The Bitwala Card is a Visa debit card with a 1% trading annual fee, available in EEA (29 countries).
Bitwala is a Berlin-based crypto banking app that originally launched in 2015. After rebranding to Nuri in 2021, the parent company filed for insolvency in August 2022 and ceased operations in October 2022; the brand was relaunched in November 2023 using infrastructure from Estonia-based Banking-as-a-Service provider Striga. The relaunched app currently offers Bitcoin and Ethereum services across the European Economic Area.
The Bitwala Card is a crypto debit card offered by Bitwala, available in EEA (29 countries). The annual fee starts at 1% trading.
It is a strong fit for privacy-conscious users who want to keep custody of their keys while spending. It runs on the Visa network and requires full identity verification.
New to crypto cards? Read our complete buyer's guide to understand fees, rewards, and how to choose. Concerned about privacy? See our KYC vs non-KYC comparison. Compare more options in our best crypto cards in Europe guide. See where it ranks among the best crypto debit cards.
The vIBAN is explicitly not in the user's name: it is a virtual account over a payment account held in the platform provider's name. Pay-ins and pay-outs are own-name SEPA only.
Compare IBAN and transfer capability across cards in our crypto cards with IBAN guide.
On $500/mo spend, the estimated monthly cost breakdown for Bitwala Card is: gas $3.00, conversion spread $7.50, flat/FX fees $0.00, and amortised card/tier fee $0.00, for a total drag of 2.1% of spend. After $0.00/mo cashback that is still a net cost of about $10.50/mo ($126.00/yr). Because Bitwala Card is loaded on-chain, frequent small top-ups add gas cost: a daily-spender profile pays about $60.00/mo in gas versus $3.00/mo for a single monthly load, so total drag runs 13.5% with daily reloads versus 2.1% with a monthly reload. Figures are conservative estimates and vary with conditions.
Note: Relaunched November 2023 (after Nuri insolvency, Aug 2022) in partnership with Striga (Estonia, subsidiary of Lastbit). Available in 29 EEA countries via mobile app (iOS/Android). 1% trading fee; Visa Debit Card, virtual IBANs, and wallets are free. €2M+ raised via BWALA Token offering as of early 2026. Cards are available to EEA residents only (Swiss residents get the platform but not the card), and Hungary onboarding is suspended. Crypto is self-custodial at rest with user-paid gas, but card spending settles from a centralized euro balance.
Other crypto cards in the same region or category that may suit your spending profile:
The Bitwala Card is a crypto debit card offered by Bitwala. It is available in EEA (29 countries) and allows users to spend cryptocurrency at merchants worldwide.
The Bitwala Card has an annual fee of 1% trading. Additional fees: Conversion fee: €0.20 + 1%; ATM: €2 + 1%.
The Bitwala Card has the following limits: daily spending limit: EUR 10,000; monthly spending limit: EUR 10,000 (Tier 1); EUR 15,000 (Tier 2); daily ATM withdrawal limit: EUR 350 (EUR 3,000 per month). Limits can vary by account tier and verification level.
Yes. The Bitwala Card requires full identity verification (KYC): expect to submit a government-issued ID, and often proof of address, before the card is issued.
The Bitwala Card is available in EEA (29 countries).
The Bitwala Card is a debit card. You need to load cryptocurrency onto the card before making purchases.
Yes, the Bitwala Card is a non-custodial (self-custody) card. This means you retain control of your private keys and your crypto is not held by a third party. Funds are only converted at the point of sale, reducing counterparty risk compared to custodial alternatives.
Yes, the Bitwala Card supports Google Pay for contactless payments.
The Bitwala Card is issued by Wallester AS. Licences: Payment institution (licence no. 4.1-1/224) (Finantsinspektsioon, EEA).
No, the Bitwala Card does not come with a personal IBAN. The vIBAN is explicitly not in the user's name: it is a virtual account over a payment account held in the platform provider's name. Pay-ins and pay-outs are own-name SEPA only.
Fiat is not held as a payment account balance in the user's name; the programme manager safeguards it under applicable regulatory obligations until it is spent, withdrawn, or returned.
Want to see your annual earnings? Use the ROI Calculator to estimate net cashback at your spending level, or compare cards side by side.