Learn · Structure · 6 min read
Who is actually holding your money?
Electronic money institutions, banks, and crypto neobanks sit in different regulatory boxes. The label changes protection, product, and risk.
Banks
Licensed to take deposits, often with deposit guarantee schemes (e.g. FDIC, DGS). Heavy KYC, slower product, stronger “boring” protection story for fiat.
EMIs
Issue electronic money, offer IBANs and cards in many cases, typically safeguard funds rather than lend them. Faster onboarding; not the same as insured deposits.
Crypto neobanks (Glide)
Combine self-custody wallets/vaults with partner EMI/bank rails. Crypto balances are on-chain or issuer-dependent; fiat slices inherit partner rules. Transparency of that split is the product.
How to choose
Need deposit insurance on all balances? Classic bank. Need multi-currency IBAN + cards quickly? EMI. Need stablecoins + multisig + agents + rails? Glide-class stack.