United Kingdom · Payments & e-money
Equals Money UK Limited
Equals Money UK Limited is a private limited company registered in England and Wales, with its registered office in London. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorises it as a payment institution (FRN 504547), and it trades as Card One Money. It is wholly owned by Equals Group Limited. A consortium of funds managed by TowerBrook and J.C. Flowers, together with the shareholders of Railsr, took Equals Group private in April 2025. The firm mainly provides UK payment accounts, payments and Mastercard cards to small businesses, and its sister company Equals Money International Limited issues the cards.
Licences and registrations
Held by Equals Money UK Limited (LEI 213800ZMFJI9XA7GFH58). 1 entry on 1 of the 22 tracked registers, retrieved 25 September 2026.
| Register | Licence | Number | Jurisdiction | Status | Registered | Ends | Activities | Register entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FCA Financial Services Register - Payment Institutions & RAISPsFCALinked by LEI. Matched by Elucidate on the UK company number the register gives. | Authorised Payment InstitutionPayment Institution | 504547 | United Kingdom | Active | 2018-06-27 | — |
|
Search the register ↗ |
Trading names on the register: FairFX (FCA-PSD), Equals Money (FCA-PSD), equals (FCA-PSD), Card One Money (FCA-PSD)
- Licences belong to the legal entity, not to a BIC.
- Each licence applies in the country of the regulator that granted it.
- Registers are tracked in 37 countries. Licences granted elsewhere are not recorded here.
- The register entries and their trading names were not matched against sanctions lists. The sanctions facts on this page cover the BIC and its LEI only.
Swift network
Swift’s ISO 9362 BIC directory
- BIC
- SPPVGB2LXXX head office
- Connection to Swift
- Connected to SwiftThis BIC is registered as a live address on the Swift network. The institution sends and receives Swift messages under SPPVGB2L directly.
- Swift GPI
- Not on the member list
- Payment schemes and systems
- SCT · SCT Inst · TIPS
- Branch codes
- None: head-office BIC only
- Other BIC with this LEI
- SPPVGB3L
- BIC first registered
- 2018-11-03
- Last updated
- 2022-10-02
Overview
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
Customers
Not published
Ownership
Group subsidiary
100% Equals Group Limited
Firm type
E-money and accounts
Trades as Card One Money
- Standing
- The firm was renamed from Spectrum Payment Services Limited on 26 September 2022. According to the Card One Money website, some personal accounts moved to thinkmoney on 12 February 2026. Business accounts continue under the Card One Money brand.
- Ownership
- Equals Group Limited (formerly Equals Group plc, company number 08922461) owns 100% of the firm and is owned by Alakazam Holdings BidCo Limited, a vehicle of funds managed by TowerBrook and J.C. Flowers and the shareholders of Railsr.
- Direct parent
- Equals Group Limited ↗, United Kingdom 100%
- Head office
- 3rd Floor, Vintners Place, 68 Upper Thames Street, EC4V 3BJ London, United Kingdom
- Company register
- Companies House 06268340
- Incorporated
- 4 Jun 2007
- Former name
- Spectrum Payment Services Limited
Online
- Websites & references
- cardonemoney.com ↗
support.cardonemoney.com ↗ help centre
equalsmoney.com ↗ group brand site (Equals) - Official social accounts
- LinkedIn ↗ · X ↗ · Facebook ↗
- Apps
- App Store ↗ · Google Play ↗
Sources · 15 pages consulted
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06268340/officers
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06268340/filing-history
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06268340/filing-history/MzQ2NzY2OTA5OWFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06268340/persons-with-significant-control
- cardonemoney.com/business/about
- cardonemoney.com/business/terms-and-conditions/options
- cdn.prod.website-files.com/611a1eab270cac5356eb5e67/6a33c61b9c28fd44b7c7b6ae_COMB_Website_Terms_and_Conditions_-_UK_
- cardonemoney.com/current-account
- support.cardonemoney.com/support/solutions/articles/44002262722-is-the-money-in-my-business-account-protected-by-t
- equalsmoney.com/faqs/does-equals-money-provide-access-to-faster-payments
- equalsplc.com/content/news/archive/2025/140425
- towerbrook.com/railsr-and-equals-combine-to-create-one-of-europes-largest-embedded-finance-providers/
- equalsmoney.com/newsroom/equals-money-railsr-becomes-equals
- equalsmoney.com/blog/equals-money-railsr-expands-senior-leadership-with-four-new-appointments
- thinkmoney.co.uk/card-one-money-customers
Authorisation
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Operates under
- Several models
- Licensed firm it operates under
- Equals Money International Limited, United Kingdom Sister company that issues Card One Money Mastercard cards as e-money under its own FCA authorisation (FRN 900493)
The FCA authorises the firm as a payment institution under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (FRN 504547) for its payment accounts and payments. Its cards are issued by Equals Money International Limited, which the FCA authorises as an electronic money institution (FRN 900493).
| Authority | Licence or registration | Number | Held | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Conduct Authority United Kingdom | Authorised Payment Institution | 504547 | In its own name | Active | register.fca.org.uk ↗ |
Licences and registrations the research found, at home and abroad, as the firm and its regulators publish them. The Licences and registrations card shows the entries on the registers the directory tracks.
