As traditional banks retreat from street corners and online services become increasingly complex, Bnext is focused on something that sounds simple but has proved difficult: making financial services that work for real people.

Led by co-founder Guillermo Vicandi, the Madrid-based fintech company has positioned itself as a steady alternative for Spanish consumers looking for transparency, flexibility and actual utility in their day-to-day finances.

Bnext’s core offering includes a prepaid debit card, app-based expense tracking, peer-to-peer transfers and access to third-party services like insurance and loans. The interface is designed to be direct and useful. Not everything lives inside the app, and not every product is built in-house. That’s intentional. What matters to Guillermo and his team is that the customer gets what they need, when they need it, without hassle.

Bnext was founded in 2017, and it gained early traction by focusing on underserved groups—people who couldn’t get credit, immigrants dealing with cross-border fees, and younger users tired of clunky legacy platforms. Over the years, the company grew to serve hundreds of thousands of customers across Spain and Latin America.

Refusing to Overpromise

From the beginning, Guillermo and his co-founder, Juan Antonio Rullán, resisted the grandiose language common in fintech circles. The company wasn’t built on slogans about tearing down banks or ushering in a new financial age. It was built around problems they saw people actually experiencing: overdraft penalties, poor customer service, confusing statements, and a lack of trust.

The approach was low-key but deliberate. Rather than trying to replace every part of the banking experience, Bnext focused on integrating with the services people already used. That includes partnering with providers of investment tools, insurance, and international transfers. The idea was to let people build their own version of a financial dashboard, not force them into a pre-set mold.

A Spanish Identity, Not a Copy-Paste Product

While many European fintech startups modeled themselves on U.K. or German counterparts, Bnext took a more grounded route. The team focused on the habits, preferences and frustrations of Spanish users. That meant localizing communication, working with domestic regulators and designing features around what actually mattered to their core market.

The result is a product that feels homegrown, not imported. Whether it’s how spending categories are labeled or how customer support is handled, the product reflects the lived experience of the people using it.

Challenges Along the Way

Like many startups that grew fast and hit turbulence during funding winters, Bnext had to course correct. There were product missteps and missed targets, and the company had to scale back during a difficult financial period. But Guillermo sees those moments as a key part of the company’s evolution.

“Stability matters more than flash,” he says. “There were times we tried to do too much. We learned to focus again.”

That focus has returned the company to a more sustainable growth path. It’s not chasing global expansion at any cost. Instead, it’s concentrating on serving a loyal user base in Spain, while continuing to offer select services in Mexico and Latin America where the demand matches the model.

Financial Services That Respect the User

Bnext’s design choices are guided by a simple principle: make it easier for people to manage their money without condescending to them. That shows up in everything from the layout of the app to the clarity of its terms.

There are no hidden charges. Currency exchange rates are shown before confirmation. Alerts are instant, not delayed. The goal isn’t to impress people with sleek visuals. It’s to help them understand where they stand financially.

That approach is especially important in a country where financial literacy varies widely and trust in traditional banks is not always strong. By staying clear, direct and responsive, Bnext has carved out a reputation that’s more personal than promotional.

Staying Lean and Focused

Bnext isn’t chasing hype. It doesn’t release new features every quarter just to stay in the headlines. What it does is test, refine and deploy features that actually solve recurring user issues.

For example, rather than launching its own crypto wallet, Bnext partnered with BitGo to offer a simple and secure option for those interested. Instead of building its own lending infrastructure from scratch, it integrates loan offers from trusted partners, allowing users to compare without pressure.

The company’s lean structure helps here. Without bloated teams or layers of bureaucracy, Bnext can move quickly on what matters and skip what doesn’t.

Regulatory Realism

Guillermo acknowledges that fintech operates under more scrutiny now than when Bnext launched. He views that as a positive development.

“Users deserve protections,” he says. “Regulations that focus on fairness, transparency and security are not our enemy. They’re part of building something that lasts.”

Bnext works under the supervision of the Bank of Spain and complies with evolving EU-wide standards. The team considers compliance part of product design, not a separate function. That integration ensures users don’t have to worry about stability, especially when trusting Bnext with core financial activities.

What’s Ahead

Bnext is preparing to expand some of its offerings for freelancers and small business owners. The goal is to create flexible accounts that make income tracking and expense management less of a burden.

The company is also exploring new tools for savings and budgeting, based on feedback from long-time users. Guillermo is clear that any changes will come slowly and deliberately.

“We build with the customer, not just for them,” he says.

A Different Kind of Fintech Story

Bnext’s story isn’t about speed. It’s about relevance. The company has remained steady through the hype cycle, the crypto wave, the funding crunch and the changing regulatory landscape.

It continues to appeal to a base of users who want more control without complication. The customers don’t need fireworks. They need financial tools that respect their time, their intelligence and their reality.

That’s what Guillermo and his team are betting on. A quiet, consistent kind of progress. Not for headlines. But for people who still want a better way to bank—without the noise.

Guillermo Vicandi, Co-Founder, BNEXT