United Kingdom · Payments & e-money
Payhawk Financial Services Limited
Payhawk Financial Services Limited is a private limited company registered in England and Wales, with its office in London. The FCA has authorised it as an electronic money institution since 12 January 2024, under firm reference number 987096. It is wholly owned by Payhawk Limited, the UK holding company of the Payhawk spend-management group. It issues e-money accounts and Payhawk Visa debit and credit cards to UK business customers, and makes credit transfers for them. According to its 2024 accounts, it has also acted as an electronic money distribution agent of Payrnet Limited since late 2022.
Licences and registrations
Held by Payhawk Financial Services Limited (LEI 2549008RXWOGEV5R9X96). 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 - E-Money InstitutionsFCALinked by LEI. Matched by Elucidate on the UK company number the register gives. | Authorised E-Money InstitutionE-Money / Stored Value Institution | 987096 | United Kingdom | Active | 2024-01-12 | — |
|
Search the register ↗ |
Trading names on the register: Payhawk (FCA-EMI)
- 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
- HAWKGB22XXX head office
- Connection to Swift
- Reverse billingThe institution is connected to Swift. Messages sent to it are billed to the institution, not to the sender. The “2” in the eighth character of HAWKGB22 marks reverse billing.
- Swift GPI
- Not on the member list
- Payment schemes and systems
- SCT · SCT Inst · TIPS
- Branch codes
- None: head-office BIC only
- BIC first registered
- 2024-04-10
- Last updated
- 2024-09-02
Overview
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
Ownership
Group subsidiary
100% Payhawk Limited
Firm type
E-money and accounts
Trades as Payhawk
- Ownership
- Payhawk Limited (Companies House 11747263) owns 100% of the firm. The 2024 accounts name it as both parent and ultimate parent.
- Direct parent
- Payhawk Limited, United Kingdom 100%
- Head office
- Chancery House, 53-64 Chancery Lane, WC2A 1QS London, United Kingdom
- Company register
- Companies House 14060082
- Incorporated
- 21 Apr 2022
- Founders
- Hristo Borisov · Konstantin Dzhengozov · Boyko Karadzhov
Online
- Websites & references
- payhawk.com ↗
status.payhawk.com ↗ system status page
Wikidata Q133271159 ↗ - Official social accounts
- LinkedIn ↗ · X ↗ · Facebook ↗ · Instagram ↗ · YouTube ↗
- Apps
- App Store ↗ · Google Play ↗
Sources · 15 pages consulted
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14060082
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14060082/officers
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14060082/persons-with-significant-control
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14060082/filing-history
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14060082/filing-history/MzQ3OTgxNTI3OGFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0
- payhawk.com
- payhawk.com/terms
- payhawk.com/legal
- payhawk.com/privacy
- payhawk.com/trust
- payhawk.com/help/understanding-ibans-payment-schemes-and-safeguarding-at-payhawk
- payhawk.com/team
- payhawk.com/en-us/blog/jpmorgan-partners-with-payhawk-to-boost-innovation-and-growth
- payhawk.com/blog/payhawk-becomes-first-ever-bulgarian-unicorn-after-raising-100m-in-a-lightspeed-led-
- fintech.global/2026/08/31/payhawk-turns-to-flagright-as-spend-crime-risks-converge/
Authorisation
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Operates under
- Several models
- Licensed firm it operates under
- Payrnet Limited, United Kingdom Electronic Money Distribution (EMD) agent, as described in the firm's accounts for 2024
The FCA authorises the firm as an electronic money institution under firm reference number 987096. Its 2024 accounts say it has also acted as an electronic money distribution agent of Payrnet Limited, an FCA-authorised electronic money institution, since late 2022.
| Authority | Licence or registration | Number | Held | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) United Kingdom | Authorised Electronic Money Institution | 987096 | In its own name | Active | payhawk.com ↗ |
| Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) United Kingdom | Electronic money distributor (EMD agent) of Payrnet Limited | — | As agent | Status unconfirmed | find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.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 holds customer funds apart from its own, in segregated safeguarding accounts at authorised credit institutions. For UK customers it names J.P. Morgan in the UK as the safeguarding bank.
