Comparison · 2026 edition
ClearBank vs Mano Bank: safeguarding banks compared 2026.
ClearBank and Mano Bank side by side in the Safeguarding Banks Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
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ClearBank and Mano Bank side by side in the Safeguarding Banks Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
In the Safeguarding Banks Index, ClearBank scores higher overall: 4.2 out of 5 (85 out of 100) against 3.8 (76), ranking 1 and 3 of 14. ClearBank also scores higher in every segment.
Overall and segment scores out of 100, and the score out of 5.
| Score | ClearBank | Mano Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 5 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
| Score out of 100 | 85 | 76 |
| Overall rank | 1 of 14 | 3 of 14 |
| For E-money institutions (out of 100) | 85, rank 1 | 77, rank 3 |
| For payment institutions (out of 100) | 85, rank 1 | 77, rank 3 |
| For firms applying for a licence (out of 100) | 86, rank 1 | 74, rank 3 |
| Type | UK bank (PRA authorised) with a Dutch bank in the EU | Lithuanian specialised bank (Mano Bankas AB) supervised by the Bank of Lithuania |
Each score with the evidence behind it.
| Criterion | ClearBank | Mano Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Who it serves | 5/5 EMIs and PIs in the UK and EU, digital asset platforms and pre-regulated firms named; states no minimum volume requirement. | 4/5 EMIs and PIs named and foreign firms accepted on a published non-resident tariff, excluding listed countries; minimums not published. |
| Products | 5/5 Safeguarding, client money and operating accounts with direct membership of FPS, CHAPS, Bacs, SEPA and T2, plus agency banking. | 4/5 Safeguarding, segregated and correspondent accounts with SEPA Instant and SWIFT, sending in 12 currencies; no agency banking or direct scheme membership stated. |
| Published pricing | 1/5 Fee structure described (monthly subscription plus charges) but no figures or safeguarding interest rate published. | 5/5 Fixed safeguarding account opening and monthly fees and tiered balance fees published; euro balances are charged a daily fee rather than earning interest, and KYC fees are "from" prices. |
| Onboarding | 4/5 States go-live typically takes weeks and offers an operating account during authorisation; no document list. | 3/5 Full document list and remote opening published; no timeline and no route before authorisation stated. |
| Technology | 5/5 API account opening, real-time statements, virtual IBANs with automated reconciliation and safeguarding letters. | 3/5 API for payments, balance monitoring and transaction details; real-time balances and reconciliation reports not stated. |
| Standing | 5/5 PRA authorised bank with FSCS protection and published scale of 311+ clients and £20bn deposits. | 4/5 Specialised bank licence issued by the ECB through the Bank of Lithuania, deposit protection information and published balance sheet; no fintech client numbers. |
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Safeguarding Banks Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
What each provider publishes on its own pages, read on 21 October 2026.
