How Globus Payments is building a new payment platform with ClearBank
- Supporting a new business through its successful EMI licence application and launch with operating accounts and payment scheme connectivity.
- Cost-effective access to Faster Payment System (FPS) delivers all the advantages of the UK’s real-time payments infrastructure, without incurring the costs of being a direct scheme member.
- A virtual account structure for segregated accounts provides the flexibility to efficiently support a growing customer base without the operational costs and complexity associated with servicing individual accounts.
- Seamless integration via ClearBank technology partner Crassula streamlines onboarding and operations, reducing implementation time and technical complexity.
Globus Payments is one of the UK’s newest Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs), receiving its licence in March 2025 and officially launching its proposition in September 2025. Globus Payments delivers a powerful, enterprise-grade platform built for businesses that require seamless cross-border transactions with speed, accuracy, and full compliance.
With deep industry expertise, advanced FX capabilities, and systems engineered for mass payouts, payroll, and complex finance operations, it simplifies global payments at scale. From high-volume transactions to mission-critical financial workflows, Globus gives companies the control, transparency, and reliability they need to operate confidently in every market.
With ambitious plans to deliver modern payment services to a diverse customer base, it examined the market for a technology-focused banking partner. One that could support the business as it went through the EMI licence process and one that would enable them to scale as a fully regulated firm, which led them to ClearBank.
The rise of digital applications and online platforms has considerably increased the gig economy’s popularity and feasibility. While traditional employment comes with fixed weekly or monthly payments, the nature of the gig economy is significantly different. The gig economy’s project-based, short-term arrangements are a catalyst for new payment models.
Seeing an opportunity for a new type of payment platform, built for the specific needs of employers and employees, Globus Payments was founded to solve issues surrounding the flow of funds from gig economy platforms to the gig workers themselves.
“There’s enormous payment complexity built into the logistics and gig economy. A delivery driver might be paid per route or per drop, while a private hire firm may need to pay drivers who are self-employed, leasing vehicles, or working mixed arrangements. When those systems fail, late payments hit real people’s financial stability. Our job is to eliminate that friction. We do it through a platform that delivers fast settlement, real-time reconciliation, and seamless disbursement, so workers get paid on time, every time.”
To deliver on its vision, Globus Payments looked for a partner that could provide its core infrastructure. This led it to ClearBank partner Crassula, who collaborated with Globus to offer a comprehensive white-label core banking platform, which includes full back-office and mobile/web interfaces for client management, providing a simple, single integration with an underlying agency bank.
“The Crassula partnership was the perfect scenario for us. Crassula is focused on delivering and maintaining the core banking platform, while ClearBank enables firms like ours to launch and scale using its banking infrastructure for accounts and payment scheme connectivity, and through this model, we have one implementation to manage, not two or three or four, to ultimately achieve our desired result.”
UK EMIs have many potential partners for accounts and payment services. ClearBank offered the benefits of being a market leader, alongside a track record of supporting fintechs at every stage of their journey.
“When going through the licencing stages, you need to show the FCA that you’re working with proven partners,” says Moore. “ClearBank has a strong reputation and is known as the bank for fintechs. More than that, we appreciate the singular focus on account provision and payment connectivity and excelling at those.”
With ambitious growth plans, Globus needed an efficient model for account set-up and management approach. ClearBank is delivering this through its Virtual GBP accounts, which are built for flexibility. They allow Globus to open millions of accounts, each with its own addressable vIBAN (virtual International Bank Account Number), with no limit on the number of logic layers that the firm can create within its ledger.
The ClearBank API means Globus can open virtual accounts in real time, 365 days a year, each with its own vIBAN. This structure enables the company to support many customers with one or just a small number of real accounts. It provides the account infrastructure for Globus to see where funds are held for each of its customers without the cost and complexity of managing individual real accounts for all of them.
“ClearBank delivers proven technology that supports operational efficiency and scalability. For example, virtual accounts make a big difference because we don’t have to go through the complexity of setting up individual physical accounts for every customer. As we grow, we need a platform with virtual accounts linked to that one general segregated account,” Moore explains. “We also appreciate the ability to set up the accounts instantly via an API, so we can be as efficient as possible.”
These accounts are complemented by access to the UK Faster Payment System (FPS). With FPS, customers’ funds are credited to their accounts in real-time. As ClearBank’s platform is available 24/7, customers can move money whenever they want.
By partnering with ClearBank, Globus delivers all the benefits of faster payments, without the operational cost and complexity of becoming a direct participant. It also avoids the ongoing capital investment to maintain those connections to ensure the uptime its customers demand, as well as testing and preparing for scheme updates.
