Entrepreneurs
Build and operate a business across borders
Company structure, banking, payments, tax, hiring and personal wealth become connected when the owner and the business operate internationally.
Use WiT Access to map the decisions, understand the dependencies and explore relevant guides, tools and provider comparisons.
Start with your goal
What are you trying to do?
Start an international business
Understand company structure, jurisdiction, management, banking and tax before incorporating.
ExploreOpen business banking
Explore accounts, currencies, eligibility and operating models for international businesses.
ExploreGet paid internationally
Compare payment, multi-currency and FX options for receiving and moving business funds.
ExploreHire in another country
Understand direct employment, Employer of Record and contractor models.
ExploreExpand into another market
Map the company, people, tax, banking and insurance implications of entering a new jurisdiction.
ExploreMove abroad as a founder
Connect personal residence, company management, banking and wealth planning.
Explore
Operating model
The parts that need to work together
Company
Where is the company incorporated and managed?
Owner
Where do the founders live and make decisions?
People
Where do employees and contractors work?
Customers
Where are customers located?
Banking
Which entity receives and holds the money?
Payments
How do customers and suppliers move money?
Tax
Where could tax and reporting obligations arise?
Insurance
Does the cover reflect where the business actually operates?
Business journey
Different stages create different cross-border decisions
Start and structure
Build the company structure around the real operating model
Incorporation is only one part of the structure. Where the company is managed, where owners live, where staff work and where customers are located can all matter.
Banking and money
Build the financial infrastructure around the business
Business banking
Operational accounts for the company.
Multi-currency
Holding and receiving multiple currencies.
Payments
Receiving customer payments internationally.
FX
Converting currencies and paying suppliers.
Large transfers
Moving larger sums between jurisdictions.
International accounts
Accounts that can sit alongside the company account.
People
Hiring internationally changes the operating model
Local employment
The company employs the person under the rules of the country where they work.
Employer of Record
A provider employs the person locally while the company directs the work. It is not a local subsidiary.
Contractors
An independent contractor is a different arrangement from employment. The contract title is not the test.
Local subsidiary
A company of your own in that country, with its own banking, payroll and filings.
Tax and compliance
The questions that should be identified early
These are questions to take to a qualified adviser. WiT Access does not decide where a company or a founder is taxed.
- Corporate residence
- Personal tax residence
- Permanent establishment
- VAT, GST or sales tax
- Payroll tax
- Transfer pricing
- Reporting
- Double-tax treaties
Founder mobility
When the owner moves, the business position may move too
A founder’s residence, the place the company is managed, personal tax residency, banking, investments, pensions and estate planning can all shift when the owner changes country. They do not all change on the same day.
Owner wealth
Separate the company balance sheet from the owner’s financial life
For many entrepreneurs, the company is only one part of the financial picture. Personal liquidity, investments, pensions and succession planning may become increasingly important as the business grows or the owner relocates.
Protection
International operations create new risks to review
Business liability
Injury or damage to someone who is not an employee.
Professional indemnity
Advice, design or a professional service that was wrong or late.
Cyber
A breach, the response, and claims that follow.
Employers’ liability
Injury connected to work, and any local rule that requires a policy.
Property and equipment
Offices, stock and kit, including kit that travels.
Multinational cover
Whether one programme follows the entities and countries where the company actually operates.
Common situations
Which situation is closest to yours?
I run an online business and want to move abroad
I want to form a company in another country
I need a bank account for an international business
I want to hire someone overseas
My business receives money in multiple currencies
I am expanding into a new country
I own a company in one country but live in another
I am preparing to sell the business or relocate
Putting it together
A practical order for cross-border business decisions
- Activity
- Countries
- Owner
- Company structure
- People
- Banking and payments
- Tax and accounting
- Insurance
- Ongoing review
Tools
Tools for entrepreneurs
Business banking requirements checklist
Describe how the company is paid and how it pays others, before you compare business accounts.
FX cost comparison
Compare transfer fee and FX markup using figures you enter, and see how much the recipient would receive under different quotes.
Currency converter
Convert an amount with an exchange rate you type in. No live rate is connected.
Large transfer planner
Plan a large cross-border payment in stages, with FX scenarios you define.
Cross-border tax questions checklist
Prepare questions for a tax adviser from the kinds of income and countries you select.
International move checklist
Work through practical tasks around a move. Your ticks stay in this browser and do not confirm that a step is legally complete.
Residency day tracker
Record time spent in each country and view simple day totals. This is a record-keeping tool, not a legal tax-residency test.
Provider shortlist builder
Filter public provider datasets and keep a research list.
Compare services
Compare providers used in international business
Providers listed for comparison.
Business banking
Providers listed for comparison.
International bank accounts
Providers listed for comparison.
Multi-currency accounts
Providers listed for comparison.
Money transfer providers
Providers listed for comparison.
FX and large transfers
Providers listed for comparison.
Company formation
Providers listed for comparison.
Employer of Record
Providers listed for comparison.
Business insurance
Providers listed for comparison.
International taxation
Providers listed for comparison.
Providers
Providers featured across entrepreneur-related comparisons
Airwallex
Investment platform
Business banking
View provider
Gallagher
Insurance broker
Business insurance
View provider
Hawksford
Fiduciary provider
Company structuring
View provider
OFX
Money transfer provider
FX and large transfers
View provider
Vistra
Wealth manager
Company structuring
View provider
Wise
Fintech
Payments
View provider
Guides
Guides
Business
How to approach a business bank account when directors live abroad
5 min read
Business
What banks look at when onboarding an international company
5 min read
Business
Company formation and company tax residence
5 min read
Tax
Why incorporating a company is not the whole of company residence
5 min read
Business
Remote teams: banking, payroll and insurance questions
5 min read
Mobility
Moving from the UK to the UAE
8 min read
Business by destination
Only destinations with a distinct note on formation, banking and management have a page here.
- Running a business in the UAEHow mainland and free-zone formation in the UAE differ, and why licensing, banking and tax are separate questions from the formation filing.
- Running a business in SingaporeWhy forming a Singapore company is often the simpler step, and what to confirm on banking, licensing, hiring and whether the company has real activity there.
- Running a business in CyprusWhat is straightforward about forming a Cyprus company, and what still has to be confirmed on banking, staffing and where the company is managed.
Questions worth asking
Questions worth asking
Start with the operating model
Before choosing a company, bank or provider, map where the company is managed, where people work, where customers are located and how money moves.
WiT Access provides general information, comparison resources and practical planning tools. Nothing on this page constitutes financial, tax, legal, immigration, employment, insurance or investment advice. Cross-border obligations depend on jurisdiction and circumstances.