Nik Storonsky, Founder and CEO of Revolut, has been named European Banker of the Year 2025. The award, organised by the dfv Euro Finance Group, is among the most established recognitions in the European banking industry. Since 1994, the recipient has been selected annually by the 20+1, a jury of leading financial journalists from across Europe, including The Financial Times, Handelsblatt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Manager Magazin, ZDF and CNBC. Previous recipients include senior leaders from major global banks, central banks and European institutions.
Andreas G. Scholz, Chairman and CEO of the dfv Euro Finance Group, commented: ”Revolut started with a simple idea: make cross-border payments easier and cheaper. Ten years later, it is one of the most profitable and fastest-growing financial platforms in the world. But what makes Nik Storonsky remarkable is that he has always been a European banker at heart and never stopped thinking bigger. Therefore, Nik Storonsky is a thoroughly deserving European Banker of the Year.”
For the first time in the award’s history, the recognition goes to the founder and CEO of a neobank. The decision reflects a broader shift taking place across the European financial sector. Over the past decade, technology-driven platforms built around customer usage and everyday financial behaviour have moved from the margins to the mainstream of European banking. A new generation of banks and bankers is playing an increasingly central role in shaping the continent’s financial system.
Revolut is the clearest example of this shift. Founded in Europe in 2015, Revolut has grown into the most valuable private tech company in Europe ($75 billion), serving more than 75 million customers across 40 markets globally. The company has expanded from payments and foreign exchange into a broader financial platform covering spending, saving, investing, business banking and lifestyle services.
As Revolut continues to scale internationally, the company is accelerating the build-out of its global banking network. Following the launch of full banking operations in Mexico, the completion of its UK mobilisation phase in early 2026, and the filing of a French banking licence application, Revolut also submitted a formal application for a US national bank charter in March 2026. The company has committed €11.5 billion over the next five years to fuel international expansion across 29 new markets, with a strategic goal of reaching 100 million customers by mid-2027.
The European Banker of the Year award ceremony will mark the opening of the 29th EURO FINANCE WEEK, organised by the dfv Euro Finance Group. In keeping with tradition, the award will be presented in Frankfurt’s Kaisersaal.
Notes to editors: The dfv Euro Finance Group will officially announce the winner on its website starting June 2. The following is a selection of past recipients of the European Banker of the Year Award:
2024: Carlo Messina, CEO, Intesa Sanpaolo
2023: Sergio P. Ermotti, CEO, UBS
2022: Uwe Fröhlich and Cornelius Riese, Co-CEOs, DZ Bank AG
2021: Thomas Jorberg, Speaker of the Board, GLS Gemeinschaftsbank
2020: Günther Bräunig, CEO, KfW Bankengruppe
2019: Werner Hoyer, President, European Investment Bank
2018: Jean Pierre Mustier, Group CEO, UniCredit
2017: Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, CEO, BNP Paribas
2016: Ralph Hamers, CEO, ING Group
2015: Ana Patricia Botín, Chair, Banco Santander
About Revolut
Revolut Bank UAB is a licensed European bank – established in the Republic of Lithuania, authorised and regulated by the Bank of Lithuania and the European Central Bank – helping people get more from their money. In 2015, Revolut launched in the United Kingdom offering money transfer and foreign exchange. Today, more than 75 million customers around the world use dozens of Revolut’s innovative products to make more than one billion transactions per month.
Across our personal and business accounts, we give customers more control over their finances and connect people seamlessly across the world.
About dfv Euro Finance Group
The dfv Euro Finance Group is a leading conference organiser in financial market communications, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. For more than 20 years, the dfv Euro Finance Group has been creating events and specialist conferences at an international level. The company focuses on the cross-channel creation and distribution of professional, industry and business-relevant information for the finance and banking sectors. A key differentiator is the dfv Euro Finance Group’s extensive network of leading decision-makers from business and politics, built and continuously expanded over more than two decades.
Many of the dfv Euro Finance Group’s events – including the EURO FINANCE WEEK, the Frankfurt EURO FINANCE Summit, the Frankfurt European Banking Congress and FRANKFURT meets DAVOS – are internationally recognised event brands.
The dfv Euro Finance Group is part of the dfv Mediengruppe. www.dfv-eurofinance.com
