N26 Restructures Leadership to Evolve from FinTech to Full-Fledged Bank

The neo-bank N26 remains a fintech company, of course, but maintaining the image of a reputable bank is becoming more important. Therefore, N26 is completely restructuring its staff.

The Berlin-based fintech has held a full European banking license since 2016. However, after years of strong growth, N26’s continued startup groove and relaxed approach from its founding days have repeatedly landed it in trouble. The financial regulator BaFin has been a regular guest at N26 and has kept the neo-bank on a tight leash for years.

This has led to investor interventions and personnel consequences. N26 is set to become a “real” bank.

The path to the “right” bank is accompanied by experienced professionals

Under pressure from dissatisfied investors, co-founder and co-CEO Valentin Stalf resigns from his position, withdraws from operational responsibility, and moves to the supervisory board.

He will be replaced by Marcus Mosen , former Chairman of the Supervisory Board of N26, who will contribute his experience from his engagements at Concardis, First Data Corporation, Easycash Holding and Ingenico as the new CEO.

Mosen also served on Mastercard’s board of directors for several years. The new CEO gained his affinity with startups and fintechs “from the other side” as an advisor and investor.

Starting in December 2025, Jochen Klöpper will join N26’s leadership team as Chief Risk Officer. Klöpper brings extensive banking expertise from his roles as Chief Risk Officer of Santander Consumer Bank, CRO at Bawag Bank, and various roles within the Deutsche Bank Group over the past 20 years.

In addition to the existing members Arnd Schwierholz and N26 co-founder Maximilian Tayenthal , the N26 board of directors is to be expanded in the long term to include several personalities.

Prominent line-up at the top of the Supervisory Board

Former Bundesbank board member Andreas Dombret is set to take over as chairman of the N26 supervisory board starting in October 2025. Dombret is one of Europe’s most experienced banking experts and has served as a high-ranking supervisor and regulator in the German and European banking system.

On the Executive Board of the Bundesbank, Dombret was responsible for banking and financial supervision, financial stability, statistics, markets, and risk controlling. The banker also held leading positions at Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Rothschild, and Bank of America, among others.

Until Dombret takes office, Peter Kleinschmidt will temporarily assume the chairmanship of the Supervisory Board. Kleinschmidt also brings decades of experience in financial services, banking, and insurance.

As a former partner at PwC, he worked for almost 30 years as an auditor and tax advisor in the firm’s audit department. He also held consulting roles in IT risk management, anti-money laundering, governance, and compliance.

The investors’ intervention has triggered a personnel earthquake

Two things stand out about the new appointments: N26 will be led by seasoned bankers with extensive backgrounds and experience. And risk, compliance, governance, and experience with regulations and regulators are very much at the forefront.

The investors and the new management are serious: A startup, a scaleup, a neo-bank is on its way to becoming a “real” bank that should no longer be at odds with financial regulators.

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(Featured image by ALEXANDRE LALLEMAND via Unsplash)

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