Account charges are set out in the tariff of charges. Nothing is added after you open, and any change is notified to you in advance.
Who Essential Base is for
Essential Base is the account a company opens when it starts trading. It handles payments in and out, issues cards to the people who need them, and stays out of the way.
- You are pre-revenue or early revenue, and the payment volume is modest.
- One or two people need to move money; you do not yet need approval chains.
- You want cards issued today rather than in a fortnight.
- You would rather not carry a monthly minimum balance.
What is included
| Feature | Essential Base |
|---|---|
| Minimum balance | None |
| Digital payments | Unlimited domestic transfers and direct debits |
| Virtual cards | Issued instantly, usable the same minute |
| Physical cards | Up to three cardholders |
| Treasury app | Full access on web and mobile |
| Users | Up to three, each with their own credentials |
| Approval chains | Single approver |
| Bulk payables | Not included |
| API access | Not included |
| Support | 24/7 standard queue |
Cards before plastic
Virtual cards appear in the treasury app as soon as the account opens, so a new hire can pay for software on their first morning.
When to move up
Essential Base stops fitting at fairly predictable moments. These are the honest triggers rather than a sales prompt.
- More than one person approves payments
- Once a second signature is a control rather than a courtesy, you need the permission model in Growth Scale.
- You are paying suppliers in batches
- Uploading a payment file beats keying twenty transfers. Bulk payables is a Growth Scale feature.
- Your systems need to talk to the bank
- Accounting or ERP reconciliation over an API starts at Growth Scale.
- You are settling in several currencies
- Multi-currency settlement and a named CFO contact sit in Global Entity.
Opening the account
Register the company
Legal name, registered address, trading address and what the business actually does.
Identify the people
Photo ID and proof of address for every director and anyone owning a controlling stake.
Company documents
Certificate of incorporation, constitutional documents and the register of members.
Review
A person reads the file. Expect questions about the business model; answering the same day keeps it moving.
Open and fund
Credentials issued, virtual cards live, first deposit accepted.
Documents you may also need
Growth Scale
For companies where money now moves through a process: user permissions, approval chains, bulk payables and API access to your own data.
Business CheckingGlobal Entity
Institutional infrastructure for groups: multi-currency settlement, cross-entity visibility, structured limits and a dedicated CFO contact.
Personal BankingYour Benefits
Everything that comes with a personal account, tier by tier — what is included, what it is worth, and how to claim it.
This document was last updated on 1 August 2026. We publish the current version here at all times; superseded versions are available on request.
If anything on this page is unclear, write to us and we will explain it.