Provider profile · 2026 edition
LHV Bank review 2026: scores, fees and alternatives.
A UK bank with a dedicated financial institutions unit serving over 200 regulated firms.
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A UK bank with a dedicated financial institutions unit serving over 200 regulated firms.
LHV Bank scores 3.0 out of 5 (61 out of 100) in the Buckingham Intelligence Safeguarding Banks Index 2026 and ranks 9 of 14. It is strongest for GBP and EUR safeguarding with agency banking, and its best criterion is who it serves at 4 out of 5. Not published or not stated on the pages read: who it serves, protection and scale, products, published pricing, technology and standing.
Scores from the Safeguarding Banks Index 2026.
No award in the Safeguarding Banks Index 2026.
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For E-money institutions | 62 | 9 of 14 |
| For payment institutions | 62 | 9 of 14 |
| For firms applying for a licence | 60 | 8 of 14 |
The score out of 5 is the overall score out of 100 divided by 20. Leader goes to the top three overall, Best for to the first in each segment, and Top rated for to a score of 5 out of 5 on a criterion. Awards cannot be bought.
Where it scores best, and where to check closely, as shown in each ranking.
GBP and EUR safeguarding with agency banking.
What LHV Bank publishes on its own pages, read on 21 October 2026.
A UK bank with a dedicated financial institutions unit serving over 200 regulated firms. It publishes multi-currency safeguarding and operational accounts, virtual accounts and GBP and EUR scheme access, and full eligibility criteria naming authorised EMIs and PIs. It publishes no fees for financial institutions and no onboarding timeline.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| Legal status | "LHV Bank Limited (13180211) is registered in England and Wales" and is "authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority". |
| Who it serves | "Your company must be a regulated financial institution supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority" or equivalent EEA or Gibraltar regulators. Named types include "Authorised E-Money Institution" and "Authorised Payment Institution". Firms "in the final stages of obtaining approval may also be considered." Must not be an autonomous micro-enterprise; minimum revenue and monthly payment levels set by LHV, not published. Crypto providers accepted subject to extra review. |
| Products | Safeguarding: "Multicurrency accounts to comply with regulatory requirements are available to regulated entities to hold client funds." Operational and virtual accounts; GBP and EUR IBANs; "access to UK and European payment schemes". Agency banking with indirect access to Faster Payments, STEP2 and RT1 and client-owned sort codes is described only in a news release that predates LHV Bank Limited's UK banking licence; current product pages do not mention it. |
| Pricing | The "Fees, rates and charges" page publishes Fee Information Documents for the LHV Current Account (latest dated 11 November 2025). No fees or interest for financial institution or safeguarding accounts are published. |
| Onboarding | Eligibility criteria, onboarding principles and compliance requirements published (last reviewed November 2022). No document list or timeline. |
| Technology | "Instant IBANs issuance via API"; "Comprehensive reporting for complete visibility and reconciliation"; LHV Connect API and Open Banking API. |
| Protection and scale | "We are a trusted partner to over 200 regulated financial institutions". Deposit protection for financial institution balances not stated on the pages read. |
| Date read | 21 October 2026 |
A fact that is not published is scored as not offered or, for a fee, as if it were high. It is never estimated.
Facts read on 21 October 2026 from: lhv.com/financialinstitutions, lhv.com/financialinstitutions/accounts, lhv.com/financialinstitutions/…, lhv.com/financialinstitutions/…, lhv.com/financialinstitutions/…, lhv.com/legal/fees, lhv.com/about/news/….
Each score with the evidence behind it.
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Safeguarding Banks Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
The other providers in the same ranking, ordered by score.
| Provider | Score out of 5 | Rank | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClearBank | 4.2 | 1 of 14 | EMIs and PIs needing direct UK and EU scheme access |
| European Merchant Bank | 3.8 | 2 of 14 | EU EMIs wanting a published safeguarding tariff |
| Mano Bank | 3.8 | 3 of 14 | EU EMIs and PIs wanting fixed published safeguarding fees |
| Memo Bank | 3.6 | 4 of 14 | EU firms wanting interest on safeguarded euros |
| Magnetiq Bank | 3.5 | 5 of 14 | EEA EMIs and PIs still in the licensing queue |
| Banking Circle | 3.5 | 6 of 14 | Multi-currency safeguarding across the UK and EEA |
| Bank of London | 3.5 | 7 of 14 | Firms opening accounts during authorisation |
| Griffin | 3.2 | 8 of 14 | Dedicated per-customer safeguarding accounts |
| Starling Banking Services | 2.8 | 10 of 14 | UK payment firms wanting their own sort code |
| Solaris | 2.2 | 11 of 14 | A second safeguarding account for licensed EMIs and PIs |
| CaixaBank | 2.1 | 12 of 14 | Payment firms licensed or passported into Spain |
| BNY | 1.9 | 13 of 14 | Large EMIs investing safeguarded cash in money market funds |
| Sutor Bank | 1.9 | 14 of 14 | Digital e-money and payment firms using banking as a service |
Side by side on every criterion, fact and award.
Head-to-head comparisons cover pairs within the top five of each ranking. LHV Bank is compared with its alternatives in the table above.
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