Category: Money | Page 31

The Best Spanish Real Estate Crowdfunding Platforms in 2026

Last updated: February 02, 202618 Comments

Spain always has a healthy property market, despite some ups and downs. It’s probably the best place to live in Europe if you value quality of life, and there is a healthy influx of expats who want to own good properties in the peninsula.

Real Estate crowdfunding platforms, therefore, fit perfectly in the scenario that is developing. They allow small investors to participate in the real estate market by pooling investors’ money to purchase property that is later resold or rented out.

In 2008 Spanish real estate took a big hit in the well-publicized crisis, wiping out many people’s investments when the bubble burst and decimated the value of properties countrywide. Some areas were worse hit than others, but prices were down throughout the country.

Since 2016 we are seeing strong signs of recovery, and the purchase prices of properties in the big and affluent cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca) have now reached pre-crisis prices. Rents are also strongly climbing, making it altogether a great time for real estate investment. Of course, we need to be careful to avoid another bubble, but that’s another discussion altogether.

Crowdfunding in property involves a number of investors pooling their money together to purchase a property. The crowdfunding platform usually manages the refurbishment and eventual rental of the property and takes a cut for this work. There is also a target date for the resale of the property. As investors, we are therefore looking for rental income as well as a profit on the growth of the value of the property.

Here are my top favorite platforms that operate in Spain:

StockCrowdIN

I am using practically all the major Spanish real estate crowdfunding platforms as they’re all a bit different from each other. In general, it’s also a good idea to diversify across multiple platforms to protect against platforms going out of business, although that has a low probability. What’s more probable is that a platform gets greedy and forgets to do proper due diligence on new projects, as happened with Housers, which had started well but ultimately became a marketing machine sucking in the money of new investors with zero knowledge of the property market.

From the tax perspective, earnings are based on the Savings tax bands in Spain:

19% for €0 – €6,000
21% for €6,001 – €50,000
23% for €50,001+

As a beginner investor, you will most likely fall into the 19% tax bracket, and the property platforms will automatically deduct the tax from your returns. This is called a retención in Spanish. You will still need to declare these profits in your annual tax return (IRPF). The platforms mentioned in this article all provide documentation showing what you earnt and what retentions they made.

Both new and pre-owned properties are liable to another tax called Actos Jurídicos Documentados (AJD) (Stamp Duty), which represents 1% of the deed price of the sale, plus another 1% of the mortgage. You will have to keep these in mind as well as possible cuts on your final return.

Let’s move on to exploring these platforms then. [Read more…]

🏦 Best Commission-Free Banks in Spain (Updated 2026)

Last updated: January 15, 2026294 Comments

Upon moving to Spain, one of the first things you need to do is open a bank account.

You will need it for several things, most importantly for paying your monthly rent. A foreign bank account is not that useful in Spain as many institutions rely on direct debits to a local account. For example, if you make a gym subscription, or if you sign up for private health insurance, you will need to provide your bank details, and you need to give a Spanish IBAN number.

See also: Best broker for buying stocks in Spain

The same thing applies if you have an iPhone and want to use the Spanish app store; you need a Spanish debit or credit card.

When I arrived in Spain, I had a list of criteria that I used to search for the best bank here. Let me share them with you:

Commission-free.
I’m giving money to the bank and they will use it to gain money, I shouldn’t be paying them. If anything, they should be compensating me for providing the capital.
Straightforward to open and operate.
I didn’t want to jump through too many hoops to open a bank account, and I expect a modern web and mobile interface to operate on a daily basis.
English-speaking staff and multilingual website and contracts.
Not so much of a deal-breaker as I’m fluent in Spanish, but it’s always a plus.
Stable and highly-regarded bank.
I don’t want nasty surprises in the future, so let’s keep to the top banks and avoid going with the lesser-known ones.

