How much money does it take to start a bank?
Less a number than a test: enough capital to survive your own plan.
There is no fixed number.
U.S. law does not set a single minimum to open a bank. The OCC and FDIC set capital case by case, based on the business plan, the risk of the activities and how fast the balance sheet is projected to grow.
What regulators actually test.
Whether the bank stays well capitalized through its first three years, both under its own plan and under stress. For de novo banks, the FDIC expects a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 8% throughout that period.
The ranges we see.
Community de novos have typically raised in the tens of millions. Fintech-backed banks with national ambitions usually need considerably more, because their projected growth is steeper and their activities are newer to examiners.
The cost before the capital.
Legal work, technology, and a management team hired before day one are funded separately by the organizers, before any charter is granted. Budget for that first.