| Fact | ClearBank | Mano Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | "ClearBank Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (FRN: 754568)." "ClearBank Europe N.V. is authorised by the European Central Bank and regulated by De Nederlandsche Bank." Subscriber to the Code of Conduct for Indirect Access Providers. | "Mano Bankas AB holds a specialised bank license and operates under the supervision of the Bank of Lithuania"; the licence was "Issued by the European Central Bank through the Bank of Lithuania". Company code 112043081; footer links to "Specialised bank licence No.1". |
| Who it serves | "Safeguarding accounts are for EMIs and Payment Institutions that must segregate end-customer funds under FCA rules." "ClearBank doesn't have any minimum volume requirements." Client types listed include digital asset platforms and pre-regulated firms; it says it has "worked with digital asset companies in the UK since 2019". | Safeguarding account "Tailored specifically for electronic money and payment institutions". A separate tariff applies to "Non-Residents & Financial Institutions", which covers legal entities established abroad or with foreign owners or controllers, and firms in currency exchange or cryptocurrency trading. "Residents of certain countries and territories are not permitted to open accounts." Minimums not published. |
| Products | Safeguarding accounts "held securely at the Bank of England" (GBP) and at DNB and the ECB (EUR); CASS 7 client money accounts; operating accounts; agency banking with sort codes; "Direct membership of Faster Payments Service, CHAPS, Bacs, SEPA Credit, SEPA Instant and T2"; FX; up to 6 million virtual IBANs per master account. | Safeguarding, segregated and correspondent accounts; "Each of our bank accounts comes with an internationally recognised IBAN number"; current accounts; SEPA, SEPA Instant ("Instant euro payments up to €100,000, available 24/7") and SWIFT; funds held and sent in AUD, CAD, CHF, DKK, EUR, GBP, NOK, PLN, RON, SEK, USD and ZAR, received in CAD, EUR, SEK and USD; currency exchange in the online bank; a dedicated consultant. Agency banking and direct scheme membership not stated. |
| Pricing | No figures published. Indirect access page: services are "provided on an ongoing subscription basis" with a standing monthly fee plus implementation, account and transaction charges. | Non-Residents & Financial Institutions tariff: "Safeguarding / Segregated / Correspondent account opening" "500 € for each account"; maintenance "200 € / month, for each account"; "Customer data verification" and "Initial KYC Check-Up" each "From 1 000 €". Euro balance fee from "0.03 € per day per 1.000 €" (up to 100,000 €) to "0.08 € per day per 1.000 €" (above 3,000,000 €); the tariff does not say whether safeguarding balances are excluded. Outgoing SEPA 1 €, SWIFT 30 €; correspondent payments "Individual pricing will be applied". No interest published. |
| Onboarding | "Going live with ClearBank, including KYC, contracting, and integration, typically takes weeks rather than months." Pre-regulated firms: "Open an operating account as you kick off your application journey", with API sandbox access before approval. No document list published. | "You may open a bank account by submitting the required application and supporting documents remotely" or at the Vilnius branch. Published document list for companies registered abroad: register extracts no older than 3 months, articles of association, shareholder structure, identity documents of the manager and board, and last year's financial statements; "Documents are accepted only in Lithuanian or English and must be apostilled". Financial institutions submit "additional documentation relating to the relevant activity". No timeline; accounts before authorisation not stated. |
| Technology | Accounts opened via API; "real-time statements, and direct scheme access"; virtual IBANs "allocated instantly via API with automated reconciliation"; safeguarding letter provided on request. | "Integrate your systems with Mano Bank via our API." "Automate payments, monitor balances and access transaction details with ease"; developer portal. Real-time balances and reconciliation reports not stated. |
| Protection and scale | Eligible deposits protected by the FSCS up to £120,000; EU national scheme up to €100,000. Published scale: "311+" clients, 4.9m open bank accounts, £20bn in deposits held. | Deposit protection information linked from the site footer. Published 2026 Q2 figures: "€764M" total assets and "€230M" deposits from customers. No fintech client numbers published. |
| Date read | 21 October 2026 | 21 October 2026 |
Not published or not stated by ClearBank: pricing, onboarding and published pricing.
Not published or not stated by Mano Bank: who it serves, products, pricing, onboarding, technology and protection and scale.
Facts read on 21 October 2026 from: clear.bank/products/accounts, clear.bank/faqs/accounts-and-agency-banking, clear.bank/use-cases/pre-regulated, clear.bank/indirect-access-to-uk-payments-system, clear.bank/learn/insights/…; and mano.bank/en/fintech/accounts, mano.bank/en/fintech, mano.bank/en/fintech/payments, mano.bank/en/fintech/correspondent-payments, mano.bank/en/prices, mano.bank/en/faq, mano.bank/en/about-us.
Awards follow from the published scores and cannot be bought.
From each provider's strongest criteria and published terms.
EMIs and PIs needing direct UK and EU scheme access.
EU EMIs and PIs wanting fixed published safeguarding fees.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.