Partners and safeguarding
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Safeguarding
- Segregated safeguarding accountsThe firm states that it keeps customer funds in safeguarded accounts at Barclays Bank PLC, National Westminster Bank plc or the Bank of England. It states that funds held on cards are safeguarded by the card issuer, Equals Money International Limited, at Barclays Bank PLC.
- Safeguarding bank
- Barclays Bank PLC United Kingdom
- Safeguarding bank
- National Westminster Bank plc United Kingdom
- Safeguarding bank · Settlement bank
- Bank of England United Kingdom
- Card issuer
- Equals Money International Limited United Kingdom
- Payment schemes and card networks
- Faster Payments Direct cardonemoney.com ↗
Swift Direct find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗
CHAPS Access not stated cdn.prod.website-files.com ↗
Bacs Access not stated find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗
SEPA Credit Transfer Access not stated cdn.prod.website-files.com ↗
Mastercard Through a partner cardonemoney.com ↗
Banks and regulated firms the firm says hold its customers’ money, issue its cards, sponsor its accounts or settle its payments, as it discloses them in its terms and notices.
Products and markets
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
Under the Card One Money brand, it provides UK payment accounts with a sort code and account number, Direct Debits, Faster Payments, CHAPS and SEPA payments and a Mastercard card, for a monthly fee and without credit checks.
It serves customers based in the United Kingdom, and its terms also admit customers based outside the European Economic Area.
- Revenue
- GBP 8.85m
- Sells to
- Small businesses · Consumers
- Serves customers in
- United Kingdom
Leadership
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Executive
- Ian Alexander Irving Strafford-Taylor Director (Chief Executive Officer of the Equals group)
- Executive
- Peter William Haspel Director
- Executive
- Matthijs Willem Adriaan Boon Director
- Executive
- Andrew John Phillips Director
- Executive
- Matthew Thomas Newland Director
- Executive
- Ian Peter Campbell Director
Recent events
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
-
Leadership
The firm appointed Peter William Haspel as a director on 7 August 2026.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗ -
Other
Some Card One Money personal accounts moved to thinkmoney on 12 February 2026, according to the firm's website.
cardonemoney.com ↗ -
Other
A charge over the firm's assets, created on 22 December 2025, was registered at Companies House.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗ -
Leadership
Simon England resigned as a director of the firm on 30 April 2025.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗ -
Merger / acquisition
A consortium of TowerBrook, J.C. Flowers and Railsr shareholders completed its acquisition of the parent, Equals Group plc, on 14 April 2025.
equalsplc.com ↗ -
Leadership
Richard Quentin Mortimer Cooper resigned as a director of the firm on 28 February 2025.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗
Compliance-relevant events of the last three years, newest first: fines and enforcement, investigations, security incidents, licence changes, funding rounds, acquisitions and leadership changes. Each links to its source.
Identifiers
Head-office record
- BIC
- SPPVGB2LXXX
- How the BIC breaks down
- SPPVBank
- GBCountry · United Kingdom
- 2LLocation
- XXXBranch · head office
- Branch description
- Not recorded in the directory
- LEI
- 213800ZMFJI9XA7GFH58
- LEI record
- View on GLEIF ↗
- Licence no. · FCA-PSD
- 504547
- How the LEI was matched
- BIC: Mapped to this BIC in the Swift and GLEIF BIC-to-LEI relationship file.Register entry: Matched by Elucidate on the UK company number the register gives.
- Register-entry ID
- 56fa2ee03165
Profile
- Type
- Payments & e-moneyPayment institutions, e-money and stored-value issuers, and account-information providers. Licensed under payment-services law (e.g. PSD2 in the EU and UK, the Payment Services Act in Singapore). Taken from the licences on the tracked registers.
- Regulation
- Prudential licenceAuthorised with capital, safeguarding and conduct requirements, e.g. an authorised payment or e-money institution in the EU or UK, a major payment institution in Singapore, or a MiCA crypto-asset service provider.
- Register licences
- 1 entry on 1 register
- Activities
- Payment services
- Licensed in
- United Kingdom
- Website (register)
- www.equalsmoney.com ↗
- Country · region
- United Kingdom · Europe & Central Asia
- Trading venues (MIC)
- No MIC registered under this LEI list of 2026-09-17
- OFAC sanctions
- No listing cites this BIC
- EU sanctions
- No listing matched this BIC or its LEI
- Country sanctions
- No country programme
Types come from Swift’s BIC classification, the licences on the 22 tracked registers, and the ECB and FSB bank lists. Most banks outside the euro area appear as financial institutions, because their supervisors’ registers are not tracked yet.