Here are some of the typical bank fees charged by banks here that I was not prepared to pay:

Maintenance fees
There is usually an average fee for having your bank account and this is anything from €40 year and upwards
Transferring money
If you use your bank account to transfer money, even to another Spanish account, you may be charged. The transfer cost is usually around €2 or C3 for every transaction you make. Online transactions are usually free.
ATM
If you use a cash machine that is not linked to the bank you use then you will be charged a fee. This varies but is likely to be at least €2.
Credit and debit cards
Some banks may charge a small fee per year for maintaining your card and can be around €8 and €10 per year.

After spending many hours in online research, speaking to people and visiting bank branches, these were my shortlisted banks:

Currency Conversions

Before we delve into details about each of these banks and my top pick, I’d like to make a special note for those who will be transferring money from other countries. The most common cases are GBP and USD but this applies to any other non-Euro currency.

I suggest that you use Wise for your conversions as you will save a ton of money versus any local bank. You can also set up a Wise Borderless account which gives you a debit card in multiple currencies that is perfect for travel.

Ok, now that you now know how to do currency exchanges the right way, let’s move on to Spanish banks. If you have any questions about currency exchange, leave a comment and I’ll try to help out.

N26 – Best Low-Cost Bank in Spain

Unfortunately, I haven’t been very impressed by banking in Spain. It’s decent enough, don’t get me wrong, and most banks have very good online systems and apps, however, support and compliance can get very frustrating.

That is why I would recommend N26, a German bank with the very latest technology and an amazing mobile app through which you manage your account.

N26 gives its Spanish users a Spanish IBAN account, so you will be able to use the bank for any direct debits as you would use other Spanish bank accounts.

N26 give you best-in-class digital facilities such as an app and website to go with it, while also helping you track your expenses.

I use DEGIRO as a stockbroker in combination with N26 as a bank account, and I have zero hassle with local branches and any other issues.

Revolut

The famous online bank Revolut is also available to residents of Spain. Revolut is a digital banking app and card that focuses on technology, low fees and premium features. It’s designed for those who travel a lot and offers ways to spend abroad, including international money transfers with no hidden fees.

When you sign up, you will need to choose between three account tiers, starting at €0 per month for the Standard account.

For all account tiers, Revolut gives you a free IBAN account, a free UK current account and a bank card so you can spend your money. You can spend in over 150 currencies at the interbank exchange rate and exchange 29 fiat currencies. There are a number of features that come with each account tier, such as free ATM withdrawals plus exclusive features that come with the Premium and Metal accounts.

Revolut has three tiers: Standard, Premium and Metal. The Standard account is €0 per month, the Premium account is €7.99 per month and the Metal account is €13.99 per month.

One of Revolut’s most appealing features is that it lets you spend fee-free at the interbank rate in over 150 currencies.

Using it abroad is much like using it in Spain. However, don’t forget that while there’s no spending limit for card payments, free ATM withdrawals are limited to €200 per month with the Standard account (higher for Premium and Metal), after which you’ll be charged a 2% fee.

Revolut received its European banking license from the European Central Bank in December 2018. This means that if you open a current account with Revolut in the future your funds will be protected up to €100,000. However, at the time of writing, this was still being put into place. For now, Revolut still has obligations to safeguard your funds in a separate bank so you can get them back should anything happen to Revolut.

Revolut stands out from its competitors in cryptocurrencies. In 2017, it became the first challenger bank to let customers buy cryptos within the app.

What’s more, it’s incredibly easy for anyone to use cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin with Revolut. Revolut’s aim is to make cryptocurrencies accessible. Customers have access to five different cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ether, Bitcoin Cash and XRP. However, you have to hold a Premium account or higher to access the cryptocurrency feature automatically. Otherwise, you will need to invite three or more friends to use the app to unlock the feature.

Revolut shows you real-time cryptocurrency graphs which shows you current rates. You can also set up price alerts to hear when your cryptocurrency hits a certain value.

Revolut applies a markup of 0.5% on major currencies and 1% on other currencies over the weekend when markets are closed.

