Tide vs ila Bank.
Tide (T70/100) and ila Bank (i50/100), scored on the same six pillars and compared row-by-row. Every cell is sourced from licence registers and live pricing pages, not opinion. Tide leads ila Bank 7-0.
| i ila Bank №74 · ila Bank is the digital retail brand of Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait 50 /100 | T Tide №36 · FCA 70 /100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | ||
| Composite score Out of 100 | 51 /100 | 70 /100 |
| Fees | ||
| Monthly fee Cheapest paid tier (€0 if free) | €0 Free tier | €0 Free tier |
| FX markup Debit card abroad | 1.50% | Interbank |
| Free FX / month EUR equivalent | €0 | €0 |
| Free ATM Before fee kicks in | — | — |
| Protection | ||
| Banking licence Tier | Payment inst. | Partner-bank FCA |
| Deposit guarantee Per depositor | Safeguarded BH.DCS | £85,000 GB.FSCS |
| Reach | ||
| Markets served Licensed jurisdictions | 1 country | 2 countries |
| Crypto Coins available | No | No |
| Stocks & ETFs Self-directed | No | No |
| UX | ||
| Trustpilot Customer score | — | 4.3 ★ 35k reviews |
| App store iOS + Android avg | 4.2 ★ iOS 4.3 · And 4.1 | 4.7 ★ iOS 4.7 · And 4.6 |
| Read review → | Read review → | |
Pick ila Bank if…
Digital retail brand of Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK B.S.C., Bahrain Bourse: BBK) — one of the GCC's oldest commercial banks (founded 1971). Launched November 2019 as Bahrain's first fully-digital retail bank. CBB Conventional Retail Bank licence sits at the BBK parent; ila is a brand inside that charter, not a separately licensed entity. Bahrain DPS cover BHD 20,000 per depositor flows via the parent licence under CBB Rulebook Volume 6. Conventional banking; for Sharia products from the same group, see KFH Bahrain (separately licensed Islamic bank).
Pick Tide if…
The UK SMB-default neobank by member count. Free UK business current account with sort code + Mastercard debit, built-in HMRC tax tools and invoicing, and the deepest UK accountant-integration set (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, FreeAgent). The product depth (invoicing, VAT estimates, tax-aside automation, accountant access, business-loan partner panel) is the strongest in the UK SMB category. EMI-licensed, not a chartered bank — the structural trade-off versus Starling Business is that Tide funds on the current account are safeguarded under EMI rules, not FSCS-deposit-insured. That is the most-misread structural fact about Tide.
- Best for fees Tide won 1 of 4
- Best for protection Tide won 2 of 2
- Best for reach Tide won 1 of 3
- Best for ux Tide won 2 of 2
Tide vs ila Bank — FAQ
Quick answers to the four questions the search-bar asks most about a head-to-head.
Is ila Bank better than Tide?
Under our v3 methodology, Tide leads ila Bank 7–0 across 12 dimensions. Composite scores: ila Bank 50/100 vs Tide 70/100. Tide is stronger overall, but the right pick depends on which row matters most to you — fees, protection, reach, or app quality.
Is ila Bank or Tide cheaper?
Monthly fee — ila Bank: €0; Tide: €0. Card FX markup — ila Bank: 1.50%; Tide: Interbank. Tide wins more fee rows (1 of 4). See the Fees section of the matrix above for ATM caps and the rest.
Which is safer for deposits, ila Bank or Tide?
ila Bank holds a Payment inst. licence under ila Bank is the digital retail brand of Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK B.S.C.) — CBB Conventional Retail Bank licence held at the BBK parent. CBB Rulebook Volume 6 Deposit Protection Scheme cover up to BHD 20,000 per depositor per institution; ila and BBK aggregate against one ceiling because they are the same legal entity. Verify the current DPS ceiling on cbb.gov.bh.; deposit guarantee per depositor: Safeguarded. Tide holds a Partner-bank licence under FCA; deposit guarantee per depositor: £85,000. Tide is the stronger pick on regulatory protection.
Where can I use ila Bank and Tide?
ila Bank operates in 1 country; Tide operates in 2 countries. Check each provider's signup page for the live country list — eligibility depends on residency, not just the licence footprint.
Want a 3- or 4-way comparison?
The dynamic compare picker handles up to four banks. Add this pair plus one or two more and we'll resolve every row.