Ownership and group
GLEIF relationship records
- Direct parent
- Equals Group Limited · United Kingdom213800CPI5S2GYB3RI27 ↗
The Equals Group Limited group has 8 institutions in the directory, in 1 country: 4 hold a BIC and 4 do not.
Including Equals Money International Limited, Equals Money PLC, Fair Payments Limited, Fairfx PLC, Equals Connect Limited.
See the Equals Group Limited group →Group membership follows the accounting-consolidation relationships reported to GLEIF. It does not show ownership shares or control.
Addresses
- Registered address
- VINTNERS PLACE FAIRFX FLOOR 3 68 UPPER THAMES STREET LONDON EC4V 3BJ UNITED KINGDOM
- Operational address
- VINTNERS PLACE FAIRFX FLOOR 3 68 UPPER THAMES STREET LONDON LONDON EC4V 3BJ UNITED KINGDOM
ISO 20022 identification
As an agent in a Swift cross-border payment message (CBPR+)
A CBPR+ message identifies this institution by its BIC, and may add its LEI or a clearing code. CBPR+ does not allow a name and postal address next to a BIC.
- Identified by
- BIC, with its LEI
- Roles in CBPR+
- Any agent, including the instructing and instructed agents
CBPR+
For cross-border payments on Swift: the BIC, with the LEI and clearing code where known
<FinInstnId>
<BICFI>SPPVGB2LXXX</BICFI>
<LEI>213800ZMFJI9XA7GFH58</LEI>
</FinInstnId>Full record
Every ISO 20022 element the directory holds. Base ISO 20022 allows them together. CBPR+ does not allow a name and address next to a BIC
<FinInstnId>
<BICFI>SPPVGB2LXXX</BICFI>
<LEI>213800ZMFJI9XA7GFH58</LEI>
<Nm>EQUALS MONEY UK LIMITED</Nm>
<PstlAdr>
<TwnNm>LONDON</TwnNm>
<Ctry>GB</Ctry>
<AdrLine>VINTNERS PLACE FAIRFX FLOOR 3 68 UPPER THAMES STREET LONDON EC4V 3BJ</AdrLine>
</PstlAdr>
</FinInstnId>The BIC, name and address are as published in Swift’s BIC directory. The LEI comes from the Swift and GLEIF BIC-to-LEI file. Check them against your own records before use.
Payment schemes and systems
EPC registers of 2026-09-11 · ECB T2 list of 2026-07-02 · ECB TIPS list of 2026-09-01 · SIX Bank Master valid on 2026-09-28
| Scheme or system | Since | Registered with | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEPA Credit TransferISO 20022 messages | 2022-02-02 | Head office | — |
| SEPA Instant Credit TransferISO 20022 messages | 2022-02-08 | Head office | — |
| TIPS (TARGET Instant Payment Settlement)ISO 20022 messages | — | Head office | — |
SEPA dates are when the institution became ready for the scheme. TIPS entries have no joining date.
An institution missing from T2 may still be reachable through an indirect participant. The ECB’s TIPS list does not separate participants from reachable parties. It includes institutions reachable in Swedish kronor as well as in euro.
“ISO 20022 messages” marks a scheme or system whose rulebook or operator specifies ISO 20022 for messages between participants.
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Sources & method
Every value comes from a public source, such as Swift’s ISO 9362 BIC directory, GLEIF or the OFAC and EU sanctions lists. Most sources are matched on a BIC or an LEI, not on a name.
Swift GPI membership is matched on names and is indicative. A missing sanctions match does not mean that no listing applies. Always screen against the official lists.
Register entries are not screened against sanctions lists. The sanctions facts on this page cover the BIC and its LEI only.
An institution is one entry in the directory: a BIC8 in Swift’s directory, or a firm on a tracked register that holds no BIC. Licences held by an institution with a BIC are shown on its page.
Read the methodology →Credits for this page
- Payment schemes and systems—Source: European Payments Council (EPC) Registers of Participants; matched to BICs by Elucidate. Source: European Central Bank, List of TIPS participants and reachable parties.
- FCA Financial Services Register - Payment Institutions & RAISPs—Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) · register ↗ as at 25 September 2026
- Ownership and group—GLEIF Level 2 relationship records (accounting consolidation), matched by LEI.
- Overview, authorisation, partners, products, leadership and events—researched per institution by an AI model with web search, from the firm's own website, terms and filings, regulators' registers and notices, company registers and news. Licences, partners, figures, people and events link to their source, and each card shows the research date. AI research can be wrong or out of date, so check key facts at the source.
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