Accounts
Hold money in regulated accounts, built to scale
Open UK and EU accounts with ease via our API. Safeguard funds at the central bank. Scale to millions of virtual IBANs.
Real bank accounts
Genuine deposit accounts settled at the Bank of England and the European Central Bank. Not e-money.
Built for scale
Open accounts via our API. Allocate up to 6 million virtual IBANs from a single parent account.
Protected customer funds
FSCS coverage up to £120,000 per depositor in the UK. National DGS coverage up to €100,000 in Europe.
One integration, every capability
Accounts, clearing, payments, and FX from a single API and one trusted partner.
Trusted by leading businesses
The right account, structured the right way
Agency Banking
Operating accounts
Your day–to–day business finances, with real–time API and portal access.
Client money/ fund accounts
Segregated accounts designed for investment firms.
Customer segregated accounts
Customer funds kept legally separate from your own. Real or virtual structures.
Safeguarding accounts
Ring–fenced customer funds, held securely for regulated firms.
Scale without the operational burden
Real accounts, virtual accounts, or both. We'll help you find what fits.
IBAN
International Bank Account Number
Real account structure
Physical accounts, each with their own sort code. Ideal for regulated firms managing safeguarded or operational funds – or those with a relatively small number of customers.
Benefits
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- FSCS–eligible deposits for end customers (UK)
- Ideal for safeguarded or operational funds
- Right for regulated, customer–facing firms
vIBAN
Virtual International Bank Account Number
Virtual account structure
Notionally segregate customer money while keeping funds centralised in at least one real account. Generate up to 6 million vIBANs in real-time.
Benefits
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- Open accounts in real-time
- Each vIBAN looks and feels like a real account
- Built for high–volume customer–facing propositions
Customer funds held at the central bank. Eligible deposits protected up to the applicable local limits.
Fuelling innovation, partnering for growth
Client stories
Trusted at scale
Open bank accounts
In deposits held
Clients supported
FAQs
Real accounts are physical bank accounts at ClearBank, each with their own sort code or IBAN. Funds sit at the relevant central bank. Virtual accounts (vIBANs) are unique identifiers mapped to a real account – useful when you need to give every customer a dedicated payment reference without opening millions of physical accounts. Most clients use both: one real account for safeguarding, many vIBANs to identify the customer or transaction.
Yes. Eligible deposits in ClearBank UK accounts are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £120,000 per depositor. In Europe, deposits are covered by national Deposit Guarantee Schemes (DGS) up to €100,000 per depositor.
Safeguarding accounts are for EMIs and Payment Institutions that must segregate end-customer funds under FCA rules. Client money accounts are for investment and wealth management firms operating under CASS 7. Both keep customer funds separate from your operating money, and ClearBank provides regulatory acknowledgement letters for both.
Yes. ClearBank holds banking licences in both the UK (PRA-authorised, FCA-regulated) and the EU (Dutch banking licence). Both jurisdictions are accessible through a single API integration – so you can serve UK and European customers from one platform.
New accounts can be opened via API in seconds once your integration is live. Going live with ClearBank – including KYC, contracting, and integration – typically takes weeks rather than months, depending on the complexity of your use case.
Some account types – safeguarding accounts and client money accounts – are only available to firms with the corresponding regulatory permissions. Other account types, including operating accounts and current accounts via our Embedded Banking solution, are available to a wider range of partners. We’ll guide you to the right setup during onboarding.
ClearBank multi-currency accounts hold up to 12 currencies under a single IBAN. FX conversion and settlement happen in real time via the same API. Funds are settled in the relevant central bank or correspondent network depending on the currency.
