Best multi-currency business account for the UK - 2023

If you need to make or receive international payments for business, an international business bank account, or an international business account from a non-bank provider can help you save money.

Join us as we review some of the best multi currency business bank account options in the UK - including Wise Business, which is a non-bank financial provider specialised in international transactions and multi-currency account for UK business.

What is an international business account?

An international business account offers multi-currency holding facilities and easy ways to get paid in foreign currencies, for example. You’ll also usually be able to convert from one supported currency to another easily without needing to withdraw your funds.

Usually international business accounts have low costs when you need to send or receive foreign payments, or when spending overseas with a linked debit card. That can make them a great bet for any UK business looking to expand into new markets abroad.

Here we will review financial providers which aren’t banks, but which are safe to use, regulated in a similar way to a bank, and which provide most of the financial products and services a UK business needs.

Best multi-currency business bank account - comparison criteria

In our comparison between providers we’ve looked at the following features as a priority:

• Currency exchange rate - mid-market or mark-up added?
• International fees
• Number of currencies supported
• Account features
• Opening requirements

Of course, what you need from a business account will depend on your situation, so use this guide as a starting point to weigh up some popular options, and decide which fits your situation.

Wise Business

Wise was launched in the UK in 2011, as a money transfer service which looked to make it cheaper, faster and easier to send payments abroad. Over time, Wise’s services have expanded, to include Wise Business, which offers entrepreneurs, freelancers, sole traders and business owners a multi-currency account and cards.

Wise is regulated in the UK, and overseen by a selection of similar bodies internationally too - which means you can be assured Wise is safe to use no matter where in the world you are.

Here are some of the great features you unlock with a Wise Business account:

• Hold and exchange 40+ currencies, and get local bank details for 8 currencies to receive payments conveniently
• Send money with low, transparent fees from 0.43%, to 160+ countries
• Exchange funds with the mid-market exchange rate whenever you send or spend money
• International debit and expense cards for you and your team
• Add and manage user permissions so key team members can view your account
• Batch payments, a powerful API, and cloud accounting integrations
• Option to earn a return in the money you hold in GBP, EUR and USD

Get started with Wise Business 🚀

Pricing/fees: Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information

Here’s a quick step-by-step on how to open a Wise Business account:

1. Head to the Wise desktop site or download the Wise app
2. Tap to register, and enter your personal contact details
3. Confirm you want to open a business account (rather than a Wise personal account)
4. Follow prompts to enter the required information about your business
5. Upload documents to verify yourself and your business
6. Your account will be opened once verified

Best for: Wise Business can be a great option for sole traders, small and medium sized businesses
Trustpilot ratings: 4.3 out of 5, from 193,000+ reviews¹

Below, there’s a quick overview of Wise based on our comparison criteria - at the end we’ve also got a full side by side look at each provider so you can get an easy overview.

Feature	Wise Business
Currency exchange rate - mid-market or mark-up added?	Mid-market rate
International fees	From 0.43%
Number of currencies supported	40+
Account features	Local bank details for 9 currencies Payments to 160+ countries Batch payments tool to process up to 1,000 payments in one go Open API to automate payments Debit and employee expense cards Integration with accounting softwares
Opening requirements	UK based freelancers, sole traders and entrepreneurs (learn more about Wise Business requirements) Accounts also available in many other countries internationally

Revolut Business

Revolut® offers both personal and business accounts in the UK, with a variety of account tiers offered, all of which can hold and exchange multiple currencies. For Revolut Business² customers, there are several different account options: Free, Grow, Scale and Enterprise.

The Free plan has no monthly charges but limited features, and low levels of free transactions. If you pay a monthly fee to upgrade to one of the other accounts you can get more features and more - or even unlimited - free transactions across different services. All in all, that makes Revolut a good pick for businesses looking to get an account which has a varied service level to fit their size and transaction needs.

All accounts have some great features, like options to hold and exchange 25+ currencies, linked cards, ways to add team members, local and international payments and ways to get paid by others in person and online.

Learn more about how to open a Revolut Business account in the UK

Best for: Revolut Business has different plans suited to small, medium and bigger businesses
Trustpilot ratings: 4.3 out of 5, from 138,000+ reviews³

Let’s look at how Revolut measures up on our comparison criteria - don’t forget, we’ve also got a full side by side comparison of all our featured providers below, too.

