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An independent annual ranking of the providers that give businesses and platforms their own account numbers and IBANs to receive money in many currencies. 10 providers, six criteria, nothing paid for.
Scores out of 100. Each segment weights the criteria differently; the method is below. Facts read on 26 October 2026 from the providers' own pages.
The mean of the 3 segment scores.
| Rank and provider | Score /100 | Status | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Airwallex | 87 | Global accounts and embedded accounts | Platforms and businesses needing local receiving details in many currencies at published prices |
| 2. Wise Business | 79 | Multi-currency business account | Small and mid-sized businesses collecting from customers abroad |
| 3. Nium | 75 | Multi-currency accounts and virtual accounts for platforms | Payment firms and platforms issuing accounts in their customers' names under their own brand |
| 4. ClearBank | 66 | UK clearing bank with virtual IBANs | UK payment and e-money firms needing safeguarding and virtual accounts at a bank |
| 5. Swan | 56 | Euro accounts and virtual IBANs under a French e-money licence | European platforms issuing euro accounts with local IBANs to their customers |
| 6. Griffin | 56 | UK bank with dedicated and pooled safeguarding accounts | UK payment, e-money and investment firms needing safeguarding or client money accounts |
| 7. Weavr | 53 | Embedded accounts with IBANs over a partner e-money firm | UK and EU business software giving each client account an IBAN at a fixed monthly price |
| 8. Payoneer | 52 | Cross-border receiving accounts | Sellers and freelancers collecting from marketplaces and overseas clients |
| 9. Column | 50 | US bank with programmable accounts | US fintechs needing FBO accounts and account numbers at a chartered bank |
| 10. Increase | 47 | US account numbers API over partner banks | US platforms creating many account numbers for reconciliation |
Weighted to account ownership and regulatory standing: customer money held in the right name, at an institution a regulator will accept.
| Rank and provider | Score /100 | Status | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Airwallex | 83 | Global accounts and embedded accounts | Platforms and businesses needing local receiving details in many currencies at published prices |
| 2. Nium | 81 | Multi-currency accounts and virtual accounts for platforms | Payment firms and platforms issuing accounts in their customers' names under their own brand |
| 3. ClearBank | 76 | UK clearing bank with virtual IBANs | UK payment and e-money firms needing safeguarding and virtual accounts at a bank |
| 4. Wise Business | 75 | Multi-currency business account | Small and mid-sized businesses collecting from customers abroad |
| 5. Griffin | 67 | UK bank with dedicated and pooled safeguarding accounts | UK payment, e-money and investment firms needing safeguarding or client money accounts |
| 6. Swan | 66 | Euro accounts and virtual IBANs under a French e-money licence | European platforms issuing euro accounts with local IBANs to their customers |
| 7. Column | 63 | US bank with programmable accounts | US fintechs needing FBO accounts and account numbers at a chartered bank |
| 8. Weavr | 56 | Embedded accounts with IBANs over a partner e-money firm | UK and EU business software giving each client account an IBAN at a fixed monthly price |
| 9. Payoneer | 53 | Cross-border receiving accounts | Sellers and freelancers collecting from marketplaces and overseas clients |
| 10. Increase | 52 | US account numbers API over partner banks | US platforms creating many account numbers for reconciliation |
Weighted to currencies, ownership and integration: one account number per seller or customer, created by API in many currencies.
| Rank and provider | Score /100 | Status | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Airwallex | 86 | Global accounts and embedded accounts | Platforms and businesses needing local receiving details in many currencies at published prices |
| 2. Wise Business | 78 | Multi-currency business account | Small and mid-sized businesses collecting from customers abroad |
| 3. Nium | 75 | Multi-currency accounts and virtual accounts for platforms | Payment firms and platforms issuing accounts in their customers' names under their own brand |
| 4. ClearBank | 67 | UK clearing bank with virtual IBANs | UK payment and e-money firms needing safeguarding and virtual accounts at a bank |
| 5. Swan | 58 | Euro accounts and virtual IBANs under a French e-money licence | European platforms issuing euro accounts with local IBANs to their customers |
| 6. Griffin | 56 | UK bank with dedicated and pooled safeguarding accounts | UK payment, e-money and investment firms needing safeguarding or client money accounts |
| 7. Weavr | 54 | Embedded accounts with IBANs over a partner e-money firm | UK and EU business software giving each client account an IBAN at a fixed monthly price |
| 8. Column | 49 | US bank with programmable accounts | US fintechs needing FBO accounts and account numbers at a chartered bank |
| 9. Payoneer | 49 | Cross-border receiving accounts | Sellers and freelancers collecting from marketplaces and overseas clients |
| 10. Increase | 47 | US account numbers API over partner banks | US platforms creating many account numbers for reconciliation |
Weighted to currencies and published pricing: local details in the buyer's currency at a known cost.
