The United States stands as the largest financial center in the world, boasting a network of over 10,000 banks and hosting some of the most prominent stock markets globally. Major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami serve as thriving hubs for financial activities, offering a plethora of banking options to both resident and nonresident individuals and businesses alike.
Understanding the intricacies of opening bank accounts in the US is essential, especially for foreign-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which generally face certain challenges to open bank accounts in American ‘brick and mortar’ banks, especially for those companies whose signatories and beneficial owners cannot travel to the US.
Banks in the US are broadly categorized into two main types:
Regardless of their classification, all banks in the US are subject to supervision by the Federal Reserve (FED) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The FDIC insures deposits maintained in US accounts up to USD 250,000.
Securities-related activities fall under the purview of regulatory bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), with additional oversight from state regulators where applicable.
Foreign-owned US-incorporated SMEs and offshore companies, particularly those without a relevant presence in the USA, typically open accounts with regional banks. Some sort of nexus to the US may be required, which can be substantiated via clients, suppliers, or any other type of partners/counterparts in the US or in Canada.
Some banks prioritize trading relationships between the US and particular foreign regions such as East Asia, Europe, etc. Furthermore, a number of regional banks facilitate the opening of accounts remotely, without needing to visit the bank in-person.
For offshore companies, some banks may require obtaining an EIN from the IRS or registering as a foreign company with the Secretary of State of the relevant US state, although the same may not trigger a US tax liability itself - each case must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. However, we work with a number of banks that do not have such a requirement.
When it comes to opening accounts in large national high-street banks such as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citibank, foreign-owned SMEs typically need to have a US business presence to be eligible for an account. Such business presence may involve having a manager or signatory who resides in the US. However, the specific requirements can vary depending on the branch or state, and a personal visit is in most cases required. In such large national banks, offshore companies are typically limited to private banking services (e.g. investments holdings) or large corporate banking (e.g. commercial activities) only.
When it comes to brokerage services, large US brokers such as Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers often onboard foreign companies, including companies incorporated in “offshore” jurisdictions. However, depending on the domicile of such companies, accounts may be domiciled in foreign branches or subsidiaries.
US banks typically offer accounts in USD, without a relevant offer of foreign currency accounts for SMEs.
In the US, personal banking services (other than private banking for nonresidents) cater primarily to residents, offering standard financial products like checking accounts, loans, and basic investments through retail branches and online platforms.. Although, there are some exceptions, where substantiating some nexus to the US is usually sufficient in form of US counterparts for incoming and /or outgoing transactions (e.g. foreign individuals having clients or employer in the USA, or holding assets situated in the US such as real property).
Private banking is generally broadly available for nonresident high-net-worth individuals provided through dedicated relationship managers or wealth advisors. Minimum relationship for private banking is generally not lower than USD 1 million.
Our service in the US primarily consists of helping non-US residents operating through US companies or offshore companies seeking to open bank accounts in the US including those who wish to open the account without their signatories, directors, shareholders and beneficial owners needing to travel to the US.
We work with 7 different banks in USA, each bank has different eligibility requirements, types of accounts available and onboarding processes.
We invite you to carefully review each banks requirements and services to better understand if their banking services meet your needs.
The United States of America (USA) is a North American country constituted in a federal constitutional republic composed of 50 states and a federal district.
It is located between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, borders Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, bordering Canada to the east and separated from Russia to the west by the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is a Polynesian archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and it is the only American state that is not located in the American continent. The country also has several territories in the Caribbean Sea and in the Pacific.
With 9.83 million sq. km, and with more than 324 million inhabitants, the country is the fourth largest in total area and the third in population.
The capital is Washington D.C. However, New York is the trade and financial center and the most populated city, with over 8 million inhabitants, and 22 million within its metropolitan area. Other large urban areas include Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Miami, and Atlanta, among others. English is the official language of all states and territories, although some of them have their own co-official language.
As it is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, there are more than 20 languages with an important number of speakers, such as Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Italian, among others.
The United States is a constitutional, democratic and representative republic. In the US federalist system, citizens are generally subject to three levels of government: federal, state, and local. The duties of local government are commonly divided between the county and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by direct suffrage of the citizens of the district.
Its official currency is the US Dollar (USD), which is the most traded currency, the world’s primary reserve currency and the currency used in the international markets for commodities such as gold and petroleum.
The USA is the largest economy worldwide in nominal terms and the second, after China, in purchasing power parity terms, home of the largest multinationals and well-known brands worldwide and leader in technological innovation and scientific research.
It has a mixed capitalist economy, characterized by abundant natural resources, like coal, natural gas, oil and uranium, developed infrastructure and high productivity.
Its economy is mostly based on the services sector, but it maintains large and competitive industrial sector, specialized in high technology, where the chemical, military, energy, oil, metallurgical, steelworks, automotive, aeronautics, electronics and IT are the largest.
It is the third largest oil producer in the world, as well as the largest importer. It is also the first world producer of electric power and nuclear power, as well as liquefied natural gas, sulfur, phosphates and salt. Despite primary sector accounts about 1% of its GDP, the country is one of the world’s largest producers of a wide variety of agricultural, livestock and fishing products.
Regarding the services sector, the largest of the USA economy, its most important activities are banking, insurance, education, healthcare, research, transport, trade, and tourism.
The US financial market is the most extensive and the most complex worldwide, and stands out for its influence in any economic decision at an international level. New York is the most important financial center worldwide, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is also the largest world’s capital market and the NASDAQ is the third one. USA is also the second most touristic country worldwide, ranking 2nd, after France and ahead of Spain.
Our banking support service is not just a mere introduction to the bank. We assist you in filling out the business questionnaires appropriately and help you understand and provide business details, commercial information and purpose/use of the bank account that a given bank wants to know in order to approve your account application. Banks want certainty and clarity on how the account will be used. Everything must be watertight. We will work with you to make sure there is minimal 'back and forth' and a smooth account opening process.
Bank Account opening requirements are subject to change at the discretion of the bank. There might be additional fees charged by the bank itself. Bank account opening is not guaranteed and is subject to the bank policies and compliance department. There might be restrictions on UBO nationalities, business activities and/or jurisdictions. A refund is available if the account is not successfully opened subject to our terms of service (20% to partly cover service and payment processing and administrative costs apply).