A new and high-performance generation of detectors based on scintillating fibres coupled to silicon photomultiplier (SiPM, MPPC) is under development. We focus here on the use of this technology as a beam monitoring detector with the following characteristics: high granularity, high detection efficiency, fast timing response, accurate position resolutions, minimal material budget and insensitivity to magnetic fields. We present a scintillating fibre and silicon photomultiplier-based beam monitoring detector used in one of the most intense muon beam in the world (few ×108µ+/s). A full detector prototype was built and successfully tested at the 𝜋E5 beam line of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). Beam profile and rate measurements were made with a precision of better than 1% and together with particle identification capability, are consistent with standard techniques confirming the viability of this technology for high-rate applications.