| Rank and provider | Score /100 | Status | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Airwallex | 92 | Global accounts and embedded accounts | Platforms and businesses needing local receiving details in many currencies at published prices |
| 2. Wise Business | 84 | Multi-currency business account | Small and mid-sized businesses collecting from customers abroad |
| 3. Nium | 69 | Multi-currency accounts and virtual accounts for platforms | Payment firms and platforms issuing accounts in their customers' names under their own brand |
| 4. ClearBank | 55 | UK clearing bank with virtual IBANs | UK payment and e-money firms needing safeguarding and virtual accounts at a bank |
| 5. Payoneer | 53 | Cross-border receiving accounts | Sellers and freelancers collecting from marketplaces and overseas clients |
| 6. Weavr | 50 | Embedded accounts with IBANs over a partner e-money firm | UK and EU business software giving each client account an IBAN at a fixed monthly price |
| 7. Griffin | 46 | UK bank with dedicated and pooled safeguarding accounts | UK payment, e-money and investment firms needing safeguarding or client money accounts |
| 8. Swan | 45 | Euro accounts and virtual IBANs under a French e-money licence | European platforms issuing euro accounts with local IBANs to their customers |
| 9. Increase | 43 | US account numbers API over partner banks | US platforms creating many account numbers for reconciliation |
| 10. Column | 39 | US bank with programmable accounts | US fintechs needing FBO accounts and account numbers at a chartered bank |
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in this edition. 0 means not offered or not published.
6 criteria, scored only from what each provider publishes.
The published number of currencies in which the provider issues local receiving details (an account number and bank code, or an IBAN, the international account number used across Europe).
Whether accounts can be issued in the name of the client or its end customer, with their own account number, and whether virtual accounts (account numbers that sit inside one real account and route each payment to the right customer) are published.
Fees to open an account, to hold it and to receive payments, on a pricing or fee page. "From", "starting at" and custom prices do not count.
The local payment systems an account can receive on, such as Faster Payments, SEPA Instant, FedNow or FAST, and the number of markets with instant receipt.
The licence of the firm holding the money, with its regulator and register number, and how money is protected: deposit insurance or safeguarding.
An API, a sandbox, self-serve sign-up and a stated time to go live.
| Criterion | Payment and e-money firms | Marketplaces and platforms | Businesses collecting from abroad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currencies and markets | 15 | 25 | 30 |
| Account ownership | 25 | 20 | 10 |
| Published pricing | 10 | 15 | 25 |
| Local rails and speed | 15 | 10 | 15 |
| Regulatory standing | 25 | 10 | 10 |
| Integration | 10 | 20 | 10 |
| Criterion | 5 | 3 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currencies and markets | 20 or more currencies with local receiving details | 5 to 19 currencies | Not published |
| Account ownership | Accounts in the client's or end customer's name and virtual accounts both published | One of the two published | Not published |
| Published pricing | Opening, holding and receiving fees on a fee page | Some fees published | Not published, or "from" prices only |
| Local rails and speed | Instant receipt on local systems in three or more markets | Local systems published for one or two markets | Not published |
| Regulatory standing | Licence with regulator and number, and deposit insurance or safeguarding stated | Licence published without protection terms, or held by a named partner | Not published |
| Integration | API, sandbox, self-serve sign-up and a stated time to go live | API with one other option | Not published |
Score out of 100 is the sum of each criterion score divided by five and multiplied by its weight. The overall ranking is the mean of the segment scores. Ties are broken by regulatory standing, then account ownership. A provider that does not publish a price is scored as though the price were high, because a business cannot plan on an unpublished price. Prices are scored on the standard published rate, never an introductory, promotional or "from" rate, and a figure counts only when it appears on a pricing, fee or terms page rather than in a marketing line. A provider that serves one country only is scored on access for that country, and the limitation is printed in its profile.
What each provider publishes, criterion by criterion, with the date read and the source.