You are charged at least a 1% markup for currencies such as the Thai baht, Russian rouble, Ukrainian hryvnia and the Turkish lira. This rises to 2% on weekends.

You can make fee-free currency conversions up to €6,000 per month, after which a 0.5% fee applies.

The big disadvantage of using Revolut at the moment is that you don’t get a Spanish IBAN. Although according to EU rules, businesses here in Spain should accept European IBANs for direct debit purposes, in practice there are some big companies that still refuse to do so. You might want to check which companies you will need to work with and decide accordingly.

Having said that, since there is no cost to signing up to and maintaining a standard Revolut, I would still recommend having it, especially since you like to travel. Having more options is always better than less options. If you’re worried about managing multiple cards, have a look at the solution I found for that further down in the article.

Wise

Before you move abroad consider opening a TransferWise multi-currency account. You get your own free local bank account details in Europe, UK, US, Australia and New Zealand so you can have a local bank account before arriving.

It comes with a debit card so you can pay and withdraw money at ATMs once you come to Spain with much lower fees than with your bank.

Read my full Wise Borderless review or go ahead and open an account using the link below.

BBVA Cuenta Online – Best Spanish Bank

BBVA is a Spanish bank with an excellent reputation, and their mobile app has won numerous awards.

You can open a Cuenta Online with no commissions in 10 minutes using the mobile app. Their website is available in multiple languages including English.

You can’t really go wrong with BBVA if you want the extra peace of mind of having your money in a Spanish bank. BBVA is consistently rated among the top 3 banks in Spain.

This is now my favorite local bank in Spain. I am very happy with the service they provide and the application is excellent, even allowing you to aggregate other banks’ accounts into the BBVA app for your convenience.

Banks to Avoid

Banc Sabadell

I don’t recommend this bank due to the various reports of multiple charges that are now associated to having accounts with them (see comments section).

Ing Direct

ING Direct used to be my favorite local bank, but as of April 2019, I would recommend N26 above ING Direct. They have a weird policy of letting all incoming transfers in, then suddenly asking for documentation about all incoming international transfers months later. It’s quite maddening because they typically don’t even know what they need, they just ask you for documentation for everything, which of course can be incredibly time-consuming to retrieve given that some transfers might have been done years ago.

They have also blocked many clients’ accounts even during the sensitive Coronavirus crisis times, piling more difficulty on families when they should be helping alleviating the burden. I find these practices extremely insensitive and unprofessional and cannot recommend this bank any longer.

Their customer support is only available via phone (long waits) and usually turns out to be quite incompetent, barely able to answer basic questions.

In short: Stay away from this bank.

Wrapping up

You will no doubt have your own requirements for bank accounts. Perhaps you are already thinking of a loan or mortgage, or you’re interested in finding a bank with great stock brokerage facilities, or even other products such as life insurance or deposit accounts.

Make sure you make a list of things that are most important to you, then start your search by visiting all the sites of the local banks. You will usually get a gut feeling about certain banks that will allow you to narrow things down. You can then proceed to visit the local offices of the shortlisted banks and get a feel for the kind of people that work there and get more information about their products.

Finally, you can make an educated decision on which account to use. Remember that you can always close an account without any hassle or cost if further down the line you understand that the bank is not well aligned with your needs.

When you open a bank account at any entity, be aware that they will usually ask for your passport and your NIE at the very minimum. They might also ask for things like your rental contract, statement from your foreign bank, tax statements from your previous country of residence etc. Banks are on the lookout for money launderers and have very strict parameters within which to operate. All the banks I mentioned above are very reasonable in what they require and will not make things difficult for you. Others may have stricter policies, and they might reject your application without providing any specific reasons.

Over the years, I’ve come to prefer online banks, so here would be my favorite options:

Online digital bank: N26
Spanish traditional bank: BBVA

Accounts for traveling outside the Eurozone:

Revolut (Personal or Business)
Wise Borderless

Good luck with opening a bank account in Spain, and if you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments section.

