What Is a Neobank? Best Neobank for Travelers, Digital Nomads & Global Payments (2025 Guide)

Modern travelers don’t live in one country, earn in one currency, or spend through one banking system.

They move across borders, work remotely, get paid globally, and increasingly use stablecoins instead of traditional bank rails. This shift is driving the rise of neobanks — and more recently, crypto neobanks.

In this guide, we’ll explain:

• What a neobank is (and how it differs from traditional banks)
• Why neobanks are winning for travelers, digital nomads, and remittances
• How stablecoins are reshaping global payments
• How leaders like Revolut, Stripe, and Visa validate this trend
• Why Fizen is purpose-built for global users, not just local banking

Why Travelers & Global Users Are Moving Away From Traditional Banks

Global mobility is at an all-time high

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel contributed $10.9 trillion to global GDP in 2024 and supported 357 million jobs worldwide. International mobility has fully rebounded and continues to grow.

Yet traditional banking systems remain country-locked:

• Accounts tied to residency
• Limited FX hours
• Expensive international transfers
• Slow settlement times

For travelers and expats, this creates daily friction.

Cross-border payments are expensive and slow

The World Bank consistently reports that global remittance fees average ~6–7%, especially painful for workers sending money home regularly.

Neobanks and stablecoin rails reduce:

• Intermediaries
• FX spreads
• Processing delays

This is why global users are actively searching for remittance apps, digital nomad banking, and global payment wallets.

What Is a Neobank? (Clear Definition)

A neobank is a digital-only financial platform that operates entirely through a mobile app — with no physical branches.

Neobanks typically allow users to:

• Open accounts remotely
• Hold multiple currencies
• Spend via virtual or physical cards
• Send and receive money internationally
• Manage finances in real time

Proof that neobanks are mainstream

• Revolut surpassed 50M users globally, with strong adoption among travelers and expats.
• Stripe processed $1.4 trillion in payments in 2024, showing how digital-first financial infrastructure now underpins global commerce.
• Visa publicly supports stablecoin settlement, signaling that blockchain-based payments are moving into the financial core.

Neobanks are no longer experimental — they are infrastructure.

Why Neobanks Are Ideal for Travelers & Digital Nomads

1. Borderless by design

Neobanks are designed to work across countries and time zones, not within one national banking system.

2. Mobile & QR-first payments

In regions like Southeast Asia, QR payments dominate daily spending. Travelers quickly learn that cards are not always optimal — QR is.

Neobanks that integrate QR flows fit local payment behavior better than traditional banks.

3. Multi-currency & stablecoin support

Modern global users don’t think in one currency:

• Earn in USD
• Spend in local currency
• Save in stablecoins

Neobanks abstract this complexity into one interface.

The Next Evolution of Neobanks: Stablecoin-Powered Payments

As neobanks scale globally, a new evolution is emerging — neobanks that use stablecoins and blockchain rails to improve cross-border payments.

Instead of relying solely on legacy banking infrastructure, these platforms enable:

• Faster international settlement
• Lower remittance costs
• 24/7 availability without banking cut-off times

This approach is sometimes referred to as crypto neobanking, but for users, it simply feels like better global banking — with technology working quietly in the background.

Real-World Use Cases

Travelers

Pay globally without high FX fees. Use QR or card. No bank branches needed.

Digital Nomads

Get paid internationally, hold value in stablecoins, and spend locally.

Expats & Remittance Users

Send money home faster and cheaper than traditional remittance services.

Freelancers & Remote Workers

Receive global payments without waiting days for bank wires.

Crypto-Native Users

Use stablecoins for real-world spending — not just holding.

Why Fizen Is Built for Global Travelers

Many neobanks started as local fintechs that expanded globally. Fizen is different.
It is designed from day one for travelers, expats, remittances, and crypto users.

What makes Fizen different?

1. Stablecoin-first by design

Stablecoins aren’t an add-on - they are core.
This makes Fizen ideal for global users who already live on-chain.

2. One balance for QR & real-world spending

Fizen is optimized for regions where QR payments dominate daily life — critical for travelers in Asia and emerging markets.

3. Remittance-friendly architecture

Send value globally without traditional remittance friction:

• Lower fees
• Faster settlement
• No banking cut-off times

4. A travel-native financial ecosystem

With Fizen, users can:

• Pay like a local using QR or cards
• Spend globally with one balance
• Book hotels and flights
• Stay connected with global eSIMs
• Send money internationally
• Buy and sell crypto easily
• Access tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs
• Put idle funds to work quietly in the background

Who Fizen Is Best For

• Travelers looking for a global neobank
• Digital nomads needing borderless banking
• Expats sending remittances
• Freelancers paid internationally
• Crypto users who want real-world utility
• Users in high-inflation economies seeking stablecoin access

Revolut vs Wise vs Fizen

Final Takeaways

If your money moves globally, your bank should too.

Neobanks solve digital banking.
Crypto neobanks solve global living.

Fizen sits at the intersection of:

• Travel
• Remittances
• Stablecoins
• Real-world payments
• Yield on the move to fund your freedom

Ready to explore global, flexible, crypto friendly banking?

Explore Fizen - a neobank built for travelers and global citizens.

Learn more