Territorial Limits Applicable to Financial Services and Transactions

For legal and fraud prevention reasons, several types of restrictions apply to opening a Business Account, as well as to international transactions (outside the European Economic Area) depending on their origin or destination.

• Opening a Business Account for a nonprofit with international activities
• Receiving international wire transfers
• Sending international wire transfers
• Check collection

Opening a Business Account

Nonprofits operating in the following countries will not be accepted:

• Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, North Korea, Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, Yemen.

Our partner Swan strictly complies with international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) regulations.

Nonprofits operating in or providing aid to high-risk jurisdictions or conflict zones are subject to enhanced compliance review and may not be eligible for onboarding.

If your nonprofit operates internationally, you will be asked to provide detailed information about its geographic scope and activities.

Receiving International Wire Transfers

Group 1: Permitted Countries

• All countries except those in Groups 2 and 3 (see below).
• No specific restrictions, but all wire transfers are subject to compliance monitoring.

Group 2: High Rejection Rate Countries

• Wire transfers are permitted but may be subject to closer review or a higher rejection rate.

Group 2 country list:

Afghanistan, South Africa, Albania, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, China, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Curaçao, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, North Macedonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guernsey, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Christmas Island, Norfolk Island, Åland Islands, Cocos Islands, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Jamaica, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lesotho, Latvia, Liberia, Macao, Malawi, Madagascar, Maldives, Isle of Man, Northern Mariana Islands, Morocco, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mauritania, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Oman, Uganda, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rwanda, Western Sahara, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, El Salvador, Samoa, American Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tajikistan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Chad, Palestine, East Timor, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Vanuatu, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Group 3: Blocked Countries

• No wire transfers permitted (incoming or outgoing).
• Wire transfers originating from these countries will be automatically rejected.

Group 3 country list:

Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, North Korea, Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, Yemen.

Sending International Wire Transfers

Sending international wire transfers is subject to certain restrictions, primarily based on the destination country, the chosen currency, and the network used for the transfer.

International wire transfers can be sent to a large number of countries. Two main options are available:

• Local currency transfers: in many cases, you can send funds in the local currency via a local network, enabling faster processing and sometimes lower fees.
• USD, EUR, or GBP transfers via SWIFT: you can also send funds internationally using US dollars, euros, or British pounds via the SWIFT network.

⚠️ SWIFT transfers are strictly limited to these three currencies. Any attempt to send in a different currency via SWIFT will be automatically rejected.

Available Currencies for Outgoing Transfers

From your account, you can transfer in several currencies, but conditions vary:

• Access to certain currencies depends on the destination country.
• Restrictions vary based on local compliance requirements and the associated risk level.

Always verify both the permitted currency and the destination country before sending a wire transfer. You can find more detailed information in this article from our partner Swan.

Check Collection

Only checks issued in France are accepted. Foreign checks, even those denominated in euros, are not supported due to the processing complexity and associated risks.

Additionally, for nonprofits whose activities involve a Group 2 or Group 3 country (see above), check collection may be blocked by our partner for security reasons.

Transactions to and from these countries are subject to enhanced controls, which can result in operational review delays, potential rejection, and increased complexity in managing cash flows.