Airwallex issues global accounts with local bank details that receive on local systems in 16 regions and 23 currencies, including SEPA Instant, Faster Payments, FedNow and FAST, and lets platforms create accounts for their customers in 70+ countries. It publishes free account opening and exact receiving fees. It does not say on the pages read whether accounts are held in the customer's name.
| Currencies and markets | Receiving coverage table: 16 regions and 23 currencies; platform accounts "with local bank details in 70+ countries". |
| Account ownership | Accounts come "with dedicated account numbers and local bank codes"; whether they are named or pooled is not stated. |
| Pricing | "Global Account Creation Fee: $0"; receiving "0% for other currencies", "$15 for US Fedwire collections", "0.60% for KRW, VND, BRL and MYR collections"; no monthly fee on the Explore plan. |
| Local rails | SEPA Instant and SEPA; ACH, Fedwire, FedNow and RTP (eligible customers); Faster Payments, Bacs and CHAPS; Hong Kong FPS; Singapore FAST; Interac e-Transfer; SPEI and others. |
| Regulatory standing | Airwallex (UK) Ltd FCA e-money institution 900876; AWX Lithuania, UAB e-money institution 88; Airwallex (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. MAS PS20200541; Airwallex US, LLC NMLS #1928093 with Lead Bank and Evolve Bank & Trust. |
| Integration | API; "Open an account in minutes"; pre-built components to "Launch in days". |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: www.airwallex.com, www.airwallex.com, airwallex.com, www.airwallex.com, help.airwallex.com.
Wise gives a business local account details to receive in 22 currencies for a one-off fee, with free domestic receipt in nine currencies and fixed SWIFT receiving fees. It publishes its FCA reference and SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001. It does not publish virtual accounts for a platform's own customers or a sandbox on the pages read.
| Currencies and markets | "Account details for receiving in 22 currencies"; hold over 50 currencies. |
| Pricing | Set-up "All in for 31 USD"; domestic (non-SWIFT) receipt in AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, HUF, NZD, PHP, SGD and USD free; USD wire and SWIFT 6.11 USD, GBP SWIFT 2.16 GBP, EUR SWIFT 2.39 EUR per payment. |
| Account ownership | Account details issued to the business; naming and virtual accounts for end customers not described on the pages read. |
| Local rails and speed | Domestic receipt in nine currencies; payouts "more than 50%* arrive within one hour". |
| Regulatory standing | "authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011, Firm Reference 900507"; US money transmitter; "SOC 1 type 2, SOC 2 type 2, PCI DSS and ISO 27001 certified". |
| Integration | Wise API; self-serve sign-up with a one-off fee. |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: wise.com, wise.com.
Nium lets platforms issue local accounts in their customers' names and dedicated virtual accounts in 20+ currencies, under the platform's own brand, with funding over SEPA, Faster Payments, ACH and FAST. It publishes licences by number in 14 jurisdictions and ISO 27001 with SOC 2 Type 2. It does not publish prices.
| Currencies and markets | "Issue accounts under your own brand in 20+ currencies"; "inbound collections in 28 local and global currencies"; hold and convert in 100+ currencies. |
| Account ownership | "Issue a local account in your customer's name"; "Give each customer a dedicated virtual account"; "VANs are issued in your customers' names." |
| Pricing | Not published; "No hidden markups". |
| Local rails and speed | "local rails (SEPA, Faster Payments, ACH, FAST, and others)" plus SWIFT and USDC; "Most local rail funding settles same-day or in real time." |
| Regulatory standing | NIUM Pte. Ltd. MAS Major Payment Institution PS20200276; Nium Fintech Limited FCA e-money institution 901024; UAB Nium EU Bank of Lithuania licence No. 14; Nium, Inc. NMLS ID 1528562. Security badges: ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type 2. |
| Integration | Single API with webhooks; documentation at docs.nium.com; white-label, "Nium stays invisible" to end users. |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: www.nium.com, www.nium.com, www.nium.com.