Feature	Revolut Business
Currency exchange rate - mid-market or mark-up added?	Mid-market rates apply to plan limits, 0.4% fee after that⁴
International fees	International transfers are free to plan limits, 3 GBP each after that
Number of currencies supported	25+
Account features	Revolut Business fees and features depend on account plan selected All accounts come with linked debit and expense cards Hold and exchange 25+ currencies Accept online and in person payments
Opening requirements	Eligible businesses or freelancers from the UK and a selection of other countries

Read more: Wise Business vs Revolut Business: comparison for the UK

Airwallex

Airwallex®⁵ digital wallets are great for registered business owners trading online, with ways to get paid easily in 12 currencies, and multi-currency account functionality. You’ll also be able to add your team members to your account, issue global debit cards, send payments to others, and use business friendly features like batch payments and an API to automate workflow.

There are no fees to apply for an account from Airwallex and no monthly charges - you just pay for the services you use, as you use them.

Best for: Airwallex is designed for e-commerce and merchants
Trustpilot ratings: 3.4 out of 5, from 600+ reviews⁶

Here’s how Airwallex fares based on our comparison criteria - there’s more in the full comparison table below, too.

Feature	Airwallex
Currency exchange rate - mid-market or mark-up added?	Calculated on a range of factors - may include a markup
International fees	Variable
Number of currencies supported	12+
Account features	Local bank details in 12 currencies Send payments globally Issue borderless cards to your team Get paid easily online and through payment platforms
Opening requirements	Eligible, registered businesses from the UK and a selection of other countries

Payoneer

Payoneer®⁷ has been around since 2005, offering account and card services to business owners which can be used to receive payments online from customers, marketplaces and payment platforms. As an established and regulated company, Payoneer is safe and easy to use, with some handy features if you’re a digital business owner paying and getting paid online.

There are no ongoing fees in many cases with Payoneer, but an annual charge may be levied if you don’t use your account very often - plus fees to get and use a card apply.

Best for: Payoneer is a good option for e-commerce and merchants
Trustpilot ratings: 4.2 out of 5, from 53,000+ reviews⁸

Here’s a quick summary of how Payoneer measures up on our comparison criteria - there’s more in the full comparison table below, too.

Feature	Payoneer
Currency exchange rate - mid-market or mark-up added?	0.5% markup added⁹
International fees	Varied - learn more about Payoneer fees
Number of currencies supported	9
Account features	Get paid with local bank details for 9 currencies Send payments to others easily, locally and overseas Get working capital loans and expand into new markets with Payoneer partners
Opening requirements	Available for registered businesses in 190 countries

Best business bank account for international payments uk - Final comparison

Here’s a final head to head comparison for the providers we’ve featured, covering some key account features and services, so you can weigh up whether any of them suit you.

	Wise Business	Revolut business	Airwallex	Payoneer
Mid-market rate	✅	To plan limit - 0.4% fee after that	❌	❌ - 0.5% fee added
Monthly fee	❌	For some account tiers	❌	Annual fee may apply based on how you use your account
International fees	From 0.43%	Free transfers to plan limits - 3 GBP after that	Varied	Varied
Currencies supported	40+	25+	12+	9
Business card	✅	✅	✅	✅
Employee expense cards	✅	✅	✅	❌
Accounting apps connection	✅	✅	✅	Not specified
API for automated payments	✅	✅	✅	✅
Batch payments	✅	Paid plans only	✅	✅
Interest rate on money held	✅ - Wise Interest feature for GBP, EUR and USD¹⁰	❌	❌	❌
Multi-user access	✅	✅	✅	✅
Best for	Wise Business can be a great option for sole traders, small and medium sized businesses	Revolut Business has different plans suited to small, medium and bigger businesses	Airwallex is designed for e-commerce and merchants	Payoneer is a good option for e-commerce and merchants

Read more: Revolut vs Starling Business Account: comparison for UK

Use this guide to pick the business account that suits your business, thinking of where and how you trade today, and your future plans for growth. And don’t forget that the best business bank account for international payments and multi-currency features may not be from a bank at all.

In fact, including non-bank providers like Wise Business in your search for the perfect match can mean you find an account which has a great range of features, with low fees and plenty of ways to manage your money more effectively.

Get started with Wise Business 🚀

Sources used:

1. Trustpilot - Wise
2. Revolut Business
3. Trustpilot - Revolut
4. Revolut Business plans
5. Airwallex
6. Trustpilot - Airwallex
7. Payoneer
8. Trustpilot - Payoneer
9. Payoneer fees
10. With Wise Interest, you can get a 4.82% variable rate on your GBP balance held in your Wise Business multi-currency account. Capital at risk. Current rates do not guarantee future growth.Variable rate is based on 7 day performance as of 10 Aug 2023. This fund has returned an 0.93% annual average over the last 5 years, excluding Wise and fund manager fees. See full 5 year past performance of funds

Sources last checked August 16, 2023