Curve – Managing multiple cards

It’s a hassle having many cards in your wallet. You might lose one without even noticing, not to mention the inconvenience of a fat wallet in your pocket.

The solution to that is to use the Curve app and card. Basically, Curve allows you to load all your cards into its app, then use just one card (the Curve card) to make your payments. Before you make a payment, you can use the app to choose which bank card you want to take the money from. Incredibly useful for those of us who have many debit and credit cards.

Get your Curve Card today

Savings and Investment accounts

None of the banks mentioned in my article are great places to earn any interest on your money. As you know, banks nowadays offer very low interest for leaving your money in their accounts. However, there are some good online options if you’re seeking some return on your money.

Raisin – Best Investment accounts

Raisin puts more than 70 savings products at your disposal. The platform collaborates with many European collaborator banks, all of which count on the European deposit guarantee scheme (up to €100,000). It is basically an aggregator of all the savings account offerings across Europe.

I find it extremely convenient to be able to access all these investment products in one place. The traditional way would be to actually sign up to a bank in order to be able to access its savings products, which is incredibly more laborious and harder for the customer to compare offers between banks. Check it out, I think you will like the idea behind Raisin.

Open an account at Raisin

P2P Lending – Mintos

If you’re interested in making the most of your money, don’t leave it sitting in your bank account where it generates low returns.

Take a look at my results (above 10% returns) investing through the Mintos P2P lending platform, it’s been excellent so far. If you’re not familiar with P2P lending, read my review of the best P2P lending sites in Europe, which includes a thorough guide on how this sector works.

Another option is to invest in property via online platforms. I have lots of content on that subject as well on this site, and a good place to start is my post on the best property investment platforms in Europe.

Join Mintos

Documents needed to open a bank account in Spain

Before you even attempt to open a bank account, make sure you have the following documents handy as you will need them.

If you’re opening your first bank account in Spain with one of the local banks:

A valid passport or national identity card
Your Spanish Tax identification number (NIE)
A document to confirm your address such as a utility bill or Title Deed
A document to prove you have an income – this could be a payslip, tax return or an official form connected to your pension (optional)

Proof of income documentation is not always required. When I arrived in Spain I did not have any payslips to show, so instead, they asked me for statements from the bank account in my country, and that was enough to open the first bank account here in Spain.

If you already have another bank account in Spain and you’re opening another bank account in Spain with a local bank:

A valid passport or national identity card
Your Spanish Tax identification number (NIE)
The IBAN number of your other bank account

If you’re opening an account with one of the digital banks:

A valid passport or national identity card

The digital banks (Revolut, Wise, and N26) only require basic identification to open a bank account with them.

Banks trust each other, so if one bank has done its checks and opened a bank account for you, you can then open another account at another bank by just providing basic identification and the IBAN number for your other bank account.

Note that many traditional Spanish banks do not provide sign up instructions on their website in English, but it’s pretty self-explanatory in most cases.

Keep in mind that banks do discriminate openly against citizens of certain countries that they deem to be on their “blacklist”. My wife (Russian) was straight up refused consideration from various banks, while even myself (Maltese) was refused in one bank due to the manager claiming that Malta was on some kind of blacklist, which is very weird since it is in the EU.

See also: Should you buy Bitcoin?

Spanish Banking Glossary

Let’s talk about some of the most common words used in Spanish banking.

Cuenta = account
Cuenta Corriente = current account
Tarjeta = card
Seguros = insurance
Saldo Contable = account balance
Saldo Disponible = balance available
Traspasos = transfers
Inicio = Start
Extracto = statement
Cuenta para residentes = resident account
Cuenta para no residentes = non-resident account
Caja = savings banks
Account number – usually a ten digit number
Sort code – four digits for your bank reference and four digits for your branch
Control number – a two-digit number
BIC – Bank Identifier Code. It begins with letters that refer to the bank you are using. It is used in conjunction with the IBAN
IBAN – ‘International Bank Account Number’ and is a standard way of identifying banks across different countries.

