Business accounts / United Kingdom
Three banks and one e-money account solve different business jobs.
Starling, Monzo and Revolut directly provide the cited UK business current accounts as banks. Wise provides a business multicurrency e-money account. That distinction changes deposit protection, cash access and the primary operating job. It does not select a universal winner: application eligibility, plan, payment volume, currencies, team design and current fees remain business-specific.
Direct answer
Start with domestic bank, global money or team operations.
Compare Starling and Monzo first when the core need is a direct GBP business current account with UK payment rails. Add Revolut when currency sub-accounts, international transfer allowances, team cards or merchant tools justify a paid plan. Start with Wise when international receiving and conversion dominate and an FSCS bank deposit is not the required product. No public eligibility page guarantees acceptance.
Read the Monzo reviewRead the Revolut reviewRead the Wise reviewClassification first
A business account label can hide two protection systems.
The direct-bank accounts and the safeguarded e-money account are not interchangeable, even where cards and account details look similar.
Starling Bank
Starling Bank Limited directly contracts the business or sole-trader current account. The core schedule and general terms apply from 27 April 2026. Eligible deposits can enter FSCS protection, while account acceptance, cash activity, cards and optional services remain conditional.
Monzo Bank
Monzo Bank Limited directly contracts the business account with the limited company or sole trader. Lite, Pro and Team change workflows and price, not the bank identity. Pots remain part of the same business account and do not create a new bank or a second protection limit.
Revolut Bank UK
The current Business Terms make Revolut Bank UK Ltd the direct provider of the GBP business current account and supported currency sub-accounts. Other group products keep separate contracts, even when accessed through the same app.
Wise Payments
Wise Payments Limited is an FCA-authorised electronic-money institution. Ordinary business funds are safeguarded rather than bank deposits. Wise Interest and Stocks are separately governed investment products and must not be used to describe the ordinary account.
Verified UK business comparison
Change the job, not the evidence.
These controls only reorder approved market records. Legal entity, product class, protection wording, source date and confidence stay fixed.
Domestic operations: Prioritises direct bank accounts and UK payment operations.
| Provider | Product type | Market status | Legal entity | Protection model | Evidence | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starling BankDirect GBP business banking with core UK payment rails and conditional cash access. | uk licensed bank business current account | available with business form residency ownership industry identity cash and acceptance conditions | Starling Bank Limited | Eligible business deposits are held directly at Starling Bank Limited and can enter FSCS protection.Application, business form, UK residence, ownership, industry, cash activity and scheme eligibility remain conditional. | 7 source records | |
| MonzoDirect UK business banking with app-led tax, invoicing and team plan options. | uk authorised digital bank | available with residency identity account plan product credit and channel conditions | Monzo Bank Limited | Eligible business deposits are held directly at Monzo Bank Limited and aggregate for FSCS purposes.Only eligible UK sole traders and limited-company directors can apply; plan and product benefits vary. | 12 source records | |
| RevolutA UK bank business account with currency sub-accounts, cards and higher-plan team controls. | uk licensed digital bank business current account | available with business entity onboarding plan currency payment and product conditions | Revolut Bank UK Ltd | Eligible deposits under the current Business Terms are held at Revolut Bank UK Ltd and can enter FSCS protection.Entity, onboarding, industry, plan, allowance, currency and separate group-product restrictions apply. | 10 source records | |
| WiseInternational receiving, conversion, supplier payment and multicurrency team workflows. | uk electronic money institution business multicurrency account | available with business entity identity feature currency and fee conditions | Wise Payments Limited | Ordinary UK business e-money is safeguarded by Wise Payments Limited rather than held as an FSCS bank deposit.Business verification, features, currencies, card, receiving details, fees and limits remain conditional. | 10 source records |
Starling Bank
uk licensed bank business current account- Market status
- available with business form residency ownership industry identity cash and acceptance conditions
- Legal entity
- Starling Bank Limited
- Product note
- Starling Bank Limited directly provides conditional GBP current accounts and an eligible secondary personal euro current account with EUR holding, SEPA, IBAN, conversion and card-currency controls. Eligible GBP and EUR deposits aggregate under FSCS rules.
