Best Revolut Business alternatives in 2026, by the reason Revolut said no

The short answer

The best Revolut Business alternative depends on why Revolut said no. Its published rules refuse three groups: companies registered outside the UK and EEA, companies with no director or owner living in the UK, EEA or Switzerland, and 25 industries. On published October 2026 rules, try Airwallex or Sokin for companies elsewhere, Tide or WorldFirst for UK companies run from abroad, and Payset for crypto, iGaming and forex.

• Revolut Business refuses 25 industries, 6 of them crypto (checked 8 October 2026).
• 42 providers on Finzil say they serve crypto companies and 31 iGaming.
• On 20 October 2026 Revolut's app and cards stopped working across Europe. 11 UK business accounts with GBP details cost nothing a month to keep as a backup.

What Revolut Business requires

Revolut publishes who it accepts, and most refusals trace back to one of these rules (checked 8 October 2026):

Revolut aims to review an application within 24 hours, so a refusal often arrives fast and without much detail. The rules above are the first place to look. Why business account applications get rejected covers the reasons providers don't publish.

The 25 industries Revolut Business doesn't support

Six of the 25 are crypto: exchanges, brokers and dealers; on- and off-ramps including crypto ATMs; some ICO providers; mining, investment and trading firms; crypto asset and investment managers; and unregulated custodial wallets. A crypto company with its own MiCA licence is still on the list. The others include weapons, adult content, gambling, cannabinoids, charities, foundations, trusts and religious organisations, special purpose vehicles, precious metals and stones, auctions and fine art, secondhand vehicles, oil and gas, and client-funds management.

Revolut isn't unusual here. Of the 122 providers on Finzil that publish a refused-industries list, 93 name gambling, 77 crypto and 52 charities (October 2026).

The best Revolut Business alternative for each reason

Nobody paid to be listed and Finzil doesn't rate providers. Each pick is chosen because its own documents accept what Revolut's refuse.

Your company isn't registered in the UK or EEA

This is the most common reason, and the easiest to fix, because several multi-currency accounts accept companies from long lists of countries. Airwallex names 69 countries, including the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Canada, with local account details in 20+ currencies and exchange at 0.5% on major currencies. Sokin names 214 countries and charges no monthly fee, with exchange from 0.3%. Dukascopy Bank, a Swiss bank, accepts companies from all but 15 countries.

If your company is in Hong Kong, Singapore or the BVI, Statrys is built for you. If it is a US company, Mercury. For the full list by country, see the best business accounts for non-residents.

Nobody lives in the UK, EEA or Switzerland

Revolut needs one director or owner living in Europe. For a UK company run entirely from abroad, Tide states that directors may live overseas and has a free plan; it needs a UK mobile number. WorldFirst accepts non-residents and gives local account details in 22 currencies, free. GoSolo takes one-person companies whose founder lives in one of 40 countries.

For an EU company owned from outside Europe, Satchel (€1,075 to open, €50 a month on International) and LHV Bank (€300 to open and €30 a month for an Estonian company with owners abroad) publish what non-residents pay. Avoid Vivid Business in this case: every director must live in the EEA or Switzerland.

Your industry is on Revolut's list

For a refused industry, the best alternative is a provider that names your sector among the ones it serves, in its own documents. Silence isn't acceptance.

• Crypto: Payset, BCB Group, Clear Junction and OpenPayd among payment firms; Sygnum Bank and AMINA Bank among Swiss banks. More in crypto company bank accounts after MiCA.
• iGaming: Payset, PayDo, Vialet and Equals Money. See business bank accounts for iGaming.
• Forex: Dukascopy Bank and Payset.
• Charities: Ebury, Fire and Zempler Bank. Only 9 providers on Finzil name charities among the sectors they serve.
• Trusts, SPVs and holdings: Interpolitan Money (trusts, funds, SPVs, family offices) and Transferra (holdings, trusts and multi-layer structures on its Specialised plan).

You were accepted, but want lower costs

If Revolut took you and you want lower fees, compare on your conversion volume, not the monthly price. Revolut charges nothing on exchange up to your plan's allowance (£1,000 on Basic, £15,000 on Grow, £60,000 on Scale) and 0.6% above it, plus 1% outside market hours.

At £20,000 converted a month, Revolut Grow costs £720 a year in plan and exchange fees, the same as Sokin; Revolut Basic costs £1,488. The worked numbers are in the best multi-currency business accounts.

Our view: Revolut Business is the only account in that table that is a bank, and that is worth something for large balances. If you leave Revolut for price, keep the reserve somewhere with deposit insurance.