📈 The Best Online Stock Brokers in Spain in 2026

Last updated: January 15, 202667 Comments

Following my move to Spain, I started searching for a local broker to start investing in stocks.

I’m not a huge fan of Spanish financial institutions, and given the choice, I’d much rather use an international stockbroker. That also makes it easier for me if I eventually move my residence to another country.

There are two main advantages of working with a Spanish broker, on the other hand:

No need to fill in any foreign asset reporting documents at the end of the year (Spanish Modelo 720 in this case).
Advantageous commissions (or lack thereof) for the local stock market.

The Modelo 720 form is an absolute drag to compile, but once you get the hang of it or outsource it, this factor becomes less of a deal-breaker. However when the March deadline for that form comes around, it’s a good reminder of how backward the Spanish taxation system is. I invest internationally and not in the Spanish market, so the second advantage is not so important to me.

With that said, here are the best options I’ve found.

[Read more…]

📈 Best Online Stock Brokers for Investors Resident in Europe in 2026

Last updated: February 02, 202630 Comments

Online stock trading platforms offer a wealth of convenience for investing at any point in time and also provide lots of information about the market minute by minute, helping you make the best decisions.

For active trading as well as long-term investing these are the best platforms I’ve found:

DEGIRO

There are not a lot of online brokers that offer an asset library as extensive as DEGIRO. Whether it’s shares, bonds, ETFs, or funds – you’ll have access to thousands of instruments across 50 markets and 30 exchanges. This ensures that you can build a highly diversified portfolio and thus – mitigate your exposure to a single asset or marketplace.

In terms of the main attraction – fees, this is largely very competitive. In fact, if investing in major marketplaces found in the UK, US, and parts of Europe, the fees are much lower than most brokers out there. However, it is important to remember that the likes of eToro allow you to buy shares in a 100% commission-free environment, although spreads apply.

As such, if you really want to focus on keeping your costs to an absolute minimum, eToro might be better. On the other hand, although you might pay a slightly higher fee at DEGIRO, the platform does offer much more in the way of asset diversity.

Finally, I do like the fact that DEGIRO does not have a minimum deposit in place and charges no transaction fees, albeit, it’s a bit frustrating that you can only fund your account via bank wire.

You can take a look at my review of DEGIRO for more information.

Open a DEGIRO account

eToro

If you’re actively involved in the online trading space, there is every chance that you have heard of eToro. After all, the provider now has 13 million users under its belt – making it one of, if not the largest trading platform around.

eToro offers a wide selection of markets – all of which can be accessed online or via the app. When it comes to traditional ownership, you can buy and sell shares from 17 marketplaces. This includes stocks listed in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, and more.

You can also invest in ETFs – such as those backed by Vanguard and iShares. This is good for diversification purposes or gaining exposure to difficult-to-reach markets. You can also buy and sell cryptocurrencies. This covers 16 digital coins – including the big two: Bitcoin, Ethereum.

With eToro you will not pay any commissions on stocks and ETFs, however, spreads do apply. There is no sign-up fee or monthly/annual subscription, either. You will also avoid stamp duty when buying UK stocks, which saves you an extra 0.5%.

You’ll need to first open an account – which you can online or via the app. Then, you’ll need to meet a minimum deposit, which you can instantly fund with a debit/credit card or e-wallet. Bank transfers are also an option, but this can take up to 7 working days.

You can read my full eToro review here, where I delve deeper into why I like this platform, and what you need to be aware of when trading on it.

Trade on eToro

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees.

I always recommend looking at all the fees and factors, because what works best for me will not necessarily work best for you, depending on your location and investing strategies.

Have you found any other great online trading platforms? Let me know in the comments section.

Investing in stocks, bonds, and ETFs involves risks including complete loss. Please do your research before making any investment.