- Protection model
- Eligible business deposits are held directly at Starling Bank Limited and can enter FSCS protection.Application, business form, UK residence, ownership, industry, cash activity and scheme eligibility remain conditional.
View legal and product sources
Monzo
uk authorised digital bank- Market status
- available with residency identity account plan product credit and channel conditions
- Legal entity
- Monzo Bank Limited
- Product note
- Monzo Bank Limited directly provides GBP personal and business current accounts. Supported foreign-currency receipts, international sends and card spending use conversion rather than persistent held foreign-currency balances; eligible GBP deposits remain FSCS scoped.
- Protection model
- Eligible business deposits are held directly at Monzo Bank Limited and aggregate for FSCS purposes.Only eligible UK sole traders and limited-company directors can apply; plan and product benefits vary.
View legal and product sources
Revolut
uk licensed digital bank business current account- Market status
- available with business entity onboarding plan currency payment and product conditions
- Legal entity
- Revolut Bank UK Ltd
- Product note
- Revolut Bank UK Ltd provides the cited GBP business current account and supported currency subaccounts with conditional exchange, payment and plan functions. Eligible bank deposits can enter FSCS protection; crypto and other separate-entity products remain outside that deposit state.
- Protection model
- Eligible deposits under the current Business Terms are held at Revolut Bank UK Ltd and can enter FSCS protection.Entity, onboarding, industry, plan, allowance, currency and separate group-product restrictions apply.
View legal and product sources
Wise
uk electronic money institution business multicurrency account- Market status
- available with business entity identity feature currency and fee conditions
- Legal entity
- Wise Payments Limited
- Product note
- Wise Payments Limited offers eligible UK personal and business customers conditional holding, receiving-detail, conversion, transfer and card functions across multiple currencies. Ordinary balances are safeguarded e-money rather than FSCS-insured deposits; Wise Assets is a separate investment state.
- Protection model
- Ordinary UK business e-money is safeguarded by Wise Payments Limited rather than held as an FSCS bank deposit.Business verification, features, currencies, card, receiving details, fees and limits remain conditional.
View legal and product sources
0 selected locally.No matching comparison is published
Protection map
FSCS applies to an eligible depositor at a named bank.
The current statutory limit is £120,000 per eligible depositor per authorised bank, building society or credit union, subject to exclusions, legal capacity and aggregation. A limited company deposit and a sole trader's deposit can be treated differently because legal ownership differs. The provider's statement and FSCS rules determine eligibility; a page badge does not guarantee every business or balance.
Starling, Monzo and Revolut state that eligible business deposits enter the UK deposit framework. Other accounts at the same bank aggregate as required. Wise ordinary e-money uses safeguarding: customer funds are kept separate under electronic-money rules, but the balance is not a deposit with Wise and does not receive ordinary FSCS deposit coverage. Safeguarding and deposit insurance aim at different failure structures.
Starling
Direct bank deposit. The account statement confirms eligibility and eligible Starling deposits aggregate at the bank.
Monzo
Direct bank deposit. Business current account and eligible same-owner deposits aggregate at Monzo Bank.
Revolut
Current Business Terms state direct Revolut Bank UK deposits. Separate group products require their own protection check.
Wise
Safeguarded e-money rather than a normal bank deposit. Investment features and ordinary balances must remain separate.
Dated fee ledger
Free, setup fee and subscription plans are different pricing models.
These entry points were observed on 13 July 2026. Transaction, currency, card, cash and optional-service charges still control total cost.
Starling Bank
Core GBP account: no monthly feeThe April 2026 schedule lists core Faster Payments, Direct Debits and Standing Orders without a Starling fee. Cash and optional services remain separately priced.
Monzo Business
Lite: free; Pro: £9; Team: from £25 monthlyThe current plan page says benefits and exact signup terms can change. Team size, cards, international payments, cash and optional services require separate review.
Revolut Business
Basic: £10; Grow: £35; Scale: £125 monthlyAnnual and Enterprise pricing differ. Transfer and FX allowances, ATM, card, merchant acquiring and outside-market-hours charges remain separate.
