Top Wise Alternatives & Competitors for UK Businesses

Wise has made it easy for startups to hold and move money across currencies with minimal fees. But as finance operations become more complex with multiple entities, investors, budgets, and compliance layers, Wise starts to fall short.

Here’s where things break down:

• You can’t set up sub-accounts for each entity, fund, or client
• There’s no way to assign role-based access to treasury functions
• There’s no real-time access to account data, transaction insights, or reconciliation tools
• You can’t onboard clients or counterparties using verified KYC data

For early-stage teams, Wise is good enough. For scale-up finance teams, it’s restrictive.

In this guide, we compare three UK-supported alternatives Finexer, Levro, and Airwallex, that offer better control, visibility, and developer access. If you’ve outgrown Wise, here’s what to consider next.

Comparison Table: Finexer vs Wise vs Levro vs Airwallex

If Wise isn’t built for treasury control, who is?

Below is a feature-level breakdown of three UK-supported alternatives, Finexer, Levro, and Airwallex, designed to meet the needs of scaling finance teams managing funds across multiple entities, clients, or operational structures.

Feature	Finexer	Airwallex	Levro	Wise
UK Support	Yes	Yes	Yes (via global account)	Yes
Open Banking API	Full (Data + Payments + KYC)	No	No	Limited integration only
KYC Onboarding Tools	Yes (Bank-verified onboarding)	No	No	No
Real-Time Bank Data Access	Yes	No	No	No
Payment Initiation (Pay by Bank)	Yes	No	No	No
User & Role Permissions	Yes (API-controlled)	Partial (Team roles)	Partial (Admin access only)	No role-level controls
Usage-Based Pricing	Yes	No (Tiered)	No (Flat monthly fee)	No (Fixed + margin)
Multi-Entity Support	Compatible via data scoping	Yes (Global account setup)	Yes	No
Treasury Features	Yes (Data-led & programmable)	Yes (Basic transfers & payout)	Yes (USD-based fund control)	Limited
Client/Counterparty Onboarding	Yes (with KYC & data sync)	No	No	No

Finexer

Wise helps you move money. Finexer helps you control it.
Unlike traditional multi-currency accounts or FX tools, Finexer is a fully regulated Open Banking platform designed specifically for finance teams managing real-time treasury, onboarding, and disbursement workflows, without piecing together multiple providers.

Best For

Startup CFOs and Ops Leads who need a single system for payments, account data, and client verification without relying on cards, file uploads, or bolt-on KYC tools.

Key Features

• Open Banking Payments (PISP)
  Send domestic payments directly from bank accounts, including one-off, bulk, and scheduled transfers, no wallet or manual top-ups required.
• Real-Time Account Access (AIS)
  Pull live bank balances, transaction data, and account details across thousands of UK and EU institutions. Ideal for reconciliation, financial visibility, and compliance.
• Integrated KYC/KYB Tools
  Onboard clients, contractors, or counterparties using verified bank data, document checks, and biometric authentication, all via Finexer’s API.
• Unified API for Treasury Operations
  One interface for initiating payments, pulling account data, and verifying users, with developer-friendly SDKs and webhook support for automated workflows.
• Fast Deployment with 3–5 Weeks of Hands-On Support
  Finexer provides guided onboarding, technical support, and custom sandbox environments to help you go live faster than most enterprise platforms.

Finexer isn’t a wallet or currency platform. It’s a full-stack financial data and payments layer built for speed, control, and audit-ready workflows. If you’re looking for infrastructure, not just an account, Finexer is the clear next step.

“Our business isn’t about the volume of consents, it’s about delivering high-quality services to some of the biggest names in the industry. We needed a partner who understood the importance of providing business-focused solutions, and Finexer joined us on that journey.” 
Penny Phillips, Chief Commercial Officer at .

Levro

Built for global startups, but still limited for UK treasury operations
Levro is a multi-currency account provider primarily designed for US-based companies with international subsidiaries. It offers unified access to USD, EUR, and GBP accounts under one roof, making it popular with cross-border teams. However, for UK-based businesses, especially those needing real-time payment automation and account connectivity, its scope is more limited.

Best For

US-headquartered startups expanding into the UK or EU, needing multi-currency account access and basic international payment tools.

Key Features

• Multi-Currency Accounts
  Hold and send funds in up to 34 currencies. Comes with a default USD-based infrastructure for US firms.
• Basic Treasury Permissions
  You can invite team members with view or payment roles, but it lacks granular user-level or fund-specific access.
• Payment Routing
  Supports SWIFT and local rails like SEPA and FPS, depending on the account currency and recipient country.
• Compliance Tools
  Includes basic onboarding checks and document upload features for setting up entities and users.

Capability	Levro	Finexer
Real-time UK bank data	Not available	Yes
Open Banking payments	No	Yes
Role-based access	Basic user roles	Fund-level control
KYC/Client onboarding tools	Manual upload	Built-in checks
Reconciliation workflows	Export-only	API + Webhooks

Airwallex

Enterprise-grade payment infra but not a UK-native treasury platform
Airwallex is often chosen for its global infrastructure and clean UI, especially among scaleups doing business in Asia-Pacific. It offers multi-currency wallets, card issuing, and a Stripe-like developer experience. But when used as a primary treasury account in the UK, it starts to fall short, particularly on native bank connectivity, fund control, and onboarding logic.

Best For

Companies with operations across APAC, EMEA, and the US, who need a payment gateway, FX routing, and multi-currency storage, but not deep UK account integration or fund-level control.

What You Get

• Multi-currency accounts with local bank details in GBP, USD, EUR, AUD
• Global payouts via local and SWIFT rails, with basic approval layers
• Prepaid cards for employee spend, usable across different currency balances
• Developer-friendly APIs to move funds and trigger payments
• Built-in checkout and merchant tools (useful for platforms or marketplaces)

Plan	Monthly Fee	Notes
Explore	£19	Waived with £10k+ monthly deposit or balance
Grow	£49	Designed for growing teams needing more control
Accelerate	Custom (~£499+)	Tailored support for enterprise-level clients

Considerations

• No native UK bank feed access: You won’t get live transaction streams or reconciliation support like you would with Open Banking.
• No fund-level control: Teams can access the wallet, but you can’t segment internal budgets or client funds with permission rules.
• Checkout-first mindset: Their platform is more focused on merchant payments and card issuance than treasury workflows.
• 2.6% Open Banking fee: Unusual for UK Pay by Bank tools, most Open Banking providers charge far less or offer usage-based caps.

Choosing the Right Wise Alternative for Your Business

Not every finance team has the same needs, and that’s exactly why Wise no longer fits as a one-size-fits-all solution. While it’s great for international transfers and solo operators, startups with multi-entity operations, UK compliance responsibilities, or data-driven decision-making require more than just a global wallet.

Here’s what to keep in mind as you choose a replacement:

• If you need segmented control over funds, real-time data access, and built-in onboarding capabilities, Finexer is purpose-built for that.
• If you’re scaling globally with heavy operational volume in APAC, Airwallex offers strong infrastructure and FX capabilities.
• If you’re primarily focused on quick setup and basic payment flows, other tools may still suffice, but will hit limits as your finance stack matures.