2026-11-12
Payment on Hold: Why Your Bank Is Asking About One Transfer — and How to Answer
A payment on hold and a question from the bank? Why single transfers get stopped, who is really asking, what to send, and how to avoid a second round.
Blog
Insights on international payments and business accounts.
2026-11-10
Your Website Is Part of Your Application: What a Payment Provider Looks For
Before a provider approves a business account, someone opens your website. What reviewers look for, what raises questions and what to fix before you apply.
2026-11-05
Structured Addresses in SWIFT and SEPA Payments: The Deadline Moved, the Work Didn't
Swift and the EPC postponed the November 2026 end of free-text addresses in payments. What structured addresses are and why to clean up your data now.
2026-11-03
The Numbers on Your Application: Why Expected Account Activity Matters After Onboarding
Why the volumes, countries and counterparties you declared when opening a business account keep mattering, and when to tell your provider about changes.
2026-10-29
Who Really Owns the Company? Beneficial Ownership Questions in a Business Account Review
Opening a business account? Why reviewers trace ownership past holding companies and nominees, and how to present a UBO structure that's easy to verify.
2026-10-27
Forex Broker Banking: Why Your Payment Provider Cares Where Client Money Sits
Applying for a forex broker bank account? Why reviewers focus on client money, licence scope, introducing brokers and deposit flows, and what to prepare first.
2026-10-22
Banking for iGaming Operators: Why the Licence Is Only the First Question
A gaming licence is only the first thing a bank checks. Why player markets, geo-blocking and money flows decide how an iGaming operator's application goes.
2026-10-20
MiCA's Grace Period Is Over: What Crypto Businesses Now Need to Show Their Bank
The MiCA transitional period ended on 1 July 2026. What that changes for crypto firms, and what banks and payment providers now ask before they say yes.
2026-10-15
Where Did the Money Come From? Source of Funds Requests, Explained
Your bank or payment provider wants proof of where the money came from. What source of funds means, how it differs from source of wealth, and what to send.
2026-10-13
Wrong IBAN, Wrong Name: How Small Payment Mistakes Turn Into Returned Transfers
A wrong digit or the wrong company name can send a transfer back. What gets payments returned, what Verification of Payee checks, and how to avoid it.
2026-10-08
Blacklisted Jurisdictions Explained: Why the Other Side's Country Matters as Much as Yours
Polydirection won't process payments tied to 104 listed jurisdictions, in or out. What that means for your clients, suppliers and company structure.
2026-10-06
Multi-Currency IBAN Explained: Why Getting Paid in Dollars Shouldn't Mean Converting Twice
A multi-currency IBAN keeps dollars as dollars. How it works, what SEPA and SWIFT cost on the way in, and when converting is still the right call.
2026-10-01
Banking for Online Dating Platforms: Why Subscription Businesses Get Flagged — and What Actually Helps
Why online dating and subscription platforms get flagged as high risk by banks, what reviewers actually worry about, and how to prepare your application.
2026-09-29
Declined Somewhere Else? What an Individual Review Can — and Can't — Change
Turned down by an automated checklist? What Polydirection's individual review actually looks at for crypto, gambling, forex and dating businesses — and what it won't promise.
2026-09-24
Prepaid Mastercard or Full Personal Account: What Actually Changes When You Skip the IBAN Banking Layer
A Polydirection Personal account bundles a multi-currency IBAN, SEPA/SWIFT transfers and a Mastercard together. The standalone Prepaid Mastercard strips two of those three away. Here's what that trade-off actually looks like.
2026-09-22
The Three Small Fees That Add Up to More Than an Audit: SWIFT/SEPA Confirmation, Reference Letters & Amendment Requests
15 EUR here, 10 EUR there — Polydirection's smallest admin fees look trivial one at a time. Here's what SWIFT/SEPA confirmation, reference letters and amendment requests actually cost over a year.
2026-09-17
Regular Spender vs. Active Spender: When the 6 EUR Monthly Fee Actually Pays for Itself
Active Spender costs 6 EUR a month that Regular Spender doesn't. Here's the exact math — fees and limits both — on when that upgrade stops being a cost and starts being a discount.
2026-09-15
The SWIFT Minimum Fee: Why a Small International Transfer Costs More, Percentage-Wise, Than a Large One
SWIFT transfers are priced as a percentage with a minimum fee — and that minimum quietly makes small international payments proportionally the most expensive. Here's the exact threshold where the math flips.