ClearBank is a UK bank that lets regulated firms allocate up to 6 million virtual IBANs or virtual safeguarding and client money accounts from a single parent account, with direct access to Faster Payments, Bacs and CHAPS. It publishes its banking licence, FSCS protection and an integration time. It does not publish prices.
| Currencies and markets | Multi-currency IBAN in GBP plus 11 currencies (USD, EUR, CAD, CHF, DKK, NOK, SEK, PLN, CZK, HUF, RON); multi-currency accounts listed as UK only. |
| Account ownership | "Allocate up to 6 million virtual IBANs from a single parent account"; up to 6 million virtual customer segregated or client money accounts; agency banking "Physical accounts, each with their own sort code". |
| Pricing | Not published on the pages read; "no minimum volume requirements". |
| Local rails | Direct connection to Faster Payments, Bacs (including Direct Debit) and CHAPS; EUR held at the European Central Bank. |
| Regulatory standing | ClearBank Limited authorised by the PRA, FRN 754568; FSCS "up to £120,000 per depositor"; ClearBank Europe N.V. authorised by the ECB and regulated by De Nederlandsche Bank; FCA-compliant safeguarding letter available. |
| Integration | API; sandbox; "Average API integration takes 30 to 45 days". |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: clear.bank, clear.bank, clear.bank, clear.bank.
Swan issues euro accounts with local IBANs from France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy, plus virtual IBANs, under its own French e-money licence. It publishes its register number, safeguarding banks, a sandbox and a launch time. It serves euro only, and its plan price is published as "starting from".
| Currencies and markets | Euro accounts with IBANs starting FR, DE, ES, NL and IT; services across the EEA. |
| Account ownership | "All accounts come with an IBAN"; virtual IBANs listed; accounts opened for the client's users. |
| Pricing | "Starting from 2990€/m" for Swan on demand; no set-up fees; sandbox free. |
| Local rails | SEPA transfers and SEPA Direct Debit; SEPA Instant not mentioned. |
| Regulatory standing | Electronic money institution authorised by the ACPR, REGAFI 86245; client funds safeguarded at BNP Paribas and Natixis. |
| Integration | Sandbox with API explorer and event simulator; no-code white-label screens; "launch in weeks, not months". |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: swan.io, swan.io, www.swan.io.
Griffin is a UK bank offering dedicated accounts with their own sort code and account number for each customer, and pooled safeguarding accounts, receiving on Faster Payments, Bacs and CHAPS. It publishes its PRA authorisation and FSCS terms, and onboarding in days. It serves sterling only and publishes only "from" prices.
| Currencies | Sterling accounts; UK only. |
| Account ownership | Embedded accounts with "a real sort code and unique account number", owned by the customer; safeguarding "Individual bank accounts for each of your customers" or "One pooled safeguarding account". |
| Pricing | Business accounts "From £100" a month; platform banking onboarding "from £15,000"; monthly minimum spend packages from £4,000. |
| Local rails | Faster Payments, Bacs credits and CHAPS. |
| Regulatory standing | Griffin Bank Ltd authorised by the PRA, regulated by the FCA and PRA, firm reference 970920; FSCS "up to £120,000". |
| Integration | API; sandbox at app.griffin.com/register; "Onboard with us in days, not months." |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: griffin.com, griffin.com, griffin.com, griffin.com, griffin.com.
Weavr lets business software in the UK and EU create wallet accounts for their users and apply IBANs to them, receiving on SEPA, SWIFT and Faster Payments, with accounts issued by the e-money firm Paynetics. It publishes a fixed monthly plan price, a sandbox and a launch time. It does not publish per-IBAN fees or instant receipt.
| Currencies and markets | UK and EU legal entities; transfers described for SEPA, SWIFT and Faster Payments; currency count not stated. |
| Account ownership | "Free creation of cash-holding wallet accounts"; IBANs can be applied to them (product article dated 29 September 2022). |
| Pricing | Launch: "£ 1,947 / € 2,370 per month", with "Accounts and payments charges included within usage thresholds"; set-up, usage and compliance charges excluded; Scale: "Let's talk". |
| Local rails | SEPA, SWIFT and Faster Payments transfers. |
| Regulatory standing | EU accounts issued by Paynetics AD, authorised by the Bulgarian National Bank; UK by Paynetics UK, FCA firm reference 942777; client funds held in safeguarding accounts; e-money "not covered by any Deposit Guarantee Scheme". |
| Integration | Free sandbox and simulator; API reference; embeddable UI elements; "up and running with your new embedded finance programme in a few weeks". |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: www.weavr.io, www.weavr.io.
