WorldFirst
WorldFirst is a UK (outside the EU/EEA) fintech-infrastructure provider (Cross-border payments / FX). Verified at source - licence, regulator and registry reference. Active (Ant Group)
Who it's for
WorldFirst 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): Partial - partly in the EEA - check the rail
- Company origin: UK (UK)
What WorldFirst does
Verified licence profile
WorldFirst (London, UK; founded 2004) - cross-border payments and FX for marketplace sellers and SMEs trading internationally: collection accounts, currency conversion and payouts across 220+ countries and regions, 1.5m+ business customers. Acquired by Ant Group (2019), now part of Ant International - ownership flag (CN). EEA rail: World First Netherlands B.V. (EMI).
Verified 2026-07-13. How we verify → · Spotted something out of date? Report a correction. · Are you WorldFirst? Work with us →
Official register entries
- E-money institution (EMI) - The Netherlands Bank · Ref R161090 · Active (EBA PSD2 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 WorldFirst
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 WorldFirst European / EEA-based?
Partly. WorldFirst is UK origin (UK); part of its rail or data sits outside the EEA - check the licence profile.
What does WorldFirst do?
WorldFirst covers: Cross-border payments / FX. Verified at source by Fintechnologica.