Best business bank account for software companies
The best business bank account for a software company is one that your payment processor and app store can pay out to in the currencies you sell in, that publishes a low FX margin, and that states clearly how a funded balance is protected. For SaaS revenue, the 1% conversion fee inside card processing is often the largest avoidable cost. This guide compares Stripe and Apple payout rules, published account terms and the independent BCC Trade Banking Index.
- Stripe's US pricing adds 1% to card fees when currency conversion is required, which on $40,000 a month of EUR and GBP subscriptions costs $4,800 a year.
- Stripe multi-currency settlement allows up to 18 currencies in 9 locations, with a separate bank account required for each settlement currency.
- Apple pays app proceeds within 45 days of the end of the fiscal month, as a single monthly payment converted into the currency of the one bank account on file.
- The FDIC insures deposits up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, per ownership category; Mercury publishes up to $5M and Aspire up to $100M through partner bank sweep networks.
- Treasury and yield products invest in money market funds and are not deposits; Aspire states its Treasury accounts are not FDIC insured.
- In the BCC Trade Banking Index exporters ranking, the closest fit for software companies, Wise Business scores 78 out of 100, Airwallex 74 and WorldFirst 71.
How a software company gets paid
A software company sells to customers in many countries from day one, but the money rarely arrives as a simple bank transfer. Self-serve subscriptions are paid by card through a payment processor, which pays out in batches. App revenue arrives once a month from the app store. Enterprise customers pay annual or quarterly invoices by wire or ACH, often in USD, EUR or GBP. Each channel has its own rules on currency and timing, and the business account has to fit all three.
| Revenue channel | How and when it pays out | Currency rule that affects the account |
|---|---|---|
| Card subscriptions through Stripe | Payouts on your schedule after settlement; a first payout typically 7 to 14 days after the first live payment | Converts incoming funds to your default currency unless you set up multi-currency settlement, with a bank account in each settlement currency |
| App Store | A single payment to your bank per fiscal month, within 45 days of the end of the fiscal month in which the sale was made, once you pass the minimum payment threshold | Apple's bank converts the payment into the currency of the bank account on file; only one primary account is supported |
| Enterprise invoices | Wire, ACH, SEPA or Faster Payments on the customer's payment terms | Local details in the customer's currency let the customer pay a domestic transfer |
Source: Stripe payouts, Stripe multi-currency settlement and Apple App Store Connect: overview of receiving payments, as published on 29 October 2026.
ACH is the US batch transfer network, SEPA is the euro area's low-cost transfer network, Faster Payments is the UK's instant transfer system, and SWIFT is the global network banks use for international wires. Settlement timing is the delay between a customer paying and the money becoming available to pay out. Stripe's example is a daily payout schedule with three-business-day settlement timing, where each day's payout contains transactions captured three business days earlier.
Enterprise invoices bring a different risk. A customer paying by SWIFT with the SHA charge code shares the bank charges with you, so intermediary banks can deduct fees and the amount that arrives is less than the invoice. Asking for the OUR code, or giving the customer local details in its own currency, avoids the shortfall. Our guide to SWIFT fees: OUR, SHA and BEN explains the codes.
The conversion fee hidden in card revenue
On Stripe's US pricing, a card payment costs 2.9% + 30¢ for a domestic card, plus 1.5% for an international card, plus 1% if currency conversion is required. A US software company that prices in euros and pounds for European customers, and settles everything in dollars, pays that 1% on every European subscription.
Multi-currency settlement avoids the automatic conversion. Stripe lets eligible businesses accrue balances and receive payouts in up to 18 currencies, but only in Australia, Hong Kong, Liechtenstein, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK and the US. You must add a separate bank account for each settlement currency, in the matching currency, and Stripe charges its applicable fee when funds settle into a non-primary settlement currency. Stripe also offers instant currency conversion of multi-currency balances, starting at 0.5% of the converted amount. Its Adaptive Pricing feature, which shows prices in the customer's local currency, presents customers with a conversion fee starting at 2%.
