N26 Major Milestones
2013
N26 was founded by Valentin Stalf and Maximilian Tayenthal who reimagined the retail banking experience for today’s mobile lifestyle.
2015
The initial product was launched. Since then N26 has attracted 2.3 million customers across 24 European markets.
2016
N26 Bank GmbH received a banking license from the ECB and Bafin.
2018
N26 launched in the UK. Additionally, the firm raised $160 million in its Series C funding round co-led by Allianz X and Tencent Holdings Ltd. The funding represents the largest equity financing round (non IPO) in the fintech industry in Germany to date and one of the largest in Europe. Total funds raised are $215 million from some of the world’s most well-known investors, including Li Ka-Shing’s Horizons Ventures, Valar Ventures, members of the Zalando Management Team, and Earlybird Venture Capital.
2019
N26 launched in the US. We also announced our $300 million Series D funding led by Insight Venture Partners. The round also includes participation from GIC, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, and existing investors.
Our Management Team
Valentin Stalf: Founder and CEO
Valentin Stalf is co-founder and CEO of N26. In 2013 he founded N26 with his longtime friend Maximilian Tayenthal. Back then already, both shared a vision of building a bank that the world loves to use.
Since the initial product launch in 2015, N26 has grown to include more than 4.5 million customers across 25 markets — including the US in 2019. The firm has raised more than USD 500 million from some of the world’s most well-known investors, including Insight Venture Partners, GIC - Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, Tencent, Allianz X, Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, Li Ka-Shing’s Horizons Ventures, Earlybird Venture Capital, Battery Ventures, in addition to members of the Zalando management board, and Redalpine Ventures. N26 has more than 1000 employees based in Berlin, New York and Barcelona, who are concentrated on reinventing the banking experience for the digital generation. With its full banking license, state-of-the-art technology and no branch network, N26 is redesigning banking for the 21st century.
Before N26, Valentin was an Entrepreneur in Residence for Rocket Internet, an incubator and investor in online startups. There he helped to develop several companies in the mobile payments industry, including payleven and Paymill GmbH. Moreover, he worked in strategy consulting and investment banking.
Valentin has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management and a master’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of St. Gallen. He is currently a member of the advisory board at the Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Maximilian Tayenthal: Founder and CFO
Maximilian Tayenthal is co-founder and CFO of N26. Together with his business partner and friend Valentin Stalf, he built one of the first and now fastest-growing mobile banks in Europe. Their vision was to create a retail bank that's flexible, transparent and speaks to today's digital lifestyles.
Previously, Max worked in a variety of consulting and financial roles at leading professional services firms, including CMS and Booz & Company. Max holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics and business administration from the University of Vienna. He also has a master’s degree in economics from the Community of European Management Schools, as well as a law degree form the University of Vienna. Max is a CFA charterholder.
While Max is based in Berlin, he always makes time for his passion outside of personal finance: skiing in the mountains of Austria and Switzerland.
Nicolas Kopp: U.S. CEO
Nicolas Kopp is the US CEO of N26, based in New York. His vision is to bring N26’s mobile-first banking app to the millions of US consumers who are frustrated with traditional bank offerings. Nic joined N26 in 2015 as one of its first employees, heading up the Business Development and Operations team, which he built from the ground up. He was instrumental in establishing the firm’s key partnerships, including TransferWise, and led the development of N26’s premium account offerings. Nic’s experience spans from early stage fundraising to leading N26’s first international expansion into multiple European countries.
Prior to N26, Nic spent five years at Morgan Stanley in London and Hong Kong. He holds a bachelor’s degree from University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.
Lindsey Grossman: Director of Product, Global Markets
As N26’s Director of Product, Global Markets, Lindsey Grossman defines the company’s product strategy across the US and Europe, and leads the product team in building a mobile banking app that improves customers’ financial lives while putting user experience and design first. Lindsey is also responsible for N26’s Global Perks product strategy and execution globally.