Wise Business
Full feature setup: £50Sending and conversion are currency-dependent from the cited 0.33% entry point. Receiving, Swift, card, ATM and investment features have separate pricing.
A low-activity domestic company
Starling's and Monzo Lite's zero monthly entry points can be compelling when free UK transfers cover the actual job. Cash deposits, international activity, optional cards, borrowing and paid accounting tools can change the result. A business that never uses a paid feature should not be priced as if it will, while a cash-heavy business must model the cash fee rather than the monthly plan alone.
A currency-heavy company
Revolut sells monthly allowances: Basic, Grow and Scale include different domestic, international and FX quantities before overage. Wise charges more directly by action and currency after its feature setup. Compare the same monthly currency mix, amounts, receiving rails, recipients and card use. An allowance is valuable only when the business uses it.
A growing team
Monzo Team, Revolut plan controls and Wise team features cannot be compared by the account price alone. Count administrators, collaborators, expense cards, approval levels, included users, replacement cards and accounting connections. Record which user can move money and who carries responsibility for an authorised action.
Eligibility and onboarding
Registration is necessary but never sufficient.
Starling publishes conditions for company type, Companies House registration, UK-resident directors and significant controllers, individual ownership, supported industries and due diligence. Monzo's current plan page limits applications to UK sole traders and limited-company directors, with its agreement assigning responsibility to the company or sole trader. Revolut applies entity, industry, onboarding and authorised-person criteria. Wise checks the business, representative, ownership and requested features.
Public criteria are screening information, not approval. Providers can request evidence, refuse activity outside risk appetite, restrict a feature or close an account under the governing terms. A business with client money, regulated financial activity, complex corporate ownership, non-UK controllers, high cash volumes or a prohibited industry must not infer acceptance from a generic feature page.
- 01Confirm legal form, registration and operating address.
- 02Map directors, owners, controllers and authorised users.
- 03Screen industry, client-money and acceptable-use restrictions.
- 04Verify required currencies, rails, cards and cash patterns.
- 05Read the live agreement and fee schedule before funding.
Operational fit
Payment rails, cash and currency decide the daily experience.
Market infrastructure does not prove that every provider supports every direction, cutoff, limit or recovery path.
UK bank payments
Starling and Monzo document direct bank-account payment functions. Revolut's current bank terms cover account transfers and supported currency sub-accounts. Wise can provide conditional receiving details and payment functions as an EMI. Faster Payments, Bacs, CHAPS and Direct Debit access must be verified for the exact account and direction; the country's rail list is not a provider feature guarantee.
Cash and cheques
Starling publishes a specific cash-deposit limit and a charge of £3 or 0.7%, whichever is higher, in the observed eligibility record. Monzo lists cash and cheque activity among business features but the current method, fee and plan must be checked. Revolut and Wise should not be selected for branch-style cash merely because they issue cards or account details. None of the approved evidence establishes a universal branch counter service.
Currency and international receiving
Wise and Revolut are the strongest scoped candidates for currency-heavy operations. Wise pricing varies by currency and payment method; Revolut's plan allowance and overage model can make cost depend on subscription and timing. A GBP sort code, EUR IBAN and USD receiving detail may involve different rails, fees and intermediary institutions. Confirm beneficiary ownership and the final credited amount.
Cards and team authority
A card is an access tool, not a second account or protection limit. Monzo distinguishes admins, collaborators and expense cardholders. Revolut distinguishes account owners, authorised users and cardholders. Wise and Starling have their own team and authorised-user structures. Set limits, remove departing users promptly and preserve approval evidence; the business remains responsible for actions within granted authority.
Holds and payment failure
A payment can be scheduled, pending, rejected, reversed, returned or completed. Providers can pause transactions for legal, security, fraud, information or risk reasons. Do not send a duplicate because the recipient has not yet posted funds. Save the instruction, recipient, amount, currency, rail, fee, status, expected date and reference before contacting the party controlling the current state.