| Route for $40,000 a month of EUR and GBP subscriptions | Published rate | Conversion cost per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe converts to USD at payment (US pricing) | 1% | $400 | $4,800 |
| Stripe instant currency conversion of settled balances | Starting at 0.5% | From $200 | From $2,400 |
| Settle in EUR and GBP, convert at Airwallex | 0.5% above interbank (major currencies) | $200 | $2,400 |
| Settle in EUR and GBP, convert at Wise Business | From 0.23% | From $92 | From $1,104 |
| Settle in EUR and GBP, convert at Aspire (US) | From 0.22% above mid-market | From $88 | From $1,056 |
| Settle in EUR and GBP, keep them to pay European costs | No conversion | $0 | $0 |
Source: Helm Editorial Team calculation from Stripe pricing, Airwallex, Wise Business and Aspire pricing pages, as published on 29 October 2026. Settlement routes exclude Stripe's fee for settling in a non-primary currency, which Stripe publishes in its settlement table. "From" figures are the lowest published rate.
The last row is the one many software companies overlook. A company with European staff, contractors or vendors can keep EUR revenue in EUR to pay them, and convert nothing. That requires an account that gives EUR details in the company's name and pays out in EUR.
App Store revenue: one payment a month
Apple publishes clear rules for paying developers, and they shape the account a mobile software company needs.
- Payments go to the primary bank account on file when the payment is processed; split or multiple bank accounts are not supported.
- If you exceed the minimum monthly payment threshold and meet any invoicing requirements for your country or region, payment is made to your bank account and currency within 45 days of the last day of the fiscal month in which the transaction was completed.
- Apple's bank consolidates proceeds for each currency in which you have App Store sales, resulting in a single payment to your bank per fiscal month.
- Apple's bank converts payment amounts into the currency of your bank account; the rate is typically the spot rate on the date of payment, no more than three business days before the proceeds reach your account.
- Payments may be reduced by bank fees and transaction costs charged by your bank or intermediate financial institutions.
Source: Apple App Store Connect: overview of receiving payments, as published on 29 October 2026.
Two practical points follow. Choose the currency of the account you give Apple on purpose: Apple converts proceeds into that currency, so the account currency decides where your conversion happens and at whose rate. And because app revenue arrives monthly with a lag of up to 45 days after month end, plan payroll and cloud bills around that date rather than the date of the sale.
Keeping a funded balance safe
A software company that has raised money may hold millions in its account for a year or more. The FDIC insures deposits up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category. Most fintech providers are not banks: they hold your money at partner banks, and some spread it across a network of banks (a sweep network) so that more of the balance falls under FDIC limits. Yield products are different again: they invest in money market funds and are not deposits.
| Provider | Deposit protection, as published | Yield or treasury product, as published |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury | A fintech, not an FDIC-insured bank; up to $5M FDIC insurance through partner banks Choice Financial Group and Column N.A. and their sweep networks | Treasury unlocked with a $250K balance, offered by Mercury Advisory, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser; yield subject to investment risk |
| Aspire (US) | FDIC insurance up to $100M through Column N.A. and its sweep program network banks; certain conditions apply for pass-through coverage; non-USD accounts held by its Hong Kong entity are not FDIC insured | Aspire Treasury up to 3.55% a year net of fees, based on a stated 7-day yield; not FDIC insured |
| Airwallex (US) | FDIC pass-through eligibility in the US via Evolve Bank & Trust (Index profile) | Yield on USD of 3.45% (Explore), 3.60% (Grow) or 3.72% (Accelerate) |
| Slash | FDIC insurance through Column N.A. sweep for checking; global account balances held in its USDSL stablecoin are not FDIC insured (Index profile) | A treasury product is listed on its site; terms not compared here |
| Wise Business | Safeguarded e-money; no FSCS (Index profile) | Not compared here |
Source: FDIC Deposit Insurance At A Glance, Mercury pricing, Aspire pricing and Airwallex pricing, as published on 29 October 2026; rows marked Index profile from the BCC Trade Banking Index, facts read 21 October 2026.