- Safeguarding bank · Settlement bank
- J.P. Morgan (J.P. Morgan Payments), UK United Kingdom
- Payment schemes and card networks
- Visa Direct payhawk.com ↗
Faster Payments Through a partner payhawk.com ↗
Bacs Through a partner payhawk.com ↗
SEPA Credit Transfer / SEPA Instant Credit Transfer Access not stated payhawk.com ↗
Swift Access not stated payhawk.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
It provides the payment services behind the Payhawk spend-management platform for UK clients: e-money accounts, Visa corporate debit cards and credit-limit cards, and credit transfers. According to the Payhawk footer, the product is not available to UK micro-enterprises or small charities.
It serves Payhawk's UK business clients. Clients in the EEA are served by Payhawk Financial Services UAB in Lithuania, and US clients by Cross River Bank.
- Revenue
- GBP 2.62m
- Sells to
- Enterprises · Small businesses
- Serves customers in
- United Kingdom
- Latest funding round
- Series B extension · USD 100m Mar 2022Led by Lightspeed Venture Partners
Leadership
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Compliance / MLRO
- Thibaud Nicolas Eudes Catry Director; Group Chief Compliance Officer (Payhawk group)
- Executive
- Daniel Scott Osburn Director
- Executive
- Niccolo Guiscardo Francesco Polli Director
- Chief executive
-
Hristo Borisov
Co-founder & CEO (Payhawk group); not a director of this entity since 29 August 2025
Recent events
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
-
Leadership
Joao Pedro Batista Coelho resigned as a director of the firm on 31 July 2026.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗ -
Leadership
Group co-founders Hristo Borisov and Konstantin Dzhengozov left the board on 29 August 2025. Thibaud Catry and Daniel Osburn were appointed that day.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗ -
Other
Payhawk Limited subscribed for 3,000,000 new GBP 1 shares, raising the firm's share capital to GBP 4.5 million.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗ -
Leadership
The firm appointed Niccolo Polli as a director on 25 February 2025.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk ↗ -
Other
Payhawk selected J.P. Morgan Payments for multi-currency accounts, safeguarding of funds and domestic payment rails for its UK customers.
payhawk.com ↗ -
Licence
The FCA authorised the firm as an electronic money institution on 12 January 2024, under firm reference number 987096.
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
- HAWKGB22XXX
- How the BIC breaks down
- HAWKBank
- GBCountry · United Kingdom
- 22Location · reverse billing
- XXXBranch · head office
- Branch description
- Not recorded in the directory
- LEI
- 2549008RXWOGEV5R9X96
- LEI record
- View on GLEIF ↗
- Licence no. · FCA-EMI
- 987096
- 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
- aa99a9fb04f8
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
- E-money / stored value
- Licensed in
- United Kingdom
- Website (register)
- www.payhawk.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
- Founded
- 2018
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
GLEIF’s relationship records name no parent for this LEI, and no group page is published for it.
Addresses
- Registered address
- CHANCERY HOUSE 53-64 CHANCERY LANE LONDON WC2A 1QS UNITED KINGDOM
- Operational address
- CHANCERY HOUSE 53-64 CHANCERY LANE LONDON LONDON WC2A 1QS 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>HAWKGB22XXX</BICFI>
<LEI>2549008RXWOGEV5R9X96</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>HAWKGB22XXX</BICFI>
<LEI>2549008RXWOGEV5R9X96</LEI>
<Nm>PAYHAWK FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED</Nm>
<PstlAdr>
<TwnNm>LONDON</TwnNm>
<Ctry>GB</Ctry>
<AdrLine>CHANCERY HOUSE 53-64 CHANCERY LANE LONDON WC2A 1QS</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 | 2025-06-02 | Head office | — |
| SEPA Instant Credit TransferISO 20022 messages | 2025-06-02 | 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.
- Wikidata—CC0, matched on the BIC or LEI recorded in Wikidata. It is community-edited, so check key facts.
- FCA Financial Services Register - E-Money Institutions—Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) · register ↗ as at 25 September 2026
- 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.
- Images—logos and photos from Wikimedia Commons (credited with their author and licence) or from the institution's own website, where Wikimedia has none. Elucidate keeps a copy of each; the links lead to the source and the original image. Logo: payhawk.com (official website); Hristo Borisov: payhawk.com (official website) · original.
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