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Bankera proof of address nonsense

C

cckuhqilfownnfctux

Member Plus
May 19, 2020
75
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18
#1
TLDR: I believe all this bs is just a national origin discrimination, please suggest an alternative EMI which accepts Russian citizens (not residents).


A detailed story:

I am a proud owner of a sanctioned passport and a LLC in a joke jurisdiction so my banking options are quite limited. Reading this forum I came to a conclusion that a €2000 "introduction" via you-know-who would get me an account with Bankera.
I have successfully registered and everything was well until it did not...

All this proof-of-address nonsense started in March over e-mail with "Please kindly provide ... proof of address – a recent utility bill (fixed-line phone, water, electricity), tax return statement, etc. with a visible home address and name, surname (not older than 3 months)"

I have sent to Bankera over email:
- a bank account statement showing my address
- a photo of utility bills (not in my name) and a rental contract (with my name)
- a Personal Income Tax return certificate showing my address
(the December emails were just a normal request for a recent Certificate of Incumbence)

b1.webp



And it seemed to satisfy them. But after two months I was asked to pass another proof-of-address questionnaire, this time on the Bankera website.

Now the questionnaire stated that a bank account statement is not anymore accepted as a proof of address and I must provide a utility bills and/or rental contract and/or other documents, so I have sent a PIT certificate again, also made a selfie in front of my house with clearly seen house number and have provided a location and a screenshot of Google Maps showing the same house.
The KYC staff reviewed the questionnaire and returned an error that the PIT certificate issued in April (3 months ago) is more than 6 months old.

b4.webp


WTF?
And how could I "provide a rent agreement issued less than 6 months ago" if I rent this house for several years already and the rental agreement is older than 6 months?

I have opened the questionnaire again and answered that I have no requested documents because they are older than 6 months and my account got blocked.

b2.webp



I believe Bankera just doesn't like my passport and doesn't want me as a customer so I will be very grateful if someone would recommend me another EMI that accepts Russian citizens and which does not cost €300/mo (€50/mo as in Bankera would be okay)

In return I could recommend my fellow citizens to use Currenxie: no €2000 "introduction" required, no monthly "account maintenance" fee, no quarterly proof of address nonsense, etc. I have an account with them but I'd like to have a backup bank account just in case.

Also will share my experience with other EMIs:

Verifo: does not accept russians
Statrys: does not accept russians
Finductive: does not accept russians
Payoneer: does not reply to emails
B2BPay: accepts russians but does not accept my company's joke jurisdiction
PayDo: accepts russians but costs 300/mo so I did not try to register
Octopuspays: accepts russians but costs 300/mo for a pooled IBAN :D
GeMBA: should accept russians but costs 300/mo so I did not try to register
IBsettle: should accept russians but costs 200/mo so I did not try to register
Bilderlings: should accept russians but costs 200/mo so I did not try to register
Monetley: should accept russians but costs 200/mo so I did not try to register
CollectNPay: did not try to register because see below

NB: Bilderlings, PayDo, Monetley, CollectNPay are seem to be Russian EMIs, so you should not use them if you don't want Russia to know anything about your business.
 
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#3
Unless you share what is your current residence, where is your company incorporated and what is your business, you can't get a well-founded advice. It matters a lot.
P.S. It's true that Bankera very probably does not like Russians but it's not much good/reliable EMI in general. IMO.
 
#4
linusAG said:
Where is your LLC located?
What services you provide?
Click to expand...
Belize, IT

Forester said:
what is your current residence
Click to expand...
Thailand

Forester said:
it's not much good/reliable EMI in general
Click to expand...
Any other suggestions besides the ones I've mentioned above?

I believe Bilderlings, PayDo, Monetley, CollectNPay will accept my company application but I'm reluctant to use these EMIs as I don't want to share any information about my business with the Russian authorities.
 
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#6
linusAG said:
Why do you use Belize LLC? For tax reasons? Or do you want to be anonymous？
Click to expand...
I don't want my home country to know anything about my business, and an agent helping to open offshore companies told me that Belize does not share any information with the Russian authorities.
If I wanted to be anonymous I would have bought photoshopped documents for €20 instead of wasting hundreds on various certificates of incumbence and whatever and providing all my real stuff to Bankera. Now I'm starting to think that I really should have done that LOL.
 
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#8
cckuhqilfownnfctux said:
I don't want my home country to know anything about my business, and an agent helping to open offshore companies told me that Belize does not share any information with the Russian authorities.
If I wanted to be anonymous I would have bought photoshopped documents for €20 instead of wasting hundreds on various certificates of incumbence and whatever and providing all my real stuff to Bankera. Now I'm starting to think that I really should have done that LOL.
Click to expand...
Would you mind sharing your information with any Payment company in China?
 
#11
cckuhqilfownnfctux said:
Reading this forum I came to a conclusion that a €2000 "introduction" via you-know-who would get me an account with Bankera.
I have successfully registered and everything was well until it did not...
Click to expand...
rof/%
I KNEW it!

I "insinuated" this to a mod here about two years ago. I just knew it! smi(&%
:cool:

PS. Sorry...I don't mean to laugh at you. I'm laughing at the situation because morals and ethics are NOT "grey," so based on the initial questions I was posed, I already knew what type of person I was dealing with. I'm so sorry you had to go through this. Hopefully, you have learned a valuable lesson from this. ange¤%&
 
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#12
Well... Russian passport and Thai residence with Belize LLC in an IT business. Really a toxic mix nowadays.
To be honest, I do not see many reasonable options (Payoneer, Advcash and similar I do not consider reasonable).
cckuhqilfownnfctux said:
an EMI in Europe is more preferrable.
Click to expand...
TBMK, forget about any European EMI with this setup; even about any bank/EMI in European countries that are not hostile to Russians like Serbia. The rest of your setup is also not sexy/too risky. (Or they really should charge you 300-500/month to compensate the risks.)

To be honest, good for you that Currenxie onboarded your company, I am even a little bit surprised (but not much, it also depends on where your customers are).

Really, think about some Chinese subject, or perhaps HK EMI like Statrys (forget Airwallex) and/or:
What about some bank at Belize/Thailand? (Or possibly Cambodia.) You can show at least some ties to these countries...
 
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#13
diatessaron said:
You should ask for a refund from whoever got the 2k.
Click to expand...
jafo said:
I KNEW it!
Click to expand...
Any possible refund for that "introduction" is expired already. I had no problems with Bankera for more than a year, even counting those 2k the resulting "account maintenance" costed less then €200 per month which