Guides for companies that earn, hold and pay in more than one currency: what each payment rail costs, how verification works, how to pay people abroad, and where stablecoins fit.
PaymentsAn ACH payment moves in batches on business days. Standard ACH settles in one or two business days; Same Day ACH settles the same afternoon if your bank submits it before one of three Federal Reserve deadlines. Pending usually means the batch has not settled yet.
AccountsA UK limited company can hold US dollars, and there are two kinds of USD account. A currency account at a UK bank receives dollars by SWIFT wire. US account details, with an ACH routing number, let American clients pay you like a domestic supplier.
PaymentsWise publishes its fees and charges no subscription. Ebury quotes per client and sells hedging, trade finance and a dealer relationship. They suit different companies.
ComplianceFounders often start by receiving client payments into a personal account. Providers notice. Here is why it causes trouble, and when to move to a business account.
OperationsA remittance advice tells a supplier which invoices a payment covers. Without one, a lump sum arrives and someone spends an afternoon working out what it was for.
AccountsMobile money is the fastest way to collect from customers across much of Africa, and it is often where suppliers and staff want to be paid. A bank account handles large invoices, foreign clients, credit and audits better. Most growing businesses run both and sweep between them.
PaymentsIn an ACH credit, the payer's bank pushes money to the payee, as in payroll. In an ACH debit, the payee pulls money from the payer's account under an authorisation, as in a subscription. The difference decides who controls the timing and how long the payment can be returned.
OperationsNet 30 means the client has 30 days to pay. Here is how to set terms, what the law allows in the EU and UK, and how to stop 30 days becoming 60.
StablecoinsMost multi-currency business accounts do not touch stablecoins. Here is which ones do, what to check, and how to keep USDC and bank money in one account.
OperationsUnder the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, a UK business can charge another business interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate on an overdue invoice, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100. You do not need a clause in the contract.
ComplianceEvery business account starts with verification. Knowing what the reviewer needs, and why, is the difference between a decision in days and a month of follow-up emails.
ComplianceIf you sell software, apps, courses or other digital services to consumers in the EU, you owe EU VAT from the first sale, even with no EU presence. The One Stop Shop lets you handle it through one registration. Here is how it works.
OperationsA bulk payment turns one file into many payments. Across countries, each line can travel on a different rail. Here is how it works and how to keep it safe.
AccountsInside South Africa, rand moves by EFT, real-time clearing, PayShap and the SAMOS system for large payments. Money crossing the border is subject to exchange control: South African businesses receive foreign currency through authorised dealers, report it with a balance of payments code, and convert it or hold it in a CFC account.
AccountsWorldFirst's account is free and its transfer fees are small fixed amounts. The cost that matters is the FX rate. Here is the full UK schedule with worked examples.
PaymentsA US bank cannot send a SEPA transfer. A company anywhere can, if it holds EUR details on the SEPA network. Here is how that works.
PaymentsYou can cancel a wire until your bank executes it. Once a domestic wire has settled, the sending bank can only ask the receiving bank to return the money, which usually needs the recipient's consent. For fraud, call your bank at once: every hour lowers the chance of recovery.
StablecoinsBoth are dollar stablecoins, and both settle in seconds. They differ in who issues them, how reserves are reported and where regulators accept them. For most companies the answer is to hold one and accept both.
PaymentsEvery currency conversion has a cost, even when the fee line says zero. It is the gap between your rate and the mid-market rate. Here is how to measure it.
PaymentsStatrys publishes FX from 0.1% on major currencies and charges no monthly fee. Airwallex has more collection currencies and spend tools. Here is how they compare for a Hong Kong company.
Every article is researched against primary sources: the regulation, the scheme rulebook or the provider’s own documentation. Each one lists them at the end.
Subscribe via RSSAlexia compares the accounts, cards and payment tools companies weigh before they switch, and writes Rivet's market guides for founders in a specific country. Prices in Alexia's comparisons come from each provider's own pricing page on the date given in the article, rules come from the regulator or tax authority that sets them, and every source is listed at the end.
Rashidatou writes Rivet's guides to how money moves between countries: the payment rails, what each one costs, and the account details a company needs to get paid in another currency. Every figure in Rashidatou's articles is traced to the scheme rulebook, the regulator or the provider's published price list, and those sources are listed at the end.
William covers what happens once a company starts moving money: getting the business verified, paying contractors and suppliers abroad, and keeping card spend under control. William writes for the founder or finance lead who has to make it work this week, and links every rule cited to the text it comes from.
Bank accounts in USD, EUR and GBP, cards with a limit on each, and payouts on local rails. Starter is free.
