Currencies Direct
Currencies Direct is a UK (outside the EU/EEA) fintech-infrastructure provider (Cross-border payments / FX). Verified at source - licence, regulator and registry reference. Active
Who it's for
Currencies Direct is built for businesses moving money across currencies and borders - collections, FX and payouts. It holds its own e-money licence, so programmes can run under its umbrella with safeguarded client funds.
Sovereignty profile
- Data residency (EEA): Yes - hosted in the EEA - GDPR / CLOUD Act safe
- Company origin: UK (UK)
What Currencies Direct does
Verified licence profile
Currencies Direct (London, UK; founded 1996 by Mayank Patel and Peter Ellis) - international payments and FX broker for private and SME clients, transacting ~GBP 10bn a year across 1M+ payments. EEA rail via Currencies Direct Spain, E.D.E. (E-money institution, Bank of Spain). Register-sourced: E-money institution (EMI), Bank of Spain, ref 6716; passported to 30 EEA states.
Verified 2026-07-11. How we verify → · Spotted something out of date? Report a correction. · Are you Currencies Direct? Work with us →
Official register entries
- E-money institution (EMI) - Bank of Spain · Ref 6716 · Active (EBA PSD2 register, as of 2026-07-18)
- E-money institution (EMI) - Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) · Ref 900669 · Active (FCA Financial Services Register, as of 2026-07-18)
Register-sourced. See the full European Fintech Index. Registers have no legal significance - always confirm current status with the home regulator.
European alternatives to Currencies Direct
AKCENTA (Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic; founded 1997) - one of Central Europe's largest non-bank FX and payments providers for SMEs: foreign exchange, international payments and hedging for approx. 43,000 clients across CZ, SK, HU, PL, RO and DE. Payment institution (Czech National Bank). Member of the Raiffeisen Bank International group since 2021 - ownership flag (EU).
🏦 Local IBANs: GB DE LU
Banking Circle S.A. (Luxembourg) - cross-border banking, accounts, payments and settlement for banks, PSPs and fintechs; issues the EURI euro stablecoin. Credit institution, CSSF (LUB00000408); not the unrelated 'Circle Group S.A.'.
Currency One S.A. (Poznan) - operator of Walutomat (P2P currency exchange, since 2009) and InternetowyKantor.pl. Krajowa Instytucja Platnicza (national payment institution) licensed by KNF (since 2015-07-21); online FX, payment accounts, transfers.
CurrencyFair (Dublin, Ireland) - peer-to-peer currency exchange + international money transfers (20+ currencies). Payment institution authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland (firm ref C57373, EU Payment Services Regs 2018); also regulated in AU (ASIC) and SG (MAS).
🏦 Local IBANs: ES GB BE
EMI FCA (Ebury Partners UK) + Ebury Partners Belgium (EEA) + Spain branch (Bank of Spain reg 6889); own-IBAN accounts; majority Santander.
🏦 Local IBANs: CY
ECOMMBX (Cyprus) - business IBAN accounts in the company's own name, cross-border payments, cards, acquiring and multi-currency (ECOMMVERSE platform). Cypriot EMI (Central Bank of Cyprus).
FAQ
Is Currencies Direct European / EEA-based?
Yes. Currencies Direct hosts data in the EEA (GDPR / CLOUD Act safe); origin UK, UK.
What does Currencies Direct do?
Currencies Direct covers: Cross-border payments / FX. Verified at source by Fintechnologica.