Royal Bank of Canada

Universal bank · Toronto, Canada

Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank by assets, a G-SIB since 2017, with 1,159 Canadian branches, 65 US branches through City National Bank and operations in Canada plus 28 other countries. Business clients get chequing packages from 6 dollars a month, foreign currency accounts, RBC Global Trade for letters of credit and guarantees, and RBCx for startup and venture banking. In the US it runs City National Bank and the RBC Clear cash-management platform for Fortune 1000 treasurers. Outside North America its licensed entities in London, Frankfurt and the Caribbean serve capital markets, wealth and Caribbean retail clients rather than SMEs. It paid a 4.25 million Canadian dollar FCAC penalty in 2026 over credit-card statement errors, and CIRO sanctioned RBC Dominion Securities 3.4 million dollars in 2026 for supervision failures.

Legal name: Royal Bank of Canada
Regulated by: OSFI, FCAC, FINTRAC, OCC and Federal Reserve (City National Bank, RBC Bank), PRA/FCA (RBC Europe Limited), BaFin (RBC Capital Markets (Europe) GmbH)
Licence confirmed: yes, on a regulator's own list
Established: 1864
Website: www.rbc.com

Scores, 0 to 10

10.0Canada

Big Six bank with 1,159 Canadian branches, Interac and EFT rails, and business accounts from 6 dollars a month. · source

9.5Financial strength & stability

G-SIB since 2017 with Aa1/AA-/AA+ ratings and a CET1 ratio of 13.5% at October 31, 2025. · source

7.0Startups & VC-backed companies

RBCx has dedicated early-stage and growth-stage banking teams and venture debt for startups, scaleups and VCs. · source

7.0Trade, manufacturing & import-export

RBC Global Trade issues and manages letters of credit, documentary collections and guarantees online; RBC Capital Markets is named best trade finance bank in Canada. · source

7.0Business cards (Visa, Mastercard)

RBC issues Avion Visa Business, Visa Business and Business Cash Back Mastercard cards with supplementary cardholders and a liability waiver programme. · source

6.0United States

City National Bank has 65 US branches and RBC Clear serves Fortune 1000 treasurers, but there is no nationwide SME onboarding for foreign founders. · source

6.0Cross-border payments, FX and multi-currency accounts

Business foreign currency accounts cost 25 dollars a month and online wires start at 15 dollars; FX margins are not published. RBC Capital Markets transaction banking is the top CAD clearer and RBC Clear provides near-real-time cash management in the US; no global pooling network. · source

5.5Lowest fees

Digital Choice Business is 6 dollars a month with unlimited electronic transactions, but wires cost 15 to 20 dollars and foreign currency accounts 25 dollars a month. · source

5.5Fast digital onboarding

Online business application with a callback within 3 to 5 business days; identity may still need a branch visit and applicants must be Canadian residents. · source

5.0Online businesses: e-commerce and SaaS

Online sellers get standard business chequing and USD accounts; acquiring is through third parties rather than a native multi-currency collection product. RBC offers CAD, USD and a Foreign Currency Account at 25 CAD a month, but publishes no API or accounting integrations for small businesses. · source

5.0Foreign-owned & non-resident companies

Canadian banks including RBC open accounts for registered Canadian companies owned abroad, with certified ID for directors and a branch visit to verify identity. · source

5.0On-ramp: buy crypto with fiat

RBC bans all crypto purchases on its credit cards, while a July 2026 test found Interac e-Transfers (capped at CAD 10,000 a day) and wires to Canadian-registered platforms go through, sometimes after a fraud check on the first transfer; other reviews say RBC declines some exchange wires, and nothing is published for business accounts. · source

5.0Off-ramp: crypto to fiat in a business account

No report of RBC returning exchange proceeds was found, but it publishes no business process for crypto proceeds and large first transfers can draw source-of-funds questions under FINTRAC rules; evidence is thin, checked September 2026. · source

4.5United Kingdom

RBC Europe Limited is a UK-authorised bank at 100 Bishopsgate providing investment banking, capital markets and wealth services, not business current accounts. · source

4.5Latin America, Africa & South Asia

Retail and business banking in 10 Caribbean countries and territories with 39 branches outside Canada and the US; no LatAm mainland, Africa or India licence. · source

4.5Best interest on business balances

Business Essentials Savings Account pays tiered interest with no monthly fee; the bank does not publish a headline business rate on the product page. · source

4.0Fintech companies that need a partner bank

Partners with fintechs on distribution (Knot CardSwitcher in July 2026) but offers no BaaS, safeguarding or agency banking product. · source

4.0Customer satisfaction

Trustpilot 1.4 out of 5 from 1,952 reviews, against a J.D. Power 2025 study that ranked RBC highest among Canada's Big 5 with 611 points. · source

4.0Bitcoin

RBC sells no spot bitcoin; clients get price exposure only through Toronto-listed spot bitcoin ETFs traded on RBC Direct Investing, checked July 2026. · source

4.0Ethereum

Ether is reachable only through Toronto-listed spot ether ETFs on RBC Direct Investing, with no spot ether, transfers or staking. · source

3.5Europe (EU, EEA, Switzerland)

RBC Capital Markets (Europe) GmbH received BaFin permission in November 2018 for banking and financial services aimed at institutional clients only. · source

2.5Crypto-friendly bank

Bans RBC credit cards for crypto transactions and has no stated policy for onboarding exchanges or VASPs; transfers to CIRO-registered platforms are allowed. · source

2.5High-risk verticals (iGaming, cannabis, adult, forex)

RBC told the Globe and Mail it does not provide banking services to companies producing or distributing marijuana. · source

1.0Crypto wallet and custody for a business

RBC offers no crypto wallet or custody to clients today; an August 2026 job posting describes an enterprise digital asset custody programme still in delivery phases 2 and 3 for Investor Services and Commercial Banking. · source

1.0Accept crypto payments

RBC offers no crypto or stablecoin acceptance to merchants, and a July 2026 guide notes its public materials treat digital assets as a fraud and volatility risk rather than a product line. · source

1.0Stablecoins (USDC, USDT and others)

RBC offers no stablecoin holding, payouts or settlement to clients and is not a member of the 21-institution bank stablecoin venture announced on 1 September 2026, checked September 2026. · source

Sources

Built on public information and the BankStore team's own aggregated experience; no confidential client or partner data. Bank Index and BankStore are not banks. This is information, not financial advice.