Nickel

Nickel is a French account provider owned by BNP Paribas, sold through tabacs (registered agents), offering a card and French IBAN with no overdraft or credit check.

Nickel operates in the French Banking segment.

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Full guide: Open a Bank Account

Compare:Carte Bancaire (CB)Droit au compte RIB and IBAN

Nickel: Core Facts

Entity Type: Payment account (compte sans banque)
Owner: BNP Paribas
Sales channel: Tabacs (registered agents) and online
Overdraft: None (no découvert, no credit check)
Headquarters: Paris, France
Founded: 2014
IBAN: French IBAN (FR)
Regulator: ACPR (Banque de France)
Deposit guarantee: FGDR up to EUR 100,000 per bank
Status: Active Definition
Verified: 2026-06-23

How Nickel compares

Nickel is NOT a full bank account and is NOT the same as a neobank like N26 or Revolut; it is a payment account distributed through tabacs. Nickel is owned by BNP Paribas and provides no overdraft and no credit facility.

Nickel: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Nickel?

Nickel is a French account provider owned by BNP Paribas, sold through tabacs, offering a card and French IBAN with no overdraft and no credit check.

Where do I open a Nickel account?

Nickel accounts are opened at a tabac acting as a registered agent, or online, which makes Nickel accessible to people who struggle to open a standard bank account.

Does Nickel give a French IBAN?

Nickel provides a French IBAN (FR) and is supervised by the ACPR (Banque de France), with deposits protected by the FGDR up to EUR 100,000 per bank.

Related Entities

Other entities covered on the Open a Bank Account page:

For a full practical guide, see our Open a Bank Account page.

Where Nickel is mentioned on How to France

Guides and reference pages on this site that mention Nickel:

Banking

Maintained by Jules de Bruin (How to France). This page follows the Grounding Page Standard v1.5. Last verified: 2026-06-23.