For International Businesses
A UK business account that works as well for your EU suppliers as your UK ones.
Dedicated GBP sort code, EUR IBAN, and USD routing number from one Gemba account. FX at 0.70% over mid-rate. Pay 150+ countries via SWIFT. Onboarding in 3–5 days regardless of where your company is registered.
16
currencies
3–5d
onboarding (any jurisdiction)
0.70%
FX spread
150+
SWIFT destinations
§ 01 — Who uses this
Three types of international business we work with
Profile A
European SME expanding to the UK
German, Dutch, Irish, or other EU companies setting up UK operations. Need a GBP account before they have a local bank relationship. Gemba accepts non-UK companies through the same application as UK ones. GBP account ready in 3–5 days with sort code and account number. EUR wallet for home-currency operations. SEPA to pay EU suppliers from UK account.
Profile B
UK business with international supply chain
UK companies buying from China, Germany, the US, and multiple other countries. Currently running 2–3% FX losses through a high-street business account or paying PayPal's embedded FX. Gemba consolidates USD, EUR, and other currency supplier payments at 0.70% FX and SWIFT delivery — one dashboard, one reconciliation.
Profile C
Import/export and trade finance
Companies with high volumes of international invoicing — receiving USD from US customers, paying EUR to EU suppliers, holding CHF or SGD for Asian supply chains. Multiple currency wallets with no forced conversion on receipt. Convert only when exchange rate or cashflow timing suits.
§ 02 — Payment routes
Which payment rail for which corridor
| Corridor | Rail | Speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
UK to UK |
Faster Payments | Instant | Best for domestic supplier payments up to £1M. Available 24/7. Confirmation of Payee included. |
UK to Eurozone |
SEPA CT | D+1 | Local transfer for EU recipients. No correspondent fees. Available 22 countries including Germany, France, Netherlands, Ireland, Spain. |
UK to Eurozone (urgent) |
SCT Instant | Near-instant | Available where recipient bank supports SEPA Instant. 24/7. Cap of €100,000 per transaction. |
UK to US |
SWIFT MT103 | 1–2 days | USD wire to US accounts. gpi tracking. OUR or SHA charge options. ACH not available for outbound (inbound USD ACH supported). |
UK to Rest of World |
SWIFT MT103 | 2–4 days | 150+ countries. Local currency delivery where supported. gpi tracking for transparency. SWIFT correspondent network. |
EU to UK (receiving) |
SEPA to EUR IBAN | D+1 | Your GB-format EUR IBAN receives SEPA transfers. GB prefix is SEPA-eligible — EU senders see it as a domestic transfer (IBAN discrimination is prohibited under EU law). |
US to UK (receiving) |
ACH / Fedwire to USD acct | 1–2 days | US customers pay your US routing + account number. Funds held in USD wallet — convert to GBP when you choose. |
Open a multi-currency UK business account.
Works for UK and non-UK registered companies. Onboarding in 3–5 working days.