Support and continuity
Published support access is not evidence of queue time, resolution quality or business continuity. Maintain a second approved payment path for payroll, tax and critical suppliers, define who can access it and test recovery procedures without moving unnecessary funds. NeobankDB did not open accounts, contact support, execute payments or measure uptime for any provider on this page.
Decision walkthroughs
Six businesses can rationally choose different accounts.
The following scenarios illustrate evidence use; they are not personalised financial recommendations or approval predictions.
UK consultant with only GBP payments
Compare Starling and Monzo Lite first. Both are direct bank-account paths with a zero monthly entry point in the observed sources. Decide by eligibility, cash or cheque needs, app workflow, invoicing and any optional service actually required. Wise can be added for overseas customers, but safeguarding and conversion pricing then belong to a separate product decision.
Agency paying an international team
Compare Wise Business with Revolut Business. Model exact monthly currencies, conversion amounts, recipient countries, batch payments, users and card expenses. Revolut's plan may bundle allowances; Wise may price actions directly. Keep a direct GBP bank account if payroll, tax or operational continuity requires a different domestic relationship.
Retailer depositing cash
Starling has the clearest approved cash limits and pricing in this set. Monzo requires a current cash-method and fee check. Revolut and Wise are not evidenced branch-cash substitutes. Calculate deposit frequency, annual total, travel time, security and charge, and confirm that the business's cash level remains inside provider eligibility.
Limited company with finance staff
Compare Monzo Team and Revolut's higher plans for permissions, approval workflows and cards, then Wise for international payment operations. The account owner must understand which staff can add users, move money and alter limits. A polished dashboard does not remove the company's responsibility for authorised actions or internal segregation of duties.
Sole trader with EU customers
Starling and Monzo publish explicit sole-trader routes. Wise may simplify EUR receiving and conversion if the applicant and features qualify. Revolut's current official eligibility materials must be checked in the live onboarding flow because business-type language can differ by page and date. Do not form a company solely to fit an account without legal and tax advice.
Business holding more than the FSCS limit
A comparison page cannot solve treasury concentration. Identify the legal depositor, eligible capacity and total deposits at each named bank. Starling, Monzo and Revolut are separate authorised banks, but other group products and accounts require confirmation. Wise safeguarding is not another FSCS bank allocation. Obtain current statements and professional treasury advice for material balances.
Approved evidence
Every material conclusion keeps its source and observation date.
Fees, eligibility, plan features, statutory limits and account structures require launch-time and material-change reverification.
Starling Bank UK business evidence
Starling Bank is displayed as uk licensed bank business current account.
- The general terms apply from 27 April 2026 and make Starling Bank Limited the direct provider of the cited business current account.
- Account use, authorised persons, cards, payments, cash, holds, errors, closure and support remain subject to the agreement and customer-specific account state.
- Starling identifies the account as a bank deposit relationship covered by FSCS only where the depositor and deposit are eligible.
- The schedule applies from 27 April 2026 and lists no monthly fee for the core GBP business current account before optional or action-specific charges.
- Faster Payments, Direct Debits and Standing Orders are listed without a Starling fee; cash deposits, international activity, optional services and third-party charges retain separate pricing.
- The live agreement, schedule and transaction preview control rather than a generic free-banking description.
- Starling assesses applications case by case and lists business form, Companies House, UK residence, ownership, authority, industry and due-diligence conditions.
- The page excludes specified structures, industries, client-money activity and insolvency states rather than guaranteeing every otherwise eligible applicant acceptance.
- Business cash deposits are capped by cited daily and annual limits and charged GBP 3 or 0.7%, whichever is higher, subject to current terms.
- The information sheet states that most eligible individual and business deposits at Starling Bank Limited enter the FSCS framework at the current statutory limit.
- The limit aggregates eligible deposits held by the same depositor at Starling Bank in the same protected capacity; the account statement confirms eligibility.
- FSCS covers eligible deposit failure, not business losses, card fraud, payment disputes, currency conversion or service availability.
- Eligible Starling personal-current-account customers can apply for a separate euro current account that can hold, send and receive EUR through supported SEPA functions.
