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Banking
Opening bank and EMI accounts for businesses and individuals, and setting up the ways a business takes payments.
- Business and personal accounts
- Banks and EMIs
- Accepting and processing payments
Banks and payment providers each decide which businesses and clients they accept. We help you understand which providers fit your profile, prepare the application they expect, and follow it through. Sixteen banking centres and ten EMI jurisdictions are set out on the account pages, with the supervisor, the deposit protection and what the institutions there ask for.
What Banking covers
Bank accounts
Business and personal accounts with banks, opened remotely or in person.
- Business and personal accounts
- Remote or in-person opening
- Application prepared with you
EMI accounts
Accounts with electronic money institutions, and how they differ from a bank.
- Accounts with e-money institutions
- How an EMI differs from a bank
- Business and personal
Payments
Merchant accounts and alternative payment methods for accepting payments.
- Merchant accounts
- Alternative payment methods
- Higher-risk merchants
PSP
Becoming a payment service provider, or finding the right ones to work with.
- Becoming a PSP
- Working with PSPs
- The parts of a PSP set-up
Payment gateway
Choosing, integrating or white-labelling a payment gateway.
- Choosing a gateway
- Integration
- White-label options
Which do you need?
Bank accounts
- For
- Holding funds and day-to-day banking
- Who it suits
- Companies and individuals
EMI accounts
- For
- Holding funds and payments with an e-money provider
- Who it suits
- Companies and individuals
Payments and PSP
- For
- Accepting card and other payments from clients
- Who it suits
- Merchants and payment businesses
Payment gateway
- For
- Connecting a website or platform to payment providers
- Who it suits
- Merchants and payment businesses
Account types
The accounts a business and its owners hold, and who provides each. The Bank accounts and EMI accounts pages show where, and under what protection, they are opened.
- Business current accountThe company's operating account: receiving payments, paying suppliers and salaries, holding working capital.Details
- EMI accountAn account with an electronic money institution: payments and cards without a bank.Details
- Personal accountAn account in your own name, at home or abroad.Details
- Private bankingA relationship account for wealth: custody, investments and credit beside the current account.Details
- Client-funds accountA segregated account where a licensed firm keeps its clients' money apart from its own.Details
- Merchant accountThe account that receives card payments from your customers, through an acquirer.Details
Business current account
The company's operating account: receiving payments, paying suppliers and salaries, holding working capital.
What it is
Opened with a bank in the company's name, with online banking, cards and transfers in the account's currency and others. Deposits are protected by the country's guarantee scheme up to its limit.
The bank asks for
- Company documents and beneficial owners
- The business, its clients, suppliers and expected flows
- A connection to the country: office, staff, clients or a resident director
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
EMI account
An account with an electronic money institution: payments and cards without a bank.
What it is
Faster to open and more willing to serve international companies than most banks, an EMI holds your money as e-money and safeguards it at a bank or by insurance rather than under a deposit protection scheme. It cannot lend. Many companies hold one beside, or before, a bank account.
Choose it for
- A new company that needs an IBAN quickly
- Multi-currency collections and payouts
- Industries high-street banks avoid, through specialist EMIs
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
Personal account
An account in your own name, at home or abroad.
What it is
Banks open personal accounts for residents readily and for non-residents selectively, depending on nationality, residence and the reason for the account. Proof of address, tax residence and source of funds are always asked.
Choose it for
- Owners of the companies we form, in the company's country
- Relocation, property purchase or family reasons abroad
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
Private banking
A relationship account for wealth: custody, investments and credit beside the current account.
What it is
Private banks in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Singapore and elsewhere onboard clients from meaningful minimums, often remotely, and offer multi-currency accounts, custody, discretionary management and lending against the portfolio.
The bank asks for
- Detailed source of wealth and source of funds
- The investment profile and the expected relationship size
- For companies and foundations, the full structure and its people
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
Client-funds account
A segregated account where a licensed firm keeps its clients' money apart from its own.
What it is
Brokers, payment institutions, EMIs, gaming operators and law firms must keep client money in accounts designated as such, reconciled daily or monthly and protected from the firm's creditors. Regulators prescribe the form; only some banks offer them to foreign-licensed firms.
The bank asks for
- The licence and the regulator's client-money rules
- The reconciliation and withdrawal controls
- The expected balances and flows
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
Merchant account
The account that receives card payments from your customers, through an acquirer.
What it is
An acquiring bank or payment institution settles your customers' card payments into a merchant account, less fees, after a rolling reserve for higher-risk industries. It sits beside the business account and is set up with the payment gateway.
The acquirer asks for
- The website, the products and the terms and conditions
- Processing history or projections and the refund and chargeback policies
- Licences, for regulated industries
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
How it works
- 1ConsultationWe talk through what you need, where you operate and what you already have in place.
- 2PlanYou receive a plan that sets out the steps, the documents and the parties involved, so you can decide how to proceed.
- 3Set-upWe prepare the applications and documents with you and coordinate with the providers involved.
- 4Ongoing supportAfter set-up, we stay available for renewals, changes and questions.
Frequently asked questions
Still have a question?
Talk to usHow long does it take?
It depends on the jurisdiction, the provider and the documents involved. We give you an estimate for your account after the consultation.
What does it cost?
Costs depend on the jurisdiction and on the services you choose. We set them out for your account after the consultation, before any work starts.
Do I need to travel?
Some steps can be completed remotely and others need you in person. We tell you which applies to your case before you start.
Is an account guaranteed?
No provider can promise an account before reviewing an application. We prepare the application so the provider has what it needs to decide.
What comes next
Each service leads to the next: the structure, then the accounts, then the payments and the licence.
Plan your banking with us
Talk to us- IncorporationForming a company or foundation, and keeping it in good standing.Talk to us
- BankingBusiness and personal accounts, and accepting payments.Talk to us
- LicensingFinancial licences for regulated activities.Talk to us
- InvestmentsOpening investment accounts for a company or for yourself.Talk to us