Is Interpolitan Money Safe?

Company size:

Founded in 2011, Interpolitan Money is a UK-headquartered provider of flexible payment and e-banking solutions for businesses and individuals, with further offices held in Dubai and Mumbai. Their vision is to be one of the leading providers of global alternative banking. Interpolitan provides an international multi-currency account platform for private, corporate, non-resident, funds and institutional clients with a dedicated relationship manager as standard.

Since inception, Interpolitan’s values have enabled them to deal professionally with clients, employees and the wider community. Their values have played a key role in Interpolitans approach to client service and are an integral part of how they operate. They form the basis on which the company culture and policies rest. Interpolitan’s values are based on; leadership, integrity, engagement, evolution and innovation.

Interpolitan is regulated by the FCA as an Electronic Money Provider (the same as fintech giant Wise). It’s important to note that money held in an Interpolitan Money current account is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Instead, Interpolitan Money operates compliant client trust accounts. These accounts are held with global banking partners and all client money is held in segregated client designated safeguarding accounts. This means client funds are held separately from company money in order to comply with regulations. Client funds are always available, never moved, invested, or loaned out and, as such, are not exposed to such risks. In the unlikely event Interpolitan were to go insolvent, you should get most of your money back, although some costs will be taken by the administrator or liquidator of the firm. If you have any concerns, speak to a member of the team at Interpolitan ahead of funding your Interpolitan current account

For companies facing foreign currency challenges, Interpolitan has a solution which allows businesses to open and operate accounts within their ecosystem and optimise their cash management operations. Interpolitan offers a very efficient and cost-effective collection process in 55 currencies, though local account details are only available in GBP, EUR and USD (i.e. the account is physically held in the country that the currency represents – the other currency accounts are run from London and will require an international transfer to the UK in order to fund). Companies are able to collect, hold and make payments directly from their Currency Accounts. In GBP, EUR and USD they can even receive and make local transfers within those territories. In addition, companies are able to settle spot and forward contracts using funds already in their accounts, set up market orders to auto-execute when their target rate is hit and make bulk payments of up to 1000 transfers at a time.

The firm is on a positive trajectory and in 2021 posted YoY growth across turnover, gross profit and net profit before tax. Whilst the underlying financials have not been released, Interpolitan saw group turnover increase by 119% and profits before tax increase by 462%, potentially suggesting some restructuring to the business, in addition to revenue growth.

The rebrand undertaken in 2022 is arguably one of the biggest moves the firm has made to date and the company has provided a number of reasons for the change of name from The Currency Account to Interpolitan. The new name derives from the amalgamation of two words – “International” and “Cosmopolitan” – and we get the reasoning as they are looking to connect those from different countries with a universal platform. Crucially, it also reflects the fact that the company offers a range of payment solutions, beyond simply currency accounts. Personally, we quite liked the old branding – it had more of a personal feel to it, whilst Interpolitan looks to be a bit more sophisticated and ‘old school’ finance – we’ll leave you to be the judge though!

Regulated By:

Financial Conduct Authority (UK)

Awards:

None

Conclusion:

With over a decade of experience, clear and transparent policies around security of client funds and thousands of users to date, we think this attests to the secure approach taken by Interpolitan. The firm adheres to strict and stringent regulations and has robust internal controls in place to segregate client funds and minimise any risks to the business or client monies. All transactions are initiated using a secure payment system which ensures each payment is approved internally by multiple users and processed by the firm’s Tier 1 banking partners. Just like other currency brokers and money transfer companies, Interpolitandoesn’t speculate on the currency markets. Nor invest your money overnight. When you enter into a transaction with Interpolitan, they enter a matching, binding trade with a counterparty bank.

Interpolitan / The Currency Account Customer Reviews

Research:

With 804 reviews, Interpolitan has a decent-enough sample size to verify its 4.3 / 5 (Excellent) TrustScore on TrustPilot. There are, however, a few points of concern. Whilst 800 reviews is enough to provide a decent idea on the level of service the firm provides, there have been no reviews of Interpolitan in the last 18 months. The last review was left in Feb 2021 whilst the firm was still trading as The Currency Account and the firm is yet to even update their TrustPilot account to the new name. The 800 reviews left for ‘The Currency Account’ is also someway short of the 7,000 reviews left for Moneycorp and over 180,000 left for Wise.

It’s concerning that we have no clear indication from existing clients as to how the firm is currently performing today.

These are the themes that emerged from the old reviews of The Currency Account.

Conclusion:

The majority of Interpolitan’s reviews are highly positive and praise the slick and efficient service that was provided by ‘The Currency Account’ at the time. Once customers are up and running, it seems making trades online is easy and if issues arise, the customer support is both helpful and professional. Clients also have the option to trade currencies on the phone should they wish.

The negative reviews have two clear themes – a number of users are criticising the FX rate they achieved and another group report difficulty in accessing the online platform. One reviewer found it frustrating having to reset their password each time they wanted to access their account. Given this review was left a number of years ago, we can only assume these bug issues have been fixed. Some reviewers were complaining of expensive FX fees but this would have been when ‘The Currency Account’ was operating a transparent margin of 0.5%, which is quite reasonable. Today, there is no mention of the FX spread that Interpolitan will take when converting one currency to another.

For larger transfers, it would be possible to negotiate tighter FX spreads with currency brokers who do not operate a fixed exchange rate margin.

