Strategic Banking Advisory for Businesses.
Find the Right Banking Partners. Build Stronger Financial Foundations.
Palazzo Capital is an independent banking and financial services consulting agency helping businesses identify, evaluate and navigate banking partners, EMIs, payment institutions and financial infrastructure providers.
Banking Is More Than Opening an Account.
Choosing the right financial institution can have a significant impact on how a business operates, expands and manages its finances. Palazzo Capital helps companies navigate complex banking options through structured research, provider comparisons and independent consulting.
- Licence types
- Credit institutions, EMIs, payment institutions and more each carry different rules.
- Eligibility
- Jurisdiction, ownership, industry and business model shape which doors are open.
- Operations
- Currencies, payment rails, cards and APIs decide whether a provider fits day to day.
Banking & Financial Services Consulting.
Six advisory disciplines, one approach: understand the business first, then research the providers that could realistically serve it.
Understand the Banking Landscape Before You Choose.
Palazzo Capital helps businesses research and compare providers across seven categories, using consistent criteria so options can be weighed side by side.
How to read this. The values above describe what is typical for each category of institution in the EU/EEA. They are not data about any named provider. Provider-specific information is only published once it has been checked against regulator registers and the provider's own documentation, and is marked Verified with a check date.
Different Businesses. Different Banking Challenges.
The right provider depends on structure, stage and sector. These are the situations we see most often.
A Clearer Path to the Right Banking Partner.
Four stages, each with a defined output, so you always know what has been done and what comes next.
Discovery
Understand the business, company structure, jurisdiction and banking requirements.
OutputRequirements briefResearch
Research potentially suitable banks, EMIs and financial service providers.
OutputLong listEvaluation
Compare providers, eligibility requirements, services, limitations and operational considerations.
OutputScored shortlistAdvisory
Present findings and help the client navigate the next steps and engage with potential providers.
OutputFindings & next stepsIndependent Thinking. Informed Banking Decisions.
Our value lies in the quality of the research and the clarity of the advice.
Providers make their own onboarding decisions. Our research identifies options that appear suitable for your profile; it does not guarantee acceptance or account opening by any institution.
A Specialist Banking Advisory Agency.
Palazzo Capital is an independent consulting agency focused on one question: which financial institutions are genuinely suitable for a given business, and how should that business approach them?
Banking advisory for a fragmented market.
The European financial services market offers businesses more choice than ever. Alongside traditional banks, companies can now work with digital business banks, Electronic Money Institutions, payment institutions, payment service providers and Banking-as-a-Service platforms. Each operates under a different licence, with different services, protections and risk appetites.
That choice brings complexity. Eligibility depends on where a company is incorporated, where its directors and owners live, the industry it works in and how money flows through it. Two providers that look alike on a website can treat the same application very differently.
Palazzo Capital exists to bring structure to that decision. We research the market, compare providers on consistent criteria and advise businesses on where to focus, so time and effort go into the relationships most likely to work.
Palazzo Capital is a consulting agency. We are not a bank, EMI or payment institution, and we do not hold or move client funds.
To help businesses navigate the European financial services landscape by researching, comparing and identifying suitable banking partners, digital banks, EMIs, payment institutions and financial infrastructure providers.
A market where every business, whatever its size or structure, can choose its financial partners with the same clarity and rigour it applies to any other strategic decision.
Start with the business, not the bank.
Most banking searches start with a list of well-known names. Ours start with the business: its structure, its payment flows, its customers and suppliers, its growth plans and its constraints. Only then do we look at providers.
Fit over features
A long feature list matters little if a provider will not onboard your company type, or if its limits do not match your volumes. We weigh eligibility and operational fit before headline features and pricing.
Realism over promises
We tell clients plainly where their profile is likely to face scrutiny and what documentation strengthens an application. We never promise outcomes that only the provider can decide.
Resilience over convenience
Relying on a single provider is a business risk. Where it makes sense, we help clients plan a primary relationship supported by secondary options.
Our recommendations are not for sale.
Independence is the foundation of useful advice. Our research is shaped by client requirements and evidence, and we are open about how we work.
What we do
- Assess providers against criteria agreed with the client
- Disclose how a shortlist was built and why
- Highlight limitations and risks alongside strengths
- Disclose any commercial relationship with a provider before it is discussed
What we don't do
- Accept payment for placement in research or shortlists
- Guarantee account opening or approval
- Hold, transfer or manage client funds
- Provide legal, tax or regulated investment advice
How we research and evaluate providers.
Every provider assessment follows the same five-part method, so findings are comparable and traceable to a source.
Regulatory status
Licence type, home regulator and passporting rights are checked against official sources such as national authority registers, the ECB list of supervised entities and the EBA register of payment and e-money institutions.
Eligibility criteria
Supported jurisdictions of incorporation, director and owner residency, company age and industry restrictions, taken from provider documentation and, where needed, direct confirmation.
Product & operational fit
Account types, currencies, SEPA and SWIFT capability, cards, limits, integrations and API infrastructure, mapped against the client's requirements brief.
Commercial terms
Published fee structures, account minimums and contractual points such as termination clauses and notice periods.
Source & date stamping
Each data point records its source and the date it was checked. Information we could not confirm is labelled as indicative, never presented as fact.
Our Consulting Services.
Six advisory services covering the full range of business banking decisions, from a first corporate account to a multi-entity group structure.
Banking & Financial Provider Categories.
Businesses today can choose between very different kinds of institutions. Understanding what each is licensed to do is the first step to choosing well.
General information about common provider categories in the EU/EEA. Regulatory frameworks change and individual providers differ. Always check a provider's current licence and terms before making decisions. This page is not legal or regulatory advice.
Provider Research & Comparison.
A structured view of the provider landscape, built on consistent criteria. Category data, illustrative examples and verified profiles are always labelled so you know exactly what you are looking at.
Seven categories. Twelve criteria.
How each category of institution typically compares. Individual providers within a category can differ significantly, which is why every shortlist is researched case by case.
See how requirements shape a shortlist.
Select requirements to see how three example profiles respond. This demonstrates our matching method. The profiles are fictional and do not represent real providers.
Your requirements
In a client engagement, each requirement is weighted by priority and every provider value is sourced. Matching is a starting point for evaluation, not a prediction of approval.
Verified profiles, built to a standard.
Individual provider profiles are published here only after each data point has been checked against regulator registers and provider documentation, with a source and check date on every field.
Provider Profile Template
The structure every verified profile follows: licence, eligibility, services, limits and commercial terms, each with a source.
View the templateVerified profiles are in preparation and will appear here as they are completed.
Need a specific provider assessed now? We research providers on request as part of an engagement.
Request researchProvider Profile Template.
The standard structure for every verified provider profile. Fields stay empty until confirmed from a primary source.
Insights.
Practical analysis of the European banking and payments landscape, written for founders, finance teams and business owners.
Schedule a Consultation.
Tell us about your business and what you need from a banking relationship. We will review your information and come back to you to arrange an initial consultation.