Currency markets used to be background noise for most small businesses. That’s changed. Now, even small shifts in exchange rates affect supplier margins, pricing strategies, and international payments. And for companies that import, export, or invoice across borders, the impact is visible.
Take the GBP/EUR pair. Over the last quarter, the pound gained roughly 2.5% against the euro. That might sound modest but if your business imports goods or services priced in euros, your cost base just dropped, even if nothing else changed. A supplier invoice of €10,000 now converts to fewer pounds than it did 90 days ago. That delta lands in your margin, not theirs.
Pound sterling and US Dollar, for example, fluctuate daily by an average of 0.3% or more. If this is something recurring (like weekly imports) and FX conversion isn’t properly managed, this small fluctuation can add up over time, and not always in your favour. When paired with tariffs, political signals or end-of-quarter billing cycles, a rate shift of even half a percent can change the value of an invoice enough to alter timing or push the sides to renegotiate pricing.
A 2025 study across 400 UK-based SMEs showed that companies adjusting currency strategy once per quarter maintained higher invoice accuracy and fewer FX-related write-offs than those reacting only at year-end. Interestingly, some of them didn’t track FX actively. They just built flexibility into how they received and converted payments.
If you’re a importer/exporter based in the UK, you’re still routing all foreign payments into a GBP-only account, you’re likely leaving value behind, because someone else picked it. When a client or supplier converts on their side, you inherit their timing, their bank’s rate, and any hidden margin. It may not look like a fee, but the effect is the same.
Most “leaks” happen when invoices are raised in one currency, settlements arrive into a GBP‑only account, and an automatic conversion happens on someone else’s terms that your financial operations department does not control. The fix is to separate payment from conversion. Treat FX as a working‑capital decision—match currency in and out where possible, convert only against a known cash need, and make the price of conversion explicit rather than embedded. Putting this under control will ensure that every penny you earn works for you and not your counterparts.
In effect it’s a tactic of holding incoming funds in their original currency - EUR, USD, or CHF, and converting them only when there is a clear purpose for that conversion. But this can only work with the right banking partner with an advanced digital and banking platform. In 2025 you should expect frictionless FX conversions with complete transparency and ability to anticipate charges.
Ampere accounts support GBP, EUR, USD and CHF as independent balances. Funds stay in their original currency until you convert at a flat margin of 0.35% on GBP and EUR, 0.55% on USD and CHF.
FX volatility is probably never going away, but your exposure to it can be managed. Small daily moves compound into real money when conversion is automatic and opaque, they become an advantage when timing and pricing are in your hands. With Ampere, you can receive and hold GBP, EUR, USD and CHF, convert with transparent flat margins, and pay on your schedule—so currency supports your margin and cash flow instead of dictating them. If you’re ready to turn background noise into a controllable input, start by separating how you get paid from when you convert and we’ll help you set up the rules so your FX works for you.
