Comparison · 2026 edition
European Merchant Bank vs Mano Bank: safeguarding banks compared 2026.
European Merchant Bank and Mano Bank side by side in the Safeguarding Banks Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
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European Merchant Bank and Mano Bank side by side in the Safeguarding Banks Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
In the Safeguarding Banks Index, both score 3.8 out of 5 (76 out of 100); European Merchant Bank ranks higher on the tie-break, at 2 of 14. They tie for e-money institutions, payment institutions and firms applying for a licence.
Overall and segment scores out of 100, and the score out of 5.
| Score | European Merchant Bank | Mano Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 5 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| Score out of 100 | 76 | 76 |
| Overall rank | 2 of 14 | 3 of 14 |
| For E-money institutions (out of 100) | 77, rank 2 | 77, rank 3 |
| For payment institutions (out of 100) | 77, rank 2 | 77, rank 3 |
| For firms applying for a licence (out of 100) | 74, rank 2 | 74, rank 3 |
| Type | Lithuanian bank (European Merchant Bank UAB) | Lithuanian specialised bank (Mano Bankas AB) supervised by the Bank of Lithuania |
Each score with the evidence behind it.
| Criterion | European Merchant Bank | Mano Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Who it serves | 4/5 All PIs and EMIs passing KYC, including firms outside Lithuania; minimum fee set by risk level. | 4/5 EMIs and PIs named and foreign firms accepted on a published non-resident tariff, excluding listed countries; minimums not published. |
| Products | 4/5 Safeguarding and payment accounts with TARGET2 membership and SEPA Instant; EUR only named, no 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 | 5/5 One of the most complete published safeguarding tariffs among assessed banks, though maintenance fees are minimums; interest on balances not 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 | 3/5 Accounts opened for licence applications with an acknowledgement letter; first contact within one working day; no document list or opening timeline. | 3/5 Full document list and remote opening published; no timeline and no route before authorisation stated. |
| Technology | 3/5 API platform published; real-time balances and reconciliation reports not stated. | 3/5 API for payments, balance monitoring and transaction details; real-time balances and reconciliation reports not stated. |
| Standing | 4/5 Licensed bank in the Lithuanian deposit guarantee scheme; no client numbers. | 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 | European Merchant Bank | Mano Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | "European Merchant Bank UAB (EMBank) is licensed by European Central Bank", licence No. 3 (linked to the Bank of Lithuania site). | "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 | "All PIs and EMIs that have passed the KYC processes can open a safeguarding account in EMBank." A separate fee table applies to "Customers Outside Lithuania or Financial Institutions". Minimum monthly fee "To be determined based on client risk level". | 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 and payment accounts; SEPA, SEPA Instant, TARGET2 ("We make EUR payments throughout the world with our TARGET2 membership") and SWIFT; EUR named. | 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 | Safeguarding account opening "4,000.00 €" per account; onboarding fee "min 3,000.00 €"; API connection set-up "10,000.00 €"; safeguarding account maintenance fee "Min 1500.00 €" (period not stated); payment account maintenance "Min 1000.00 €"; SEPA and SEPA Instant outgoing 2.00 €; TARGET2 outgoing 8.00 €, incoming 20.00 €. Interest not stated. | 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 | "we will contact you within 1 working day"; "Your Safeguarding Account will be ready after AML/KYC procedures." EMBank provides "an official acknowledgement letter including your Safeguarding Account details that you will submit to the relevant supervisory authority to proceed with your license application." No document list or opening timeline. | "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 | "EMBank offers an API-driven platform" covering account opening, payment initiation and account information. Real-time balances and reconciliation reports not stated. | "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 | "EMBank participates in the deposit guarantee scheme (DGS) of Lithuania." No client numbers published. | 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 European Merchant Bank: pricing, technology, protection and scale 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: em.bank, em.bank/accounts/safeguarding-accounts, em.bank/fees-and-commisions, em.bank/blog/articles/…; 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.
EU EMIs wanting a published safeguarding tariff.
EU EMIs and PIs wanting fixed published safeguarding fees.
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