Interpolitan Exchange Rates & Fees

Fees:

Interpolitan has a very straightforward pricing structure when it comes to payment fees.

International payments and domestic payments are charged a flat payment fee of £5 – no matter where the money is going, if it’s an outbound payment (i.e. not moving between your currency accounts on Interpolitan’s platform) the fee is £5. If clients want a priority payment then an additional £5 fee is incurred (a total £10 charge for urgent payments). Less than the additional £10 fee that used to be applied.

Exchange Rates:

The exchange rate margin with Interpolitan used to be transparent and fixed so no matter the amount sent, the same 0.5% spread would be charged.

Nowadays, there is no mention of a fixed spread, and it’s likely that this will vary depending on the amount sent. This is how many firms in the industry tend to operate so we can’t knock Interpolitan for doing so, but we do have to recognise the change of strategy from a once transparent payment provider to more of a bespoke FX service.

Limits:

No minimum or maximum transfer limits.

Conclusion:

A now opaque pricing structure, we’d recommend speaking with your account manager to understand what sort of FX margins are applied on your account before you book an FX deal. . The old pricing structure was similar to that of Wise and Currencyfair but considering that you are assigned your own personal account manager we do understand the move to bespoke, flexible rates. Interpolitan offers a range of currency hedging tools, supported by a team of currency specialists, much more than simply the ‘do-it-yourself’ model that Wise and Currencyfair provide..

However, it is usual for specialist currency firms to charge no payment fees for international payments and Interpolitan are charging either £5 or £10, depending on whether you select the priority option. For fee-free international transfers try Currencies Direct or TorFX. Like Inteporlitan, you will receive better rates when you trade larger sums. Generally, the cheapest way to transfer money internationally for large sums is a company like Currencies Direct, whilst companies like Wise are better for transfers under £10,000.

Here’s the thing. We felt there were better online transfer companies when Interpolitan was taking its one-size-fits all approach with a fixed 0.5% margin and now the firm is deciding to offer a more bespoke service, there are simply better options in this sub-category too.

Interpolitan Money Global Reach & Service

Research:

• Dedicated Dealer: Yes
• Offices: London (UK), Dubai (UAE), Mumbai (India)
• Ways to approach: Online, e-mail, telephone
• Translations: English only
• Accepts clients: UK
• Currencies Handled: Pay, Collect and Hold 55 currencies
• Client reviews: 89% positive, 6% neutral, 5% bad – 4.3/5 TrustScore per TrustPilot.com (804 reviews)

Conclusion:

Interpolitan Money is available to both personal and corporate customers to collect, hold and spend balances in 55 currencies. An upgrade on the 25 currencies the firm offered until last year. Other than EUR and USD, the currency accounts are run out of the UK, meaning transfers to these accounts are likely to be international if your customers are based in other countries (for example a customer sending NZD from New Zealand to a NZD currency account in London). This could still work for UK-based businesses but businesses selling in Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada etc are likely to be much more hindered by currency accounts based out of London.

The service also allows for making payments with Interpolitan Money just as you would with a traditional currency provider – by calling or emailing the dealers to execute a trade.

Amazingly, Interpolitan does not allow new customers to register online. Instead, prospective customers are required to print and manually complete an application form before sending it to Interpolitan. Quite remarkable in this day and age and not delivering their innovation and evolution values.

Question marks also remain as to the global nature of the service. Now that Great Britain has left the EU, financial services firms based in the UK have lost their ‘financial passporting’ rights in Europe. Firms are now required to meet EU regulatory obligations by opening an office within an EU member state – something Interpolitan Money has not done. If you are based in Europe, see our guide to transferring money between UK and Europe to see your options. And whilst the firm does hold offices in Dubai and Mumbai, the firm is yet to demonstrate it has registered with the local regulatory bodies in order to offer a money transfer service in either the UAE or India.

Additional Functionalities

As their previous name suggested, currency accounts are one of the major products provided by Interpolitan Money. Companies are able to collect, hold and make payments directly from their currency accounts, available in 55 currencies. However, they are not a one trick pony and currency accounts are certainly not the only offering.The firm offers a suite of hedging solutions too.

FX Hedging

Interpolitan Money works closely with businesses to decide how to manage their currency exposure. The team will develop FX strategies that help businesses balance the external impacts on currency markets and hopefully provide greater control over the impact exchange rate volatility has on their profit margins. Knowing that every situation is unique, they aim to manage currency in line with each customer’s own commercial objectives and competitive landscape.

Mass Pay

For business customers, Interpolitan offers a global bulk payments solution. The cloud based global payments platform enables clients to make up to 1,000 payments with a single file upload. This simplifies the international payment process and can drastically improve operational efficiency by removing manual processes. Enabling clients to take control when paying recipients in foreign currencies or GBP.

Conclusion:

Though Interpolitan Money is available to both personal and corporate customers, it is primarily a business account specialist. The 55 currency accounts on offer can help businesses optimise their cash management operations and bring all currency accounts under one platform. Meaning businesses don’t have to handle multiple relationships with multiple banks to manage all of their currency accounts. However, given that the majority of currency accounts are based in the UK, this could cause issues when receiving money from customers overseas (intermediary bank fees might be charged and customers are required to send a more costly international payment). Companies like WorldFirst, through their multi currency account solution, offer businesses a truly global alternative as the currency accounts are held locally to the country they represent (i.e. the NZD account is held in New Zealand).