FSCS is the UK's Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which protects bank deposits but not e-money. Pass-through coverage means FDIC insurance applies to you as if you held the deposit at the bank directly, provided the conditions are met. Read where your provider says funds are held, and split very large balances across institutions if the coverage limit matters to your board.
Paying for cloud, tools and a remote team
Cloud hosting, developer tools and software subscriptions are usually billed by card, and many are priced in US dollars. For a company outside the US, or a US company paying a vendor in euros, the card's foreign currency fee applies to every charge. Published fees on card spend in another currency range from zero at Airwallex, which lists multi-currency corporate cards with zero international fees, to 1% (minimum $0.40) at Slash and 3% on non-USD transactions at Mercury. WorldFirst's UK card is free when spending from balances in 15 major currencies, and Wise charges nothing to spend a currency you hold.
Engineering teams are often spread across countries. Paying contractors in their own currency through batch payouts, with the rate shown first, usually costs less than sending USD and letting the contractor's bank convert it. US companies paying foreign individual contractors should collect IRS Form W-8BEN before the first payment. Our guide to the best business bank account for agencies compares batch payout options in detail.
Approval controls matter more as the team grows. Look for separate logins for each person, card limits per employee or per vendor, and a second approver for payments above a set amount.
Which providers accept your company
Many software founders outside the US form a US company, often a Delaware corporation, to raise money from US investors and to sell through US payment processors. Others keep a company at home and open accounts abroad. The provider you can use depends on where the company is registered.
| Provider | Who it accepts, as published |
|---|---|
| Mercury | US-formed companies only; founders accepted from most countries except a published list (Index profile) |
| Slash | Companies from 100+ countries without a US entity for its Global USD account; the country list is not published (Index profile) |
| Airwallex | Businesses registered in its published list, including the US, UK, EU countries, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Brazil and Mexico; not the UAE |
| Aspire | Companies incorporated in 16 countries, mainly Singapore, Hong Kong, China, India, Australia, South East Asia and the US (Index profile) |
| Wise Business | Companies registered in a long published list (Index profile) |
| Revolut Business | UK, EEA and US registered companies only (Index profile) |
| Statrys | Hong Kong, Singapore and British Virgin Islands companies only (Index profile) |
Source: Airwallex eligible countries and territories, as published on 29 October 2026; other rows from the BCC Trade Banking Index provider profiles, facts read by BCC on 21 October 2026. BCC is a Helm group company.
If you are forming a US company from abroad, see our guides to a US bank account for a foreign company and to opening a US business bank account as a non-resident.
Independent rankings: the BCC Trade Banking Index
The BCC Trade Banking Index scores 27 providers out of 100 using only their published terms. It ranks importers, exporters and wholesalers, and has no software ranking. A software company selling abroad is a service exporter, so the exporters ranking is the closest fit; for a company holding a large balance, the protection and standing criterion, which scores legal status, where funds are held and deposit protection, matters as much. Disclosure: Buckingham Capital Consulting (BCC), which publishes the Index, is a Helm group company. Helm is scored in the 2026 edition by the same published method as every other provider.
| Provider | Exporters | Overall | Getting paid (0 to 5) | Access (0 to 5) | Protection and standing (0 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wise Business | 78 | 71 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Airwallex | 74 | 70 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| WorldFirst | 71 | 66 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Currenxie | 67 | 60 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Payoneer | 61 | 60 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Mercury | 51 | 56 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Revolut Business | 49 | 49 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| HSBC UK | 47 | 51 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Slash | 45 | 50 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Aspire | 45 | 44 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Source: BCC Trade Banking Index 2026, facts read by BCC on 21 October 2026, as published on 29 October 2026. BCC is a Helm group company.
The scores show a trade-off. Wise, WorldFirst and Airwallex lead on getting paid in several currencies. Mercury scores 4 out of 5 on protection and standing, with named partner banks and FDIC pass-through, but 2 on getting paid because it receives USD only. HSBC UK, a bank with FSCS protection, scores 5 on protection but lower on fees and access. Many software companies use two providers: one for multi-currency revenue and one for holding the bulk of their cash.