Revolut went down: keep a second account

On the morning of 20 October 2026, Revolut customers across Europe could not open the app, pay by card or withdraw cash. Downdetector logged more than 1,500 reports in the UK by 8.09am, and more from Ireland, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Romania, Hungary and Malta. Revolut confirmed "a service disruption affecting multiple features" on X and said customers' money and data were safe. By mid-morning it had given no cause and no time for a fix.

For a company, an outage stops payroll, supplier payments and card spending at once. Revolut Business is now a large share of that exposure: 767,000 business customers at the end of 2025, up 33% in a year, and 16% of Revolut's income, according to its 2025 annual report.

Revolut isn't the only one. Nine of the largest UK banks and building societies reported 158 IT failures and at least 803 hours of unplanned outages between January 2023 and February 2025, the House of Commons Treasury Committee found.

Moving to another provider doesn't remove the risk. A second account at a different provider does, and for most UK companies it costs nothing a month.

Our view: open the second account before you need it, because onboarding takes days and an outage takes hours. Keep a month of payroll and fixed costs in it, give your main customers its details, and make one of your two accounts a bank with deposit insurance. Revolut stays a reasonable main account. Being your only account is the risk. More in what to do if your business account is closed or frozen and is my money safe at an EMI.

What to do after a Revolut refusal

1. Find the rule. Compare your company with the five rules above. If one matches, don't reapply to Revolut; it won't change.
2. Pick providers whose documents accept you. Country of registration, owners' countries, industry.
3. Prepare the pack. Certificate of incorporation, register of owners, IDs and proof of address, a description of what you sell and to whom, and proof of activity.
4. Apply to two at once, at providers in different groups. One refusal shouldn't stop payments.
5. Answer questions about earlier refusals plainly if a provider asks. An answer that later proves untrue can get an account closed.

Finzil runs steps 1 and 2 against the published rules of every provider on the site.

Questions people ask

What is the best alternative to Revolut Business?

It depends on why Revolut refused you. On October 2026 rules: Airwallex or Sokin for companies outside the UK and EEA, Tide or WorldFirst for UK companies run from abroad, Payset for crypto, iGaming and forex, and Ebury, Fire or Zempler Bank for charities.

Why did Revolut Business reject my application?

Revolut Business publishes three main rules: the company must be registered in the UK or EEA with a physical presence there, at least one director or owner must live in the UK, EEA or Switzerland, and the company must not be in one of 25 unsupported industries (checked 8 October 2026).

Is there a Revolut Business alternative for companies outside Europe?

Yes. Airwallex accepts companies from 69 listed countries, Sokin from 214, and Dukascopy Bank from all but 15, according to their published eligibility rules (October 2026). Mercury serves US companies and Statrys companies in Hong Kong, Singapore and the BVI.

Does Revolut Business accept crypto companies?

No. Revolut Business lists six kinds of crypto business among its 25 unsupported industries, including exchanges, brokers, miners, on- and off-ramps and crypto asset managers (checked 8 October 2026). 42 providers on Finzil say they serve crypto companies.

What can I do when Revolut Business is down?

Use a second account at a different provider for payments that can't wait. Revolut can't be reached through another channel during an app outage, and on 20 October 2026 card payments and cash withdrawals failed too. For a UK company, Starling, Monzo Business, Mettle, Tide and Wise Business have no monthly fee (October 2026).

Should a business have more than one bank account?

Yes, if payments can't stop. Nine large UK banks reported 158 IT failures and 803 hours of unplanned outages between January 2023 and February 2025 (House of Commons Treasury Committee). On Finzil, 11 UK business accounts with GBP details have a free plan (October 2026).

Is Wise Business a good alternative to Revolut Business?

For many standard businesses, yes: Wise has no monthly fee, gives account details in 22 currencies and charges exchange from 0.24%. It refuses crypto exchanges, gambling and money service businesses, so it doesn't solve an industry refusal, and it is an e-money institution, not a bank.

Every figure comes from the provider's own published eligibility pages, price lists and terms, checked between 1 and 20 October 2026 (Revolut Business on 8 October 2026). Outage details: Downdetector figures and Revolut's statements as reported by the Mirror, Insider.sm and TheJournal.ie on 20 October 2026. Revolut figures: Revolut 2025 annual report, 24 March 2026. UK bank outages: House of Commons Treasury Committee, 6 March 2025. Rules change; each profile on Finzil shows the date we last checked. Finzil does not rate providers and nobody paid to appear here. General information, not financial or legal advice.