Banking & EMI
We advise high-risk businesses on placement with banks and EMIs that will keep the account open.
You are here because a bank closed you, offboarded you, or never said yes in the first place. Maybe the funds are still frozen while the clock runs out, or a fresh account died the moment the acquirer saw your MCC. The placement is not the hard part. Keeping the relationship open through review is.
We advise crypto, iGaming, forex, and adult operators on which banks and EMIs actually keep your kind of business, then we prepare the file so the account survives the first compliance check rather than failing it.
Banking we place for
- 1iGaming
- 2Sports betting
- 3Adult & dating
- 4Forex & trading
- 5Crypto & Web3
One senior team across all five, since 2018.
Where Banking & EMI starts and ends
Match your structure, volumes, and settlement currencies to banks and EMIs whose published risk appetite covers your MCC.
Build the compliance pack the bank wants to see: AML policy, source of funds, beneficial ownership, and a corporate structure chart.
Decouple banking jurisdiction from your entity where that improves approval odds and reduces exposure to local court orders.
Set up redundancy across more than one institution so a single offboarding does not leave you unbanked.
Stay in the relationship after approval so a review request becomes a document submission, not a closure.
Every sector we work in asks this question first. Here is the honest, cross-vertical answer, before you get into your specific licence or jurisdiction.
Bank or EMI, in general
| Traditional bank | EMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical onboarding | 4-12 weeks | 1-4 weeks |
| Risk tolerance | Moderate-high, document-intensive underwriting | High, built specifically for high-risk sectors |
| Multi-currency handling | Varies, often limited without a bespoke setup | Usually strong, multi-currency by default |
| Best fit | The long-term primary account once your business is established | The first working account, and a strong redundancy layer alongside a bank |
Timeline, honestly
Clean file, existing licence or registration in order
No prior banking history to explain, no missing compliance documentation. This is the range most well-prepared files land in.
Compliance pack built from scratch, or a mid-complexity structure
Multi-jurisdiction or multi-currency setups, or a business without an existing AML/KYC policy we need to draft first.
Recovering from a recent closure, or a genuinely thin sector/jurisdiction combination
We say this up front rather than after you've waited. A prior offboarding is a fact to explain, not to hide, and doing so honestly is what actually keeps the timeline in this range rather than longer.
Four steps, one senior team
- 01
Eligibility read.
We take your sector, license status, volumes, and history of refusals, then tell you which institutions realistically fit and which are a waste of an application.
- 02
File preparation.
We assemble the compliance pack to the standard the chosen banks expect, so you arrive pre-vetted rather than cold.
- 03
Placement.
We apply through pre-vetted partners, named under NDA after intake, and manage the back-and-forth with the institution directly.
- 04
Account live and redundancy.
Once the primary account is open we add a backup institution, so the setup holds when one relationship changes its policy.
The documents that move a file forward
A complete file is the difference between a fast approval and a stalled one. This is what we will ask for at intake. If you are missing a policy, we draft it rather than send you away.
- Certificate of incorporation and current company extract
- Beneficial ownership declaration and passport copies for UBOs
- Existing license or registration where your activity requires one
- Source of funds and source of wealth evidence
- AML/KYC policy or, if you have none, we draft one
- Recent processing statements or projected monthly volumes
One anonymized case
iGaming operator, Curaçao license. Dropped by its acquirer and offboarded by its EU bank inside the same quarter.
Re-placed with a licence-matched EU bank and a backup EMI in 24 days, redundancy documented before the next review.
If your case looks different, that is exactly what the check is for.
Frequently asked
My account was just frozen. Can you still help?
Yes. A freeze is one of the most common reasons operators reach us. We focus first on a replacement banking relationship so revenue can move again, then advise on the documentation the freezing institution will want to release held funds.
Do you guarantee the bank will approve me?
No. We do not promise approval, and any consultancy that does is misreading the regulators. What we offer is an honest read on which institutions fit, and a file prepared to the standard that gives those applications their best chance.
Which banks do you work with?
We hold relationships with more than 50 banking and EMI partners across the EU and offshore jurisdictions. We name the specific institutions that fit your case under NDA after intake, not publicly.
How many banks and EMIs do you actually check before recommending one?
We hold relationships with more than 50 banking and EMI partners across the EU and offshore jurisdictions, and we only put your file in front of the ones whose current, published risk appetite genuinely covers your sector and volume. We do not shotgun applications across the whole list.
I'm already banked, but I only have one account. Can you help with redundancy?
Yes, and this is one of our most common engagements. A single banking relationship is not a strategy for a high-risk business. We add a backup institution on separate rails so a review or policy change at one does not leave you unbanked.
Do you work outside the EU?
Yes. We place across EU and offshore jurisdictions depending on which combination of licensing, banking access, and cost actually fits your business, not a single default region.
What does it cost?
Engagements start from 1,500 EUR plus the institution’s own onboarding fees. The exact scope is quoted in writing after the free check, before you commit to anything.
Related services
Industries we serve with this
Start with a confidential read on your banking & emi options
You tell us your situation in a line or two.
A person reads it the same day. Not a bot.
You get a written answer within 48 hours, under NDA.
Free pre-approval check
Tell us where it hurts. A written read on your options in 48 hours.