Banking & accounts — deep dive

Starling is an excellent British digital bank for UK residents, but it is generally harder or unavailable for non-residents compared with Wise and Revolut Business. Most Eteform clients from the Gulf and Egypt start with Wise and then evaluate Starling later if they move to residency in Britain.

Do not rely on Starling as your only plan while you are outside the UK.

Mercury is aimed primarily at US companies and startups tied to the US market. Some UK companies may not fall within its target segment. For non-resident Arabs, the most reliable path is Wise Business and/or Revolut Business, then Stripe.

If your clients are mainly American, you might also compare a UK Ltd with a Delaware LLC — depending on your business model.

Yes — this is one of the most important rules of limited liability and of banking and tax compliance. Open an account in the company's name, pay business expenses from it, and withdraw your profits as documented dividends or salary.

Mixing accounts weakens the Ltd's protection, complicates your tax, and can trigger bank rejections. Start with a clear separation from your very first revenue, even if the amount is small.

Yes. From the Founder package the three Citi Bank accounts include one in the UK, a dollar account in the US, and one in the UAE. Keep records of each withdrawal as a dividend or salary.

We open the accounts with our Citi Bank partner when proof of residential address, a valid passport, and the company-address proof cost are provided. If one of those is missing, we complete the file first. Starter does not include an account.