Previously, as Netflix’s Head of Partner Engagement/Member Acquisition for EMEA and the Americas, Lindsey was responsible for growing Netflix's subscriber base among its TV and mobile operator partners including Sky, Virgin Media, Canal Plus, and many others. In this role, she built delightful customer experiences that scaled globally through partner APIs. Prior to Netflix, Lindsey led partnerships for Stripe's Global Payments Methods team. There she was responsible for developing and launching Stripe's industry-leading partnerships with Alibaba and Tencent, helped the company enter India and other geographies, and enabled Stripe's merchants to accept payments from around the world. She also co-founded Stripe's women’s organization, Equate.
Previously, Lindsey led EMEA partnerships for Intuit and also previously served as Intuit’s Head of Public Policy for Asia Pacific. Before joining the technology industry, Lindsey worked at APCO Worldwide where she advised companies entering new markets and helped them design global policy programs. Based in New York, Lindsey has lived in San Francisco, London, Hyderabad, and Washington, DC. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis.
Ryan Cooke: US Head of Technology
At N26 Ryan Cooke is responsible for leading local engineering teams building product features with a focus on the US market. He has over a decade of experience working at startups, contributing directly to the development of technology products. Ryan acts as a hands-on technology leader directing software development processes, information security programs, vendor evaluation and due diligence, technical product scoping and engineering management.
Prior to N26, Ryan co-founded two companies and has overseen all aspects of engineering organizations including system design, software development, and information security. He has a passion for building teams of programmers, designers and product managers with strong cultures emphasizing autonomy, experimentation and learning. Ryan also speaks on various topics related to technology strategy and engineering culture.
Stephanie Balint: Senior Strategy & Operations Manager
Stephanie Balint is Senior Strategy and Operations Manager for N26 in New York. In this role, she has been responsible for selecting and managing N26’s most critical US partners, as well as establishing and implementing the key operational processes needed for the US product. Her team drives the strategic vision for the company in its US expansion, and leads execution and implementation for additional product lines and features.
Prior to N26, Stephanie headed operations, finance and business development at OurHarvest, a farmers’ market delivery service in the greater New York City area. Before that, she spent almost 6 years in investment banking, most recently at Evercore Partners, where she advised Financial Technology companies on mergers and acquisitions. She graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Economics and a certificate in Markets and Management Studies.
Marie Le: Head of US Marketing
Marie Le is Head of US Marketing for N26, based in New York City. She has over 20 years of experience launching brands and products into global markets across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. As Head of US Marketing, Marie is responsible for introducing N26 to the American market by building programs that create meaningful and lasting connections with customers across all marketing and PR touchpoints. Before joining N26, Marie was the Head of Consumer Product Marketing at Twitter and OpenTable. One of her proudest moments was empowering individuals in emerging markets to engage in the power of social media through the initial launch of Twitter Lite and by helping Twitter expand from 140 to 280 characters.
Marie has lived in New York, San Francisco, and Sydney and is proud of her Australian/Vietnamese heritage. She graduated from the University of Technology in Sydney, with a major in marketing and sub-major in international business.
Sam Davidson: Head of Legal and Compliance
Sam Davidson is Head of Legal and Compliance for N26 Inc., based in New York. He advises N26 on the legal and regulatory implications of its innovative FinTech products and services introduced to the US market. Sam counsels cross functional business units on a range of topics including banking regulations, privacy, intellectual property, labor and employment and commercial matters. He has implemented compliance programs and governance protocols designed to navigate federal and foreign regulatory regimes.
Prior to joining N26, Sam was Chief Compliance Officer at M.Y. Safra Bank. He previously served as Counsel and AML Risk Advisor at Sterling National Bank and Law Clerk for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. Sam received his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.
The N26 account is offered by Axos Bank®, Member FDIC. N26 Inc. is a service provider of Axos Bank. All deposit accounts of the same ownership and/or vesting held at Axos Bank are combined and insured under the same FDIC Certificate 35546. All deposit accounts through Axos Bank brands are not separately insured by the FDIC from other deposit accounts held with the same ownership and/or vesting at Axos Bank. The N26 Visa® Debit Card is issued by Axos Bank pursuant to a license by Visa U.S.A. Inc. The N26 Visa Debit Card may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.