Payoneer gives businesses local-currency receiving accounts and holds up to 30 currencies, with free receipt into local-currency accounts. It publishes licences with numbers in nine jurisdictions and PCI DSS Level 1 with SOC 2 Type II. It does not publish the number of receiving currencies, the local systems used or developer tools for receiving accounts.
| Currencies | "hold up to 30 currencies"; the number of currencies with receiving accounts is not stated on the pages read. |
| Pricing | "Via local-currency receiving account: Free"; via non-local-currency receiving account 1% (minimum 1.00 USD); annual account fee 29.95 USD where less than 6,000 USD is received in 12 months. |
| Account ownership | Local-currency receiving accounts for the business; virtual accounts for end customers not described. |
| Local rails | Not named on the pages read. |
| Regulatory standing | FinCEN MSB 31000288349183; Central Bank of Ireland e-money 966835; FCA e-money 15-10-01734; MAS Major Payment Institution; Hong Kong MSO 00045. |
| Security | "PCI DSS level 1 certified"; SOC 2 Type II and SOC 1 Type II. |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: payoneer.com, www.payoneer.com, www.payoneer.com, www.payoneer.com.
Column is a nationally chartered US bank whose API creates FBO accounts (accounts held "for the benefit of" a platform's customers) with virtual sub-accounts and dynamic account numbers, receiving on ACH, Fedwire and FedNow. It states FDIC insurance terms. It does not publish prices and serves US dollars only.
| Currencies | US dollar accounts; international wires through "Direct access to Swift". |
| Account ownership | FBO accounts "Open accounts on behalf of others" using virtual sub-accounts; dynamic account numbers that each point to one bank account with their own permissions and limits. |
| Pricing | Not published on the pages read. |
| Local rails | ACH, FedWire and FedNow. |
| Regulatory standing | "Column N.A. is a nationally chartered bank"; "Member FDIC"; demand deposit accounts "FDIC insurance up to $250,000". |
| Integration | Accounts "in one API call"; "Start building in sandbox." |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: column.com, column.com, column.com.
Increase lets US platforms create account numbers on accounts held at four named FDIC member banks, receiving on ACH, wires, RTP and FedNow. The first 10 account numbers are free; further pricing is not published. Increase is a technology provider, not a bank.
| Currencies | US dollar only. |
| Account ownership | "Account number creation" priced per number; naming of accounts not described. |
| Pricing | Account number creation "First 10 free"; hold harmless letters $40.00; monthly fees "vary by use case". |
| Local rails | ACH, wires, Real-Time Payments and FedNow. |
| Regulatory standing | "Increase Technologies, Inc. is a non-bank technology service provider"; partner banks Increase Bank, Grasshopper Bank, N.A., First Internet Bank of Indiana and Core Bank, Members FDIC. |
| Integration | Web dashboard and API. |
| Date read | Read 26 October 2026 |
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: increase.com, www.increase.com.
The index is paid for by nobody.
No provider pays to be assessed, listed or ranked, and there are no sponsored places. Providers do not apply: BCC selects the providers a business is likely to consider and scores them from their own pages. Any provider may ask to be assessed; the request changes nothing about the score.
Every figure is read from the provider's own pricing, product, legal or help page on the date shown. Providers may send corrections to [email protected]; a correction changes the page only where the provider's own page supports it. Every provider is re-read monthly and a new edition is published each October.
Consumer multi-currency apps, corporate banks that offer virtual accounts only to their existing treasury clients, and software that reconciles payments without issuing account numbers are left out. Banking Circle, Modulr and Currencycloud are not assessed in this edition because their own pages could not be read for it, and Rapyd is left out because the Rapyd pages read do not describe its receiving accounts. Payouts and banking-as-a-service providers are ranked in their own indices.
Ranked providers may show the index badge on their own site.
The badge is free. The one condition is that it links to this page, so that a reader can check the score and the method behind it. It is withdrawn if the link is removed or the provider leaves the index.
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Nobody. No provider pays to be assessed, listed or ranked.
An account number that sits inside one real bank account and routes each incoming payment to a named customer or invoice. A platform can give every seller or customer their own number without opening a separate bank account for each, and can match payments without manual work.
A named account is held in the client's or customer's own name, so the payer sees that name and the money is legally theirs. A pooled account holds many customers' money in the provider's or the client's name and relies on records to show who owns what. Regulators and auditors look closely at which one is used.
The money sits at the institution that issues the account. A bank's deposits may be covered by deposit insurance; an e-money or payment firm must safeguard customer money, which means holding it apart from its own funds. A firm needs to know which applies and who holds the licence.
A "from" price is the lowest price on offer and does not tell a firm what it will pay. Only stated opening, holding and receiving fees count.
No. The index compares published facts and is not a recommendation to use a particular provider.
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