Is 3S Money a bank or electronic money institution?
3S Money is not a bank - we're a bank challenger. We're a licenced Electronic Money Institution (EMI) that provides international payment services and solutions.
As an EMI, we can provide banking-like services without a traditional bank's restrictions. These include multi-currency business accounts, foreign exchange in 65+ currencies, credit lines, and cross-border payments in 190+ countries.
Does 3S Money have a banking licence?
We don't have a banking licence, but three leading authorities globally regulate us:
This means we have a regulatory obligation to operate compliantly and legally. It also motivates businesses to offer their customers the best possible service.
Is 3S Money as safe as a bank account?
As we're not a traditional bank, we don't have the issues caused by legacy infrastructure and bureaucracy. For example, banks must join the UK’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
As banks loan out customers' money, the bank could become insolvent if too many borrowers default on their loans. If this happens, the FSCS is legally required to compensate eligible customers.
As an EMI and not a bank, we’re not required to join the FSCS scheme. However, as we don’t loan out client funds, we retain 100% liquidity. This means that in the unlikely case anything was to happen to us, we could instantly release customer funds.
How do we do this? We keep our operational funds separate from our client funds in top-tier correspondent banks around Europe, including:
How is 3S Money different to a bank?
Electronic money institutions are leading a digital payments revolution. They're challenging banks, driving innovation, and making financial services accessible for all. Discover how you can take your business to the next level with 3S Money.
Here are some of the main advantages that EMIs have over traditional banks:
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Licence to adapt, change and innovate.
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Lower fees for international payments.
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A faster application process for both new and existing businesses.
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Simple, clear, and quick money management for businesses.
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An understanding of the future digital environment that traditional banks fail to grasp.
Do you want to learn more about 3S Money? Please don't hesitate to contact our team. We'd love to hear from you.
Ready to get started? You can complete our free online eligibility checker and receive pre-approval in under 15 minutes