Where Helm fits, and a checklist before you choose
Helm is a financial technology company, not a bank; accounts are held with regulated partner institutions. For a software company it provides USD account details in the company's own name (a routing and account number that receives ACH, Fedwire and SWIFT), EUR details with an IBAN (the account format used across Europe) for SEPA and SWIFT, and GBP details for Faster Payments and SWIFT, with conversion between balances and international payments where the rate, fee and expected arrival are shown before sending. USDC and USDT can be received, sent and converted to USD inside the account. Pricing is agreed with each business before the account opens; see contact the Helm team and Helm global accounts. Helm is scored in the 2026 Index by the same published method as every other provider.
- Can your payment processor pay out to the account in each currency you price in?
- Does the account give local details in the currencies your enterprise customers pay in?
- What is the published FX margin, and can you hold currencies instead of converting?
- Where are deposits held, how much is covered by deposit insurance, and is any yield product a deposit or an investment?
- What does card spend in another currency cost?
- Does the provider accept your country of registration?
- Can you set approval rules and per-person card limits as the team grows?
Open a Helm account
USD, EUR and GBP accounts in your company's name, with a named account manager.
Open accountQuestions
What is the best business bank account for a software company?
The best account accepts your company, receives revenue in the currencies you price in, publishes a low FX margin and states clearly where funded balances are held. In the 2026 BCC Trade Banking Index exporters ranking, the closest fit for software companies, Wise Business scores 78 out of 100, Airwallex 74 and WorldFirst 71; BCC is a Helm group company.
How much does Stripe charge for currency conversion?
On Stripe's US pricing page, card payments cost 2.9% + 30¢ for domestic cards, plus 1.5% for international cards and 1% if currency conversion is required, as published on 29 October 2026. Instant currency conversion of multi-currency balances starts at 0.5% of the converted amount.
Where is Stripe multi-currency settlement available?
Stripe lists Australia, Hong Kong, Liechtenstein, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK and the US. It allows up to 18 settlement currencies, each needing a bank account in the matching currency.
When does Apple pay app developers?
Apple pays to the bank account and currency on file within 45 days of the last day of the fiscal month in which the transaction was completed, once you exceed the minimum payment threshold and meet any invoicing requirements. Apple's bank consolidates proceeds from each currency, resulting in a single payment to your bank per fiscal month.
How much of a startup's balance is FDIC insured?
The FDIC standard insurance amount is $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category. Some fintech providers use sweep networks to extend coverage, such as up to $5M at Mercury and up to $100M at Aspire through Column N.A., subject to pass-through conditions.
Are treasury and yield products FDIC insured?
No. Products that invest in money market funds, such as Aspire Treasury and Mercury Treasury, are investments, not deposits, and Aspire states its Treasury accounts are not FDIC insured. Check whether any yield you are offered comes from a deposit or an investment.
Can a non-US software company open a Mercury account?
Mercury accepts only US-formed companies, according to its BCC Trade Banking Index profile, though it accepts founders from most countries. Founders abroad often form a US company first, or use a provider that accepts companies from their own country.
Which card is cheapest for paying cloud and software bills in USD?
For spend in a currency the card does not hold, Airwallex publishes cards with zero international fees and Wise charges nothing to spend a currency you hold. Slash charges 1% (minimum $0.40) and Mercury 3% on non-USD card transactions, as published on 29 October 2026.
Should a software company keep revenue in EUR and GBP?
If it has costs in those currencies, such as staff, contractors or vendors, keeping the revenue unconverted avoids a conversion margin on both sides. That requires settlement in those currencies and an account with EUR and GBP details in the company's name.
References
- Stripe: pricing (US)
- Stripe Docs: multi-currency settlement
- Apple App Store Connect Help: overview of receiving payments
- FDIC: Deposit Insurance At A Glance
- Mercury: pricing
- Aspire: pricing (US)
- Buckingham Capital Consulting: Global Trade Banking Index 2026
- Airwallex: pricing (US)
This guide is general information for businesses, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and timings were checked against the sources listed on the review date and may change.