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

Mercury Mercury Tea Room

A plan byMercury

4.8/5 1.3/5 · Data verified on

Mercury is a business account offering FDIC coverage up to $5M via sweep, free domestic wires, the IO Card with 1.5% cashback, a Treasury yielding up to ~3.6% net (official figure as of 05/31/2026, for large balances) and free APIs. The limitations are significant: it is US-only, has no native crypto support, and its partner bank Choice Financial was subject to a federal consent order in 2023.

Mercury Tea Room

Price
Free
Issuance fee
Free
FX markup
3%
Cashback
1.5%
Cashback currency
USD
Required staking
Nessuno
ATM fee
0%
ATM limit
Unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements; network withdrawal limits apply
Net annual cost
Free
Requirement
Balance >$500k

What's included

  • Top APY
  • Priority support
  • Concierge treasury

uncapped (IO Card 1.5% cashback senza limite)

Free
Account fee
Not disclosed
Deposit guarantee
Free
ATM withdrawal
Not disclosed
Network
75
Transparency: High
75/100 · see methodology
75
Data exposure: High
75/100 · lower is better for sovereignty · methodology

Data & conditions

Account fee Free
IBAN condiviso
Multi-currency No (single currency)
Outbound transfers to third-party IBANs Yes
Utility direct billing No
SEPA direct debit (SDD) No
On-chain crypto withdrawal No
Interest on balance 3.61%
ATM withdrawal Free
Free ATM limit Unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements; network withdrawal limits apply
Fund custody Custodial (platform holds funds)
KYC Full
Supported countries US · 1+ countries
Regulator FDIC partner banks
OAM Italy registration No
Segment B2B
MiCA / License status Banking partner (Choice Financial Group, Evolve Bank) FDIC (US)

Strengths

  • FDIC $5M via sweep; wire domestici free; IO Card 1,5% cashback; Treasury ~3.6% net APY; API free.
  • No notable sovereignty advantage documented.

Weaknesses

  • US only; no crypto; partner bank under scrutiny regulatory.
  • Custodial: the platform holds your funds and can freeze or lose them.
  • Full KYC required: verified identity, zero pseudonymity.
  • Subject to regulation (FDIC (US)): reporting to authorities and freezes on order.

Verdict

S D ★ 4.8/5 ★ 1.3/5

Mercury tops the category thanks to FDIC coverage up to $5M via sweep, the only genuine deposit guarantee in the group, alongside free domestic wires, a Treasury yielding up to ~3.6% net and solid APIs. The top rating comes with three caveats, though: US-only availability and partner bank Choice Financial hit by a federal consent order in 2023.

Exactly what makes it so strong on protection makes it weak here: full KYC, a fully custodial account, no native crypto support and a single country of operation. Its rootedness in the US FDIC system is the opposite of censorship resistance and self-custody.

Privacy & anonymity 30% 1.0
Fund control 20% 0.8
Censorship resistance 20% 1.5
Costs 10% 2.5

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

Is Mercury a real bank?

Mercury operates under a Banking partner (Choice Financial Group, Evolve Bank) licence (US). It is regulated by FDIC partner banks. Fund protection: FDIC fino $5M via sweep.

Can I send transfers to third-party IBANs with Mercury?

Yes, Mercury allows outgoing transfers to third-party IBANs, like a traditional bank account.

Does Mercury support direct debits and utility billing?

SEPA direct debit (SDD): not documented. Utility-bill domiciliation: not documented.

Which fiat currencies does Mercury support?

Mercury supports 1 fiat currencies. Multi-currency accounts: not supported.

Can I withdraw crypto on-chain from Mercury?

On-chain crypto withdrawal is not documented; check the official website.

Sources

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Update history

✓ Terms unchanged since Jul 14, 2026

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