Provider profile · 2026 edition
CaixaBank review 2026: scores, fees and alternatives.
A Spanish retail and business bank.
WhatsApp and Telegram +44 7563 115980
[email protected]
A Spanish retail and business bank.
CaixaBank scores 2.1 out of 5 (42 out of 100) in the Buckingham Intelligence Safeguarding Banks Index 2026 and ranks 12 of 14. It is strongest for payment firms licensed or passported into Spain, and its best criterion is standing at 4 out of 5. Not published or not stated on the pages read: who it serves, products, pricing, protection and scale and published pricing.
Scores from the Safeguarding Banks Index 2026.
No award in the Safeguarding Banks Index 2026.
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For E-money institutions | 42 | 12 of 14 |
| For payment institutions | 41 | 12 of 14 |
| For firms applying for a licence | 44 | 11 of 14 |
The score out of 5 is the overall score out of 100 divided by 20. Leader goes to the top three overall, Best for to the first in each segment, and Top rated for to a score of 5 out of 5 on a criterion. Awards cannot be bought.
Where it scores best, and where to check closely, as shown in each ranking.
Payment firms licensed or passported into Spain.
What CaixaBank publishes on its own pages, read on 21 October 2026.
A Spanish retail and business bank. Its published admission policy offers a safeguarding account to payment institutions and e-money institutions that are licensed for and present in Spain, alongside a required operating account, and lists the documents it asks for. Prices sit in an annex that is not published, and no timeline or technology is described.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| Legal status | "CaixaBank, S.A., con NIF A-08663619, inscrito en el Registro Administrativo Especial del Banco de España con el número 2100". |
| Who it serves | "disponemos de un producto de cuenta de salvaguarda para las Entidades de Pago y Entidades de Dinero Electrónico que lo soliciten" (a safeguarding account for payment and e-money institutions that request it). The licence must be registered with the Bank of Spain or, for firms licensed elsewhere in the EU, come with authorisation to operate in Spain. Refuses firms that "no tengan presencia o actividad en España" or are licensed in a high-risk jurisdiction. Minimums not published. |
| Products | Safeguarding account described as "una cuenta corriente especial" that separates customer funds, limited to transfers (no cash, direct debits or cheques) and linked to no other product; a separate operating account ("cuenta instrumental") is required to pay its fees. Currencies and scheme access for these firms not stated. |
| Pricing | "El precio de los servicios de la cuenta de salvaguarda se encuentra descritos en el Anexo de Precios"; the annex is not included in the published policy. Fees are charged yearly to the operating account. No interest stated. |
| Onboarding | Published document list: enhanced KYC, proof of activity, beneficial ownership and control, origin of wealth, licences, and AML procedures (manual or independent expert or auditor report). Licence required. No timeline. Policy dated 2022. |
| Technology | None described for the safeguarding account. |
| Protection and scale | "CaixaBank está adherido al Fondo de Garantía de Depósitos de Entidades de Crédito español." "Importe máximo garantizado de 100.000 € por depositante." No fintech client numbers published. |
| Date read | 21 October 2026 |
A fact that is not published is scored as not offered or, for a fee, as if it were high. It is never estimated.
Facts read on 21 October 2026 from: caixabank.es/deployedfiles/particulares/…, caixabank.es/empresa/general/….
Each score with the evidence behind it.
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
The other providers in the same ranking, ordered by score.
| Provider | Score out of 5 | Rank | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClearBank | 4.2 | 1 of 14 | EMIs and PIs needing direct UK and EU scheme access |
| European Merchant Bank | 3.8 | 2 of 14 | EU EMIs wanting a published safeguarding tariff |
| Mano Bank | 3.8 | 3 of 14 | EU EMIs and PIs wanting fixed published safeguarding fees |
| Memo Bank | 3.6 | 4 of 14 | EU firms wanting interest on safeguarded euros |
| Magnetiq Bank | 3.5 | 5 of 14 | EEA EMIs and PIs still in the licensing queue |
| Banking Circle | 3.5 | 6 of 14 | Multi-currency safeguarding across the UK and EEA |
| Bank of London | 3.5 | 7 of 14 | Firms opening accounts during authorisation |
| Griffin | 3.2 | 8 of 14 | Dedicated per-customer safeguarding accounts |
| LHV Bank | 3.0 | 9 of 14 | GBP and EUR safeguarding with agency banking |
| Starling Banking Services | 2.8 | 10 of 14 | UK payment firms wanting their own sort code |
| Solaris | 2.2 | 11 of 14 | A second safeguarding account for licensed EMIs and PIs |
| BNY | 1.9 | 13 of 14 | Large EMIs investing safeguarded cash in money market funds |
| Sutor Bank | 1.9 | 14 of 14 | Digital e-money and payment firms using banking as a service |
Side by side on every criterion, fact and award.
Head-to-head comparisons cover pairs within the top five of each ranking. CaixaBank is compared with its alternatives in the table above.
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