Overview
Shine, at a glance.
Shine is a payment institution headquartered in France, regulated by ACPR. The business account has no monthly fee. Opening an account takes 3–5 days.
Client funds are held in a segregated account at Société Générale, outside Shine's own balance sheet. If Société Générale failed, French deposit guarantee cover would apply up to €100,000 per client.
Why businesses pick Shine
- A free plan with a French IBAN and Mastercard
- Instant SEPA transfers
- Invoicing, quotes and accounting tools built in
- Company creation and capital deposit for French companies
- International payments in 21 currencies
- Trustpilot score of 4.6 from more than 7,700 reviews
Watch out for
- Only for businesses registered in France, and capital deposit needs owners living in France
- Support is in French
- A payment institution, not a bank
- Incoming foreign currency is converted to euros
- US citizens are not accepted
- Associations, crypto, gambling, trading, jewellery and many other activities are not accepted
Business fit
Will Shine accept your business?
Four quick answers. Where your company is registered and what it does rule a provider in or out faster than anything else.
Based on Shine's published rules
Likely no
Shine does not list United Kingdom among the countries where it accepts companies.
Shine does not publish a minimum company age or turnover, so those two answers are not checked here.
This is one provider. Your profile checks all of them.
- Every provider that fits your business
- The reason behind each match
- Company age and turnover checked too
Who it works with
Accepted and not accepted.
What Shine publishes about the businesses it takes on.
Who Shine serves
- Freelancers
- Startups and SMEs
- Professional services
- E-commerce
Not supported
Industries and countries Shine does not accept, from its own published lists.
Industries
- Associations
- Political organisations
- Religious organisations
- Financial-agent or wealth-manager activity
- Management of funds, portfolios or collective investments except advisory activity
- Factoring
- Payment-services activity including prepaid-card sales
- Pornographic content, massage or striptease establishments
- Tobacco sales
- Cannabis products/derivatives, narcotics and nitrous oxide
- Weapons and war vehicles including reproductions
- Auctions and art galleries
- Pharmacies
- MLM/pyramid selling
- Casinos, games of chance and gambling
- Fortune-telling, clairvoyance and astrology
- Cryptocurrency trading/exchange/investment/mining and NFTs
- Trading/brokerage platforms or buying/selling currencies, precious metals, precious stones, other products or securities
- Wholesale SIM-card sales and taxiphone activity
- Sale/manufacture of jewellery in precious metals or stones
- Energy-savings-certificate (CEE) activities including insulation
- Online file sharing
- Goods/services liable to harm a third party’s image or reputation
- Mining, non-renewable-energy production and oil exploitation
- Trade-union activities
- Property development through a dedicated vehicle
- Any illegal activity
Countries
- Not published
Coverage
Where can you use Shine?
Coverage is a starting point. It does not confirm that every business in these markets is eligible.
Supported currencies
EUR
Foreign currency received is converted to EUR; payments out in 21 currencies, each sent to its own country.
Payment reach
Not published
Who can apply
Company incorporation countries1 countries · show list
- France
Owner nationality
Not publishedOwner residency
Not publishedCompany types
SAS and SASU, SARL and EURL, SELARLU, SCI, Sole traders (entreprise individuelle)
Pricing
What does Shine cost?
Look beyond the monthly fee. Your total cost depends on how many transfers you make, where they go and how much you convert.
Account cost
Opening fee
Free
Monthly fee
€0–45
depends on plan
Free
Lowest cost€0 per month
€0 setup · €0 in year one
Start
€9 per month
€0 setup · €108 in year one
Plus
€20 per month
€0 setup · €240 in year one
Business
€45 per month
€0 setup · €540 in year one
Transaction fees
| Cost | Free | Start | Plus | Business | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming | |||||
| SWIFT / international | €6 | €5 | €5 | €5 | Fixed fee |
| Outgoing | |||||
| SEPA | €0.5 | €0.2 | €0.2 | €0.2 | Fixed fee · After 3 free transfers and Direct Debits a month on Free, 30 on Start, 150 on Plus and 300 on Business; excluding VAT |
Other fees
Currency exchange (FX)
| Cost | Listed amount | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| FX markup | 0.5–1.5% | Percentage of the amount; varies by plan · On payments out in other currencies: 1.5% on Free (minimum €6), 0.75% on Start (€5), 0.6% on Plus (€4), 0.5% on Business (€4) |
Cards
| Cost | Listed amount | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Card FX | 1–2% | Percentage of the amount; varies by plan · 2% on Free, 1.75% on Start, 1.5% on Plus, 1% on Business |
Onboarding
From application to live account.
Opening an account typically takes three to five business days.
- 1
Apply
Start the application online or through the sales team.
- 2
Company and people
Give the company's registration details, directors and owners.
- 3
Checks
Upload the documents requested and complete identity verification.
- 4
Account live
Once approved, the account is opened and you receive its details.
Documents you need
Not published
FAQ
Your questions, answered.
Is Shine a bank?
No. Shine France SAS is a French payment institution authorised and supervised by the ACPR (number 71758). Funds are held in a segregated account at Société Générale, outside Shine's balance sheet.
How much does Shine cost?
The Free plan costs nothing. Start costs €9 a month, Plus €20 and Business €45 excluding VAT when billed yearly, or €11, €25 and €60 when billed monthly. International payments out cost 0.5% to 1.5% depending on the plan.
Who can open a Shine account?
Businesses registered in France: freelancers and sole traders, SAS, SASU, SARL, EURL and SCI companies, and French companies being created. US citizens are not accepted.
Which businesses does Shine not accept?
Its list includes associations, political and religious organisations, financial agents, crypto and NFTs, trading and brokerage, gambling, tobacco and cannabis, jewellery, auctions, pharmacies and any illegal activity.
Alternatives
How Shine compares.
If Shine is not the right fit, these providers work with similar businesses. Compare their listed licences and services below.
| Provider | Licensed in | Known for |
|---|---|---|
 ShineThis pagePayment institution |  | French IBANFreelancers |
 QontoPayment institution | | FreelancersInvoicing tools |
 Vivid BusinessE-money institution |   | Local IBANs22 currencies |
 HolviPayment institution |  | 18 currenciesFree plan |
 Revolut BusinessBank |   | Cards and spend controlsStartups and SMEs |
Not sure which one fits? Your profile ranks them for your business, with the reason behind each.