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Bank account assistance, described honestly
We introduce you to UK business banking providers, prepare what they ask for, and tell you where an application is likely to fail before you make it.
Read this first
No account can be guaranteed. Every bank and e-money institution decides for itself, applies its own checks, and may decline without giving a reason. What we can do is make the application a good one and stop you wasting attempts on providers who were never going to accept your setup.
What an introduction actually is
An introduction is a referral to a provider that accepts applications from companies like yours, with your paperwork already in the shape they expect. It is not an approval, a pre-approval, or a promise. Where we have a commercial relationship with a provider we will tell you that plainly, because it is relevant to the advice.
Where applications usually fail
- Identity evidence that does not match the register. A middle name on the passport that is missing from the appointment, an address that changed mid-application, a name transliterated differently in two places.
- An address the provider will not accept. Some will not bank a company whose only address is a mail-handling address. That is a fact about them, not a defect in you — but it needs knowing beforehand.
- A vague description of the business. "Consultancy" tells a compliance officer nothing. What is sold, to whom, paid how, from where.
- SIC codes that contradict the description. Picked at incorporation in thirty seconds, then read years later as a statement of intent.
- Ownership that is not fully explained. A holding company, a trust, or a shareholder abroad, without the chain set out.
What we do
- Go through the checks above before anything is submitted
- Match you to providers that accept your structure, residence and address
- Prepare the identity and company documents each one asks for
- Arrange apostilles or certified copies where an overseas document is involved
- Tell you the realistic options if you are declined — including waiting, changing the setup, or accepting a different type of account
Non-resident directors
Forming a UK company from abroad is straightforward. Banking one is the hard part, and it is where most non-resident formations stall. Some providers need a UK-resident director, some need an in-person visit, and some will onboard remotely with more evidence. We will tell you which category you fall into before you pay for a formation that assumes an account you cannot get.
Questions
Can you guarantee an account?
Will a bank accept your address?
Do you get paid by the providers?
Can I open an account before the company exists?
What if I am declined?
Have this ready
Ask about an introductionBanks and e-money institutions are not the same thing
Most comparisons of business accounts skip the one difference that matters when something goes wrong. This is not a list of partners — it is what the market looks like, so you can tell us which direction suits you.
UK-licensed banks
Deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £85,000 per eligible depositor, per banking licence. Note the licence, not the brand — two brands can share one licence, and the limit is shared with them.
- Barclays Established businesses wanting a branch relationship and lending in the same place.
- HSBC Companies trading internationally, or with overseas ownership already banked by HSBC elsewhere.
- Lloyds UK-only trading companies, straightforward ownership.
- NatWest Startups and small companies; long-standing free banking periods for new businesses.
- Santander Companies wanting a bank account alongside merchant services.
- Starling UK-resident directors who want a licensed bank without a branch visit.
- Monzo Sole director companies and early-stage businesses banking on a phone.
- Zempler Companies that struggle to pass mainstream onboarding; formerly Cashplus.
E-money and payment institutions
Not banks. Your money is safeguarded — held separately from the firm's own funds — rather than FSCS protected. Safeguarding is a real protection, but it is a different one, and it is slower to pay out if the firm fails. Many of these onboard faster and accept setups a bank would decline.
- Tide Fast onboarding for new UK companies; accounts issued through a partner bank.
- ANNA Money Very small companies wanting bookkeeping and tax alongside the account.
- Wise Companies invoicing in several currencies, or paying overseas suppliers.
- Airwallex Cross-border trading and multi-currency collection at volume.
- Payoneer Marketplace sellers being paid by overseas platforms.
- Revolut Business Multi-currency operations; check its current UK licence status on the FCA register, as it has been changing.
Check the licence yourself
Which category a provider sits in can change — firms apply for banking licences, and brands share them. Before you rely on FSCS protection, look the firm up on the FCA register and check what it is authorised to do. We list no provider here as a partner, and we are paid nothing by any of them for appearing on this page.
Have this ready before you apply
What an introduction costs
Nothing
There is no fee for an introduction, and there is no cashback either — a "cashback" is a share of a commission, and a commission is a reason to point you somewhere. If we ever hold a paid referral agreement with a provider, it will say so on the introduction, before you apply.
Tell us about the company and the directors
Where the directors live, what the business does, and whether the company already exists. That is enough for us to say which providers are realistic.
Bank account assistance
Tell us what you are trying to do and we will reply with what is involved. No obligation, and we will say so plainly if what you need is not something we do.