- The current page lists no monthly holding fee, a 0.4% GBP-EUR conversion fee and conditional card spending from the EUR account through currency controls.
- The euro account is a Starling Bank deposit with a unique IBAN; total eligible Starling deposits aggregate under current FSCS rules.
- The current terms restrict the personal euro account to EUR payments and require an open Starling GBP personal current account plus continued eligibility.
- A non-EUR payment sent to the euro account is declined and returned; other currencies can instead enter the GBP account and be converted before transfer to EUR.
- Payment, conversion, card, restriction, closure and residual-balance handling retain separate terms, rates and fees.
- Starling says it no longer supports buying or selling cryptocurrency by debit card, GBP bank transfer or bank transfer in other currencies.
- The bank states the restriction is a customer-protection decision and does not charge for the declined payment.
- A generic Starling card or transfer capability must not be used to infer a workaround or supported crypto route.
Monzo UK business evidence
Monzo is displayed as uk authorised digital bank.
- The list identifies Monzo Bank Limited, FRN 730427, as authorised.
- The list identifies Revolut Bank UK Ltd, FRN 981170, as authorised.
- Monzo identifies Monzo Bank Limited as a UK bank regulated by the PRA and FCA.
- Monzo states that eligible deposits are FSCS protected up to the current scheme limit.
- The page states UK residency as an account requirement.
- FSCS protects eligible deposits with UK-authorised banks, building societies and credit unions.
- The current limit is up to GBP 120,000 per eligible person, per authorised firm; scheme and product eligibility still apply.
- The limit increased on 1 December 2025.
- The linked current terms identify a personal UK current account directly at Monzo Bank Limited, require UK residency and prohibit business use of that personal account.
- The terms separate the main balance, Pots, cards, UK and international transfers, Direct Debits, cash, cheques, overdrafts, fees, screening, closures and app requirements.
- The PDF still prints the former GBP 85,000 FSCS limit, so NeobankDB uses the newer December 2025 Monzo FSCS sheet and current FSCS source for the GBP 120,000 limit.
- The current page lists a free UK current account, debit card, Pots, payment tools and separate paid-plan, savings, credit and investment options subject to their own terms.
- It shows 2.75% AER variable for cited Instant Access savings and 3.25% for eligible Perks and Max customers; rates, products and eligibility can change.
- The page reports App Store 4.9 and Google Play 4.8 as of 27 April 2026; those dated marketing snapshots are not reliability evidence or a NeobankDB score.
- The current comparison lists Free at GBP 0, Extra at GBP 3 monthly, Perks at GBP 7 monthly and Max from GBP 17 monthly; Max with Family costs an additional GBP 5 monthly.
- Extra and Perks require age 18 or older; Max lists age 18 to 69 and a three-month minimum term, with product and benefit eligibility applying.
- Savings rates, partner perks, insurance, breakdown cover, virtual cards, connected accounts and other plan benefits retain separate providers, conditions and change risk.
- The business page lists Lite at no monthly fee, Pro at GBP 9 monthly and Team from GBP 25 monthly, with exact benefits confirmed during signup.
- Only eligible UK sole traders or limited-company directors can apply; account, company, activity, team and product checks remain conditional.
- Business current-account deposits, payment tools, accounting, cards, cash, international payments, credit and third-party services retain product- and plan-specific terms.
- Version 1.14, dated 17 February 2025, contracts the UK business current account between a limited company or sole trader and Monzo Bank Limited.
- The account is for business use; the person opening it must be a director or sole-trader owner, and admin, collaborator and expense-card permissions retain separate responsibility and limits.
- Payments can be refused for legal, fraud, risk, unclear-instruction, partner or changing account-limit reasons; Pots are not part of the main available balance for payment authorisation.
- Monzo lists supported foreign currencies for international sending from its GBP current account and says GBP itself is not sent through that international flow.
- A supported outgoing currency list proves conversion and sending, not a held balance, local foreign receiving detail or foreign-currency deposit account.
- Eligibility, recipient, quote, third-party rate, fees, limits, review and unsupported-currency treatment remain transaction-specific.
