Revolut is launching its inaugural physical store in Barcelona.

      The store will serve as a permanent pilot rather than a temporary pop-up, and if it proves successful, it will be expanded to other markets. Spain ranks as Revolut’s third-largest market worldwide. Last week, the company set an IPO target valuation of up to $200 billion, though it does not plan to go public before 2028.

      Revolut, which is Europe's most valuable startup with a valuation of $75 billion, is set to open its first physical retail store in Barcelona, as confirmed exclusively to Euronews on Tuesday. The establishment, named Revolut Store, will be located near Plaça Catalunya in the city center and is expected to open by late 2026 or early 2027.

      The store will employ over 20 staff members, function under a lease agreement, and is reported by Spanish media to resemble an Apple Store in both scale and design: a large, highly-visible immersive environment intended to make the Revolut brand and its product ecosystem more accessible to consumers for the first time.

      A spokesperson for Revolut stated to Euronews: “This will not be a temporary pop-up but rather a permanent space. It will be a high-visibility, immersive area that will bring our ecosystem to life.”

      Antoine Le Nel, Revolut's global marketing director, shared with La Vanguardia, the Spanish newspaper that first confirmed the store: “We selected Barcelona as it has always served as our testing ground. It is an innovative city where we can connect with both local and international customers.”

      He also mentioned that if the pilot in Barcelona is successful, the company plans to replicate the format in other locations. Furthermore, Euronews was informed that Barcelona was chosen for its combination of local density, global significance, tourism, and innovation.

      Barcelona plays a vital role in Revolut's global strategy, not just as a retail test market. Spain stands as Revolut's third-largest market globally in terms of customer numbers, and ranks second only to the UK in terms of employee count: the company has around 700 employees in Barcelona and has utilized the city for its first ATM rollout.

      Revolut's team in Barcelona is already outgrowing its current coworking space at Attico; this summer, the company will relocate its Barcelona global innovation hub to a new building located at the crossroads of Avinguda Diagonal and Passeig de Gràcia, one of the city’s prime commercial locations.

      By 2028, Revolut aims to employ approximately 1,000 staff in Barcelona alone, with an additional 500 in Madrid, where a new office is set to open by the end of 2026. Le Nel stated that the company intends to hire 300 people in the region over the next two years.

      The Barcelona store is part of a broader expansion strategy for Revolut, which also includes establishing a European headquarters in Paris. This week, Finextra and other news outlets reported that Revolut has announced the Paris headquarters, which will create 400 jobs as the company seeks a banking license in France.

      The UK banking license, obtained in March 2026, serves as a model for the application in France: once approved, it would enable Revolut to provide regulated deposit-taking and lending products to French customers. The company is also pursuing a banking license in the US with the OCC and FDIC.

      Together, the Paris headquarters, the Barcelona hub, and the US banking application depict Revolut's active evolution from an app-based fintech to a comprehensive digital bank with a physical and regulatory footprint in its key markets.

      The rationale for a physical retail presence for a digital-first bank may not be clear but is becoming increasingly prevalent. Monzo, a UK challenger bank, has experimented with pop-up formats, while N26 has had brief physical presences in initial markets. The model Revolut seems to be emulating is akin to the Apple retail model, where the focus is not on direct sales but on showcasing the ecosystem, fostering brand trust, offering customer support, and converting casual visitors into dedicated subscribers.

      For a company that primarily acquires customers through digital means, a physical store in a high-tourism, high-traffic city like Barcelona provides access to a demographic of international visitors who may be unfamiliar with the brand, reaching them in ways that digital advertising can't.

      The context of the IPO shapes all these initiatives. Revolut aims for a valuation of up to $200 billion upon listing, with no IPO expected before 2028. If valued at $200 billion, Revolut would rank among the ten most valuable companies in Europe.

      The physical store, the Paris headquarters, the banking licenses, and the expansion in Spain all align with the company's efforts to establish the institutional infrastructure and brand presence necessary for a listing at that valuation.

      Additionally, the £10 billion investment plan for five years revealed in Revolut’s 2026 outlook, which encompasses 1,000 new jobs in the UK, highlights the company's commitment to building a lasting presence; the