked on the sheet at opening.

A supervised bank account behind a digital brand: custodial, full KYC, censorable and freezable by court order or AML obligation. The FITD guarantee and Bank of Italy supervision — strengths for protection — are exactly what distance it from the trustless model. No self-custody, no permissionless use: on the sovereignty lens it sits at the opposite pole from a self-custody wallet.

Privacy & anonymity 30% 1.1
Fund control 20% 1.4
Censorship resistance 20% 1.4
Trustless / auditability 20% 0.0
Costs 10% 4.0

Promp's editorial rating based on real fees and net annual cost. Promp reviews third-party products independently.

"Sovereignty" rating: score computed on privacy/anonymity (30%), fund control (20%), censorship resistance (20%), trustless/auditability (20%) and costs (10%). Same data, different weights.

FAQ

How much does the Hello! Money account cost?

The published information sheet states €6/month (€72/year) plus €34.20 stamp duty; some 2026 sources report €6.14, so check the updated document when opening. The fee is waived until age 30 and drops by €2 with salary/pension crediting and by €1 or €3 with a BNL protection policy, down to full zeroing.

Are transfers and withdrawals free?

SEPA transfers via internet/mobile and via ATM are €0 (instant transfers carry a surcharge, min €1.50). Withdrawals are free at BNL ATMs and at other banks for amounts of at least €99; below €99 they cost €1.

Is Hello bank! a separate bank from BNL?

No: Hello bank! is the digital brand of BNL BNP Paribas. The account is a full BNL relationship, with an Italian IBAN and deposits guaranteed by the FITD up to €100,000 per depositor.

Sources

Update history

✓ Terms unchanged since Jul 12, 2026

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