Revolut to Deactivate Old Lithuanian IBANs in January 2027: Critical Update for French Users - Big Tech and the digital economy

Revolut has notified clients that its legacy Lithuanian IBANs will be permanently disabled on January 4, 2027. Users receiving salaries or managing automatic payments via these numbers must update their details to the current French IBAN to avoid rejected transactions.

Revolut has issued a formal warning to its French clientele regarding the imminent deactivation of legacy Lithuanian IBANs. In an email sent on November 4, 2026, the neobank informed users that accounts still linked to IBANs starting with 'LT' will undergo a significant change effective January 4, 2027. This timeline provides affected customers with a two-month window to organize their financial affairs before the cutoff date.

These Lithuanian account numbers date back to the period before Revolut established a branch in France and introduced French IBANs (starting with FR76) in May 2022. The company stated that once the January 4 deadline passes, any incoming transfers or direct debits sent to these old numbers will be rejected and returned to the sender. Consequently, employers, benefit agencies, or suppliers continuing to use the outdated Lithuanian IBANs will face transaction failures.

The potential consequences of failing to update these details include missed salary deposits, refused automatic withdrawals, and failed payments. Revolut advises users not to wait until the last moment, noting that the deadline falls immediately after the holiday season when many administrative services operate at a reduced capacity. Users are urged to proactively notify all third parties currently using their old number and provide them with their current French IBAN.

This operational change coincides with Revolut's evolving status in France. On August 10, the neobank secured full banking authorization for its subsidiary, Revolut Bank S.A. While the notification regarding the IBAN deactivation does not explicitly mention this new entity, it targets accounts previously migrated to the group's Lithuanian bank, Revolut Bank UAB. A separate migration of clients to Revolut Bank S.A. is scheduled to occur automatically between December 2 and December 5, 2026, without changing IBANs or cards, placing deposits under the guarantee of the French deposit fund (FGDR) up to €100,000.

Revolut characterizes this late deactivation as a simple update that will not affect account balances or the validity of the French IBAN. To find the correct number, users should check the RIB/IBAN section within the Revolut app, located below their balance. The company also issued a security warning, advising customers to be wary of messages requesting coordinates via links, as scammers may exploit legitimate IBANs to trap users.

Sources: Numerama.