UK businesses that invoice American customers frequently have a simple problem: how to receive US dollars efficiently without unnecessary conversion or payment friction.
Why hold USD?
A USD-capable business account may allow a company to receive dollars, keep a USD balance and decide when or whether to convert those funds to sterling.
This may be useful when your business also has dollar-denominated costs because you may be able to use incoming USD for outgoing USD payments rather than converting currencies twice.
Airwallex
Airwallex publishes Global Accounts, multi-currency wallet, FX, payments, cards and API capabilities for businesses, with coverage varying by region.
What to check before applying
Regional availability and supported account features vary by customer location and product; verify current eligibility and pricing directly with Airwallex.
Eligibility, protection arrangements and pricing can vary by legal entity, country and product. Confirm current terms with the provider.
CurrencyFair
Business cross-border payments, overseas invoice/supplier payments and international receiving are explicitly published.
What to check before applying
We do not infer exact supported-currency eligibility from marketing totals. Verify supported currencies, jurisdiction and current pricing directly.
Eligibility, protection arrangements and pricing can vary by legal entity, country and product. Confirm current terms with the provider.
OFX
Global Business Account with 30+ currencies; published local account details for GBP, EUR, USD and CAD; international payments and corporate-card capability.
What to check before applying
OFX describes the Global Business Account as a non-bank payment facility; product availability and restricted currencies must be checked for the customer jurisdiction.
Eligibility, protection arrangements and pricing can vary by legal entity, country and product. Confirm current terms with the provider.
Revolut Business
Business multi-currency accounts; published support for holding, sending and receiving across 30+ supported currencies; cards and international transfers.
What to check before applying
Eligibility, plan pricing, transfer availability and exact local account details vary by country and plan. Verify directly before applying.
Eligibility, protection arrangements and pricing can vary by legal entity, country and product. Confirm current terms with the provider.
Revolut Personal
Eligibility, protection arrangements and pricing can vary by legal entity, country and product. Confirm current terms with the provider.
Wise
Wise publishes business features for sending, receiving, holding and spending in multiple currencies, including batch payments and business integrations.
What to check before applying
Feature availability, account details, fees and business eligibility vary by region and customer circumstances; verify current availability directly with Wise.
Eligibility, protection arrangements and pricing can vary by legal entity, country and product. Confirm current terms with the provider.
WorldFirst
Business-focused multi-currency account and World Card ecosystem. Published World Account balances include a defined set of major currencies.
What to check before applying
Currency and card availability varies by client domicile; MYR restrictions are specifically documented for some regions. Verify eligibility and exact account capabilities.
Eligibility, protection arrangements and pricing can vary by legal entity, country and product. Confirm current terms with the provider.
Questions to ask
- Can a UK company open the service?
- Can the account actually hold USD?
- How can US customers send money?
- Are USD receiving details available?
- What are the incoming payment charges?
- What does USD-to-GBP conversion cost?
- Can USD balances be used for cards or supplier payments?
Receiving USD from American customers
Understand whether the provider gives your business payment details that US customers can use through familiar domestic payment rails or whether customers must send an international payment.
Converting USD to GBP
For meaningful volumes, compare the actual exchange rate and total converted amount. A small difference in the effective conversion rate can be commercially significant when repeated across large monthly revenue.