To receive international payments like a local, you can open a Wise Business account and activate local account details for 24+ major currencies (including USD, EUR, and AUD). Once active, simply share your local sort code or IBAN with your customers. They pay you via their own domestic network, which bypasses expensive cross-border wire fees. This method allows you to accept payments from overseas as if you had a local account in their country, with funds landing directly in your Wise balance for easy conversion or spending.

The cheapest way to receive money from abroad is to avoid the Swift network by using Wise local account details. Traditional banks often charge flat incoming fees and hide costs in inflated exchange rates. With Wise, receiving local transfers in major currencies is usually free. When converting these funds to GBP, Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden markups. This transparent model ensures your international business payments aren't eroded by hidden fees typically found in some high-street bank transactions, maximizing your global profit margins. Learn more about our price comparison research here.

To receive international wire transfers via the SWIFT network, you must provide your business name, International Bank Account Number (IBAN), and your bank’s Business Identifier Code (BIC/SWIFT code). However, to save your customers money and speed up the transaction, Wise recommends providing local account details tailored to their region — such as an ACH routing number for US clients or a SEPA IBAN for European ones. Using these bank details ensures the transaction is processed as a domestic payment, avoiding intermediary bank fees and unnecessary delays.

Wise Business offers high receiving limits designed to support global scale. For major currencies like GBP and EUR, there are generally no limits on how much you can receive. For USD, businesses can typically receive up to $150 million per year. While there are no restrictive caps for most international payments, Wise is a regulated financial institution. For exceptionally large transfers, our compliance team may reach out to request standard documentation, such as an invoice, to keep your business account and global transactions safe and compliant with regional regulations.

The time it takes to receive money from abroad depends on the currency and the sender's payment method. You can track incoming payments in real-time via your dashboard, though exact arrival times are ultimately subject to the sending bank's processing speeds. If your sender sends you via Wise then you are likely to receive the transfer even quicker. This is because 77% of all global payments sent from Wise now arrive instantly (under 20 seconds). Please note that sending via a Swift transfer typically takes 1–5 working days whereas domestic-style transfers, such as GBP from within the UK or EUR from within SEPA, usually take minutes or up to one working day.

There are no hidden markups in the exchange rate. Fees are kept transparent: while many local transfers in major currencies are free to receive, some methods, such as USD domestic wires, incur a small fixed fee. Receiving a SWIFT transfer also carries a flat processing cost (currently £2.16 for GBP), regardless of the amount. By providing a clear breakdown, Wise ensures your international business payments aren't eroded by the undisclosed exchange rate markups or intermediary fees often found in some high-street bank transactions.