- The cited plan fee information says supported EUR and other foreign-currency receipts are converted to GBP before appearing in the Monzo account, with the stated plan fee and external-bank costs potentially applying.
- Monzo card spending in a foreign currency also uses conversion rather than a persistent foreign-currency deposit balance.
- International receipt, outgoing transfer and card conversion must not be combined into an unsupported multicurrency-holding claim.
- Monzo says personal customers can use a range of cryptocurrency exchanges through their personal banking account.
- The statement does not name every supported exchange, payment method, card route or customer-specific limit and does not create a Monzo crypto custody product.
- Transfer acceptance remains subject to Monzo's current allowance, fraud controls, account terms and live payment review.
- Monzo lists a GBP 5,000 cryptocurrency-payment allowance in a rolling 30-day period and says the limit cannot be changed.
- A payment that would exceed the rolling allowance is stopped; available allowance returns as older qualifying payments leave the window.
- The page warns that crypto wallets are outside FSCS protection and explains scam indicators, but does not guarantee every payment below the allowance.
Revolut UK business evidence
Revolut is displayed as uk licensed digital bank business current account.
- The list identifies Monzo Bank Limited, FRN 730427, as authorised.
- The list identifies Revolut Bank UK Ltd, FRN 981170, as authorised.
- Revolut states that Revolut Bank UK Ltd became a fully licensed UK bank in March 2026, FRN 981170.
- New UK customers receive bank accounts, while migration of some existing e-money accounts is staged.
- FSCS protection applies to eligible bank deposits; e-money accounts still in transition use safeguarding instead.
- Crypto, investments and other products may be provided by separate legal entities and must be assessed separately.
- FSCS protects eligible deposits with UK-authorised banks, building societies and credit unions.
- The current limit is up to GBP 120,000 per eligible person, per authorised firm; scheme and product eligibility still apply.
- The limit increased on 1 December 2025.
- Funds held by authorised electronic money institutions and authorised payment institutions are safeguarded rather than protected by FSCS deposit protection.
- Safeguarding and FSCS deposit protection are distinct protection models.
- The current terms make Revolut Bank UK Ltd the provider of the GBP business current account and supported currency sub-accounts; separate group products retain separate agreements.
- Eligible deposits are stated as FSCS protected up to the current statutory limit across eligible deposits held with Revolut Bank UK Ltd, subject to scheme eligibility and aggregation.
- Onboarding criteria, supported entity and industry restrictions, authorised-person roles, plan terms, payment limits, holds and account-specific availability remain conditional.
- The current schedule lists Basic at GBP 10 monthly, Grow at GBP 35 monthly or GBP 360 annually, Scale at GBP 125 monthly or GBP 1,080 annually and Enterprise at custom pricing.
- Plan allowances differ for domestic payments, international transfers and foreign exchange; the cited over-allowance FX fee is 0.6% and the outside-market-hours fee is 1%.
- ATM withdrawals carry a 2% fee, payment acceptance uses separate percentage-plus-fixed pricing and the final in-app fee controls.
- The UK cryptocurrency agreement is with Revolut Ltd and covers buying, selling, depositing, withdrawing, holding and transferring cryptoassets under product and geographic conditions.
- Revolut Ltd is registered with the FCA for specified cryptoasset activity, but the cryptoassets are not protected by FSCS or Lithuanian deposit insurance and can lose their full value.
- The crypto agreement remains separate from the Revolut payment-account entity and terms; crypto availability, assets, limits, fees, custody and external transfers retain separate conditions.
- Eligible UK personal customers can withdraw supported crypto to an external wallet or exchange using a supported blockchain network and a newly added or saved compatible address.
- The customer must verify the receiving address and network; Revolut recommends a small test and says an on-chain send cannot be canceled or reversed after confirmation.
- Withdrawal limits, fees, wallet review, asset support, network support, compliance checks and in-app approval remain transaction-specific.
- Revolut states that UK crypto services are provided by Revolut Ltd, FCA firm reference 900562, under the cited money-laundering registration.
- Crypto transaction funds are not safeguarded like fiat e-money and crypto holdings are not covered by FSCS.
- The registration and provider identity do not guarantee asset value, external-wallet acceptance, transaction completion or recovery.
- Revolut requires sender and recipient information for crypto withdrawals under its cited Travel Rule process, including recipient name and transaction hash, with sender address requested above the stated threshold.
- The customer must identify the destination wallet owner or exchange truthfully; compliance collection is not proof that the destination will accept the asset or network.
- Additional information and review can delay or prevent a withdrawal without changing the irreversible on-chain boundary after broadcast.
Wise UK business evidence
Wise is displayed as uk electronic money institution business multicurrency account.
- UK entity is an FCA-authorised EMI.
- US entity is registered with FinCEN and uses state licences/partner arrangements.
- Wise says it safeguards customer money and does not lend it like a bank.
- Arrangements vary by country.
- Wise Payments Limited is not a bank and its e-money and payment services are not covered by FSCS deposit protection.
- Wise describes safeguarding customer funds separately from its operating money.
- Wise Business supports conditional international receiving, holding, conversion, sending, cards, team access, batch payments and API functions for eligible businesses.
- Features, currencies, receiving details, cards, limits and onboarding evidence vary by business location, entity and account state.
- Wise Payments Limited is an electronic-money institution for the cited UK relationship, not a bank deposit provider.
- The current page lists GBP 50 for the full business feature setup, currency-dependent sending and conversion from 0.33%, and free holding of ordinary supported currency balances.
- Receiving domestic non-Swift payments in the listed currencies is free while Swift or wire receipts have currency-specific fixed charges.
- Card, ATM, external-wallet top-up, Wise Interest and Stocks pricing remain separate; investment products carry capital risk and do not turn ordinary safeguarded e-money into bank deposits.
- Wise's current UK personal page describes use across 40 currencies and international receiving details while identifying the ordinary account as e-money rather than a bank deposit.
- Ordinary Wise funds are safeguarded and not FSCS protected; optional Wise Assets invests money through a separate entity and can have distinct FSCS and capital-risk treatment.
- Holding, local details, card spending, conversion, transfers and investment activation remain separate capabilities and protection states.
- The observed UK pricing page says holding more than 40 supported currencies is free.
- Conversion uses the displayed exchange rate plus a currency-specific fee, so free holding does not imply free receiving, conversion, sending, Swift or card use.
- The authenticated quote and current feature availability control the exact transaction.
- Eligible customers receive a sort code, account number and BIC for GBP local or supported Swift receipts, but Wise explicitly says the details are not a bank account.
- The cited GBP Swift route accepts only listed currencies, has a GBP 2.16 Wise receiving fee and can involve correspondent-bank fees.
- Verification, account state, rail, currency, detail set, beneficiary and sender information must match the current instruction.
- Wise account cannot be used to send money to crypto exchanges such as Coinbase or Binance.
- Wise card policy differs and lawful card transactions may be supported by region.
- Outgoing account transfers to crypto platforms are not supported.
- Article names Coinbase among payments Wise cannot accept from in the described context.
United Kingdom regulatory and protection evidence
- The FCA regulates financial services firms in the UK and sets conduct standards.
- The FCA works with the PRA, which prudentially regulates banks and other specified firms.
- FSCS protects eligible deposits with UK-authorised banks, building societies and credit unions.
- The current limit is up to GBP 120,000 per eligible person, per authorised firm; scheme and product eligibility still apply.
- The limit increased on 1 December 2025.
- Funds held by authorised electronic money institutions and authorised payment institutions are safeguarded rather than protected by FSCS deposit protection.
- Safeguarding and FSCS deposit protection are distinct protection models.
Unavailable or deliberately not inferred
- A universal best UK business account or numerical rank.
- Application approval from public eligibility criteria.
- FSCS protection for an ineligible depositor, excess balance or Wise e-money.
- Customer-specific limits, holds, FX quote, cash method or account feature.
- Measured support quality, uptime, fraud recovery or dispute outcome.
- Complete coverage of every UK bank, EMI, building society or specialist provider.