How it works
The connection, not the counterparty
You get one relationship. Behind it is a group of licensed institutions that hold funds, move money and operate under their own regulatory permissions.
What the group
actually does
Four things, each provided by a licensed company in the group under its own permissions, and each with its own page. The group holds e-money, payment-institution and small-payment-institution permissions, which means accounts, payments and FX come from our own licensed companies rather than three separate applications to three separate firms.
Accounts and e-money
Multi-currency business accounts with named IBANs, issued by the group's own FCA-authorised electronic money institution. Balances can be held in 23 currencies and are safeguarded, not lent out.
International payments
SWIFT, SEPA, SEPA Instant, Faster Payments, CHAPS, BACS and local rails: 50+ payment routes across 170+ countries on the group payments network, with the rail chosen per payment rather than per provider.
Foreign exchange
Conversion between balances you already hold with the matched institution, quoted for your actual volumes. An account feature rather than a dealing desk, so there is no spot trade to place and no rate card to read.
Card acquiring
Merchant accounts underwritten on the merits of the business, with a 97% average approval rate across the acquiring network and reach in 180+ countries.
Our coverage depends on the service you use. Payments can reach 170+ countries through the group’s licensed institutions, while card acquiring extends to 180+ countries through our sponsoring acquirer network.
Four steps, one point of contact
Talk to a specialist
A specialist calls to understand your business, currencies and corridors. No obligation, usually within 24 hours.
We map & match
Your specialist matches you to a suitable regulated institution in the group and guides you through onboarding from start to finish.
Regulated onboarding
The institution completes its regulated onboarding and checks: KYC, AML, sanctions screening, enhanced due diligence where required. We guide you through every step.
Go live
Your accounts and payments are ready, and your specialist stays your point of contact.
The structure, named honestly
On the accounts and payments side, the structure is matching: we map your needs, match you to a licensed institution in the group (an FCA-authorised EMI for accounts and e-money, an authorised PI for remittance) and stay your single point of contact while that institution provides the regulated service under its own permissions.
On the acquiring side, the group operates a payment facilitation (payfac) model: VIP360 owns the merchant relationship (one direct contract, onboarding and underwriting with us) while authorisation, clearing and settlement run on the rails of sponsoring acquirers and the card networks. We are not the acquirer or a principal scheme member, and we don’t pretend to be: the model is what lets you go live in as little as 48 hours, subject to all relevant documentation, with one accountable counterparty.
Both structures share the same rule: you always know which institution holds your funds and under which licence, and you can check it yourself. Curious how the model compares to alternatives? Read what is a payfac? and payfac vs ISO.
See the whole picture: the group behind it · where your money sits · common questions
Every payment on its best rail
Sitting behind all four is one automated routing engine. It weighs the rails a payment could take and picks per transaction rather than per provider, on published criteria: the fastest arrival, the highest chance of landing first time, and the right rail for that corridor.
Which means the group structure is not just an org chart. A payment to India and a payment to Poland do not have to take the same route just because they left the same account, and you are not asked to know which rail is which.
One payment, weighed across every available rail and routed the way most likely to arrive.
Frequently asked questions
For accounts, payments and FX: directly with the licensed institution that provides the service. We tell you which, and under which licence, before anything is signed. For card acquiring: your contract, onboarding and underwriting are with VIP360, on the rails of sponsoring acquirers.
Always with the regulated institution you are matched with, never with the website operator. Authorised e-money and payment institutions must safeguard client funds, kept separate from their own money under FCA rules.
First contact within 24 hours. Business accounts open in 48 hours subject to a complete application. Acquiring can be live in as little as 48 hours, subject to all relevant documentation. Both depend on the institution’s regulated onboarding.
Check if we can help
Tell us what you need. You’ll deal with one team, with the group’s licensed institutions behind it, and get a straight answer either way.