Past performance is not an indication of future results. Trading history presented is less than 5 complete years and may not suffice as basis for investment decision.

Copy trading is a portfolio management service, provided by eToro (Europe) Ltd., which is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cryptoasset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.

eToro USA LLC does not offer CFDs and makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the content of this publication, which has been prepared by our partner utilizing publicly available non-entity specific information about eToro.

Which PayPal E-Commerce Checkout Service Should You Use?

Last updated: January 09, 2023Leave a Comment

paypal_logo

Note: If you have any questions after reading this and the several other articles relating to PayPal on this site, please leave a comment or contact PayPal directly. Unfortunately due to time constraints I am unable to offer any advice over email so all emails related to PayPal will remain unanswered.

All e-commerce solutions such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and Easy Digital Downloads will allow you to select one of out of several e-commerce checkout business solutions offered by PayPal.

The choice is between the following:

PayPal Website Payments Standard
PayPal Express Checkout
PayPal Payments Pro

Understanding which checkout service to use can be quite complicated as the PayPal documentation is not exactly thuser-friendlyriendly, so let’s try to demystify things a little bit here.

PayPal Website Payments Standard

If you use PayPal Website Payments Standard, when your customers check out, they will be directed to a page that allows them to log into their PayPal account or pay by credit card without having to sign up for a PayPal account. This is the best option if you anticipate that most of your customers will not want to sign up for a PayPal account.

It is the most common type of PayPal checkout used and it is available in many more countries than the other two options we are considering here.

PayPal Express Checkout

If you use PayPal Express Checkout, when your customers check out, they will be directed to a page that requires them to log into their PayPal account or create a new one. Therefore, this is the best option if you anticipate that most of your customers either have a PayPal account or will sign up for an account on checkout.

PayPal sees Express Checkout as a payment option that’s offered in addition to other payment choices such as a credit card gateway, and that adding Express is a way to allow PayPal members a very quick and easy way to pay using their PayPal account. PayPal also believes Express Checkout improves conversions/sales.

PayPal Express is available to merchants in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom or the United States.

PayPal Payments Pro

PayPal Payments Pro is a customizable solution that enables merchants to keep buyers on their website during the entire checkout and payment process. Merchants can host their own customized checkout pages and send transactions to PayPal, or they can have PayPal host the checkout pages and also manage security for sales and authorizations. PayPal Payments Pro can accept Paypal and PayPal credit payments, as well as credit and debit card payments. PayPal Payments Pro also includes an optimized mobile checkout experience.

PayPal Payments Pro is only available to merchants in the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom. A monthly service charge applies, and there is an account application process and credit check to complete before the feature can be activated on your account. PayPal Express Checkout must be enabled in order for Website Payments Pro to be offered on your site.

PayPal sees Website Payments Pro as a payment gateway for handling credit cards. That’s exactly what it is. Coupled with Express Checkout, it gives your customers the maximum amount of choice about how to pay: either by credit card directly on your site, or by using their PayPal account to submit payment.

Note: if using PayPal Payments Pro to process credit cards, you must have an SSL certificate.

Conclusion

If you’re still confused or not sure which product to go for, just start off with PayPal Website Payments Standard. Most e-commerce solutions include this by default and it is the easiest to set up. Moreover the other two options might not be available to you, depending on where your business is based.

PayPal Website Payments Standard allows users the choice of signing in or not signing in, and can be considered the default choice; PayPal Express Checkout can be more efficient for PayPal users and may facilitate sales.

It may depend on whether or not you also have a credit card processing option; if you do, you can use PayPal Express Checkout, since the customer will only need to use this option to pay with PayPal funds.

If PayPal is your only payment method, you may want to use PayPal Website Payments Standard so that your customers have the option of using a credit card.

Whichever option you choose, keep in mind that your e-commerce system will probably have its own documentation guiding you on how to set up each of these PayPal solutions, so it shouldn’t be a big issue getting either one set up.

This is post 7 of 11 in the series “PayPal”