For UK businesses working internationally, managing more than one currency is no longer optional. Whether you invoice a supplier in Zurich, get paid by a client in Boston, or run ad campaigns in Dublin - you’re already dealing with EUR, CHF, and USD in some form. And every time those currencies touch a GBP-only account, something happens that rarely gets reviewed: automatic conversion.
Many business owners only notice this once the numbers start appearing off by a material amount: for example, when a payment comes in, but the amount that lands in the account doesn’t match the invoice. Because the currency transaction moved through a implicit default process of traditional banking, whereby the customer doesn’t get to confirm such things. While large businesses can enjoy private banking service with lots of people watching out for those things, small and medium business often don’t have the manpower and in-house technology to handle it. This why digital-first banks are Ampere are emerging as new banking leaders for such companies.
Traditionally, setting up proper multi-currency infrastructure in the UK meant going through your bank’s international department, filling out additional forms etc. Companies would normally be offered an account that still settles everything back into GBP. In other cases, the account exists, but control over the actual FX currency balance is limited - you can see an approximate amount, but you can’t use it without converting first.
That’s why more companies have started looking for accounts that support multiple currencies directly, without repackaging them into a single home currency. It’s to hold, send, and receive in the currency the transaction began with, without being forced into conversion just to move money.
Since mid-2025, business accounts at Ampere support GBP, EUR, USD, and CHF - each held as an separate balance. That means you can accept a USD transfer, send a CHF invoice, or keep a EUR buffer for supplier payments without triggering default conversions.
When you do choose to exchange, FX margins are transparent and flat:
- 0.35% for GBP and EUR
- 0.55% for USD and CHF
You see the rate and you know the cost.
A recent independent finance comparison placed Ampere among the top three UK business accounts offering multi-currency support with full access, citing clarity of balance management and user-side control. Methodology was not disclosed, but user feedback consistently referenced clean currency conversion logic and fast international routing.
Ampere does not advise on currency strategy or provide investment guidance. Your account should hold each currency you receive without converting it by default or turning every payment into a cost.
