Bilderlings is not a bank, but is a UK licensed electronic money institution (EMI) since 2016. Unlike the traditional banks, EMIs are constrained from providing certain products and services, such as loans, term deposits or investment services. The way to protect customers' funds also is different - funds held at EMIs such as Bilderlings are protected through safeguarding and the protection of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme does not apply.

Due to the relatively narrow range of products in comparison to banks, EMIs can afford to better focus on specific business needs, have more flexible internal processes, and contribute to innovation. Bilderlings is trusted to store, send and receive money by thousands of users from all over the world and has account balances of over €180 million.