2026-09-10
Personal vs Business: What Actually Changes in the Price of a Polydirection Account
Opening a Business account costs up to 1,075 EUR and 50 EUR a month to maintain — a Personal account is free and costs 1 EUR. Here's exactly what drives the gap, and what doesn't move at all.
2026-09-08
EU vs Non-EU: What Jurisdiction Actually Costs on a Business Account
The fee schedule for a business account isn't one number — it depends on whether the account sits in the EU or outside it. A breakdown of what actually changes: account opening, monthly maintenance, minimum balance, and outbound transfers.
2026-09-03
What a Business Card Actually Costs Once You Leave the Eurozone
A breakdown of card fees on a high-risk business account: ATM withdrawals, POS charges, foreign exchange markup, and card limits — and why the Regular vs Active Spender tier changes the math.
2026-09-01
The Paperwork Fees Nobody Mentions Until a Partner Asks for Proof
Compliance audits, reference letters, and account confirmations are priced separately from transfer fees on a high-risk business account. Here's what they cost and when you'll need them.
2026-08-27
The Balance Fee Nobody Budgets For: What It Costs to Just Hold Money in a High-Risk Account
High-risk merchant accounts can charge for holding a large balance, not just for moving it. Here's how the fee works, why it exists, and how to model it into cash flow.
2026-08-25
The Currency Exchange Fee Nobody Reads Until Their Settlement Report Looks Wrong
Currency exchange fees apply even to a fully successful payment. Here's how fiat and crypto conversion fees actually work.
2026-08-20
Refund Fees in a High-Risk Merchant Account: What a Voluntary Return Actually Costs
Declines, refunds and chargebacks are priced completely differently. Here's why a proactive refund is usually the cheaper decision.
2026-08-18
Payout Fees: The Cost of Paying Money Out That High-Risk Merchants Often Miss
OCT payout fees are priced separately from acquiring fees — and for gambling, forex and affiliate payouts, they add up fast.
2026-08-13
Accepting Payments in Latin America: Why Local Payment Methods Cost More — and Convert Better
Local payment methods in LATAM cost more than card acquiring — but the real comparison is approved revenue, not the headline rate.
2026-08-11
Why Payment Declines Cost High-Risk Merchants More Than the Failed Sale
Every declined card attempt carries its own fixed fee. Here's why crypto, gambling and forex see more declines, and what the fee actually covers.
2026-08-07
Chargebacks in High-Risk Merchant Accounts: What Actually Triggers the Extra Fees
The chargeback ratio thresholds that trigger escalating fees, what actually drives disputes up, and how to keep the ratio down.
2026-08-04
What Is a Rolling Reserve, and Why Does Your High-Risk Merchant Account Have One?
How a rolling reserve actually works, why acquirers ask for it, and how to model it into cash flow planning instead of getting blindsided.
2026-07-30
Payment Processing for Dating Platforms: Why Standard Banks Say No
Why dating platforms get declined by standard payment processors, and what a working recurring-billing setup actually needs.
2026-07-28
Opening a Multi-Currency Business Account as a Non-Resident: Step-by-Step Guide
What non-resident actually means for account opening, why traditional banks make it hard, and the practical steps to get a working account.
2026-07-23
Merchant Acquiring for High-Risk Industries: Crypto, Gambling & Forex Explained
Why crypto, gambling and forex get grouped as high-risk for card acquiring, what underwriters actually check, and how chargebacks drive pricing.
2026-07-21
SEPA vs SWIFT: Which Payment Rail Is Right for Your International Business?
A plain-language breakdown of how SEPA and SWIFT payment rails differ, and what that means for settlement time and fees on a business account.
2026-07-16
Why Traditional Banks Reject Crypto, Gambling & Forex Businesses — And What To Do About It
Traditional banks score entire industries as high-risk, not individual businesses. Here's why, and what actually works instead.
2026-07-14
How Forex Brokers Choose a Banking Partner: IBAN, SEPA & EMI Explained
Why forex brokerage banking is different from a normal business account, and how SEPA, SWIFT and EMI status actually fit together.
2026-07-09
Crypto-Friendly Business Account in the EU: What Founders Need to Know in 2026
Why traditional banks avoid crypto businesses, what a genuinely crypto-friendly account needs to offer, and how licensing requirements actually work.
2026-07-07
High-Risk Merchant Account for iGaming: A Complete Guide to Approval & Fees
What actually determines merchant account approval for iGaming operators, realistic timelines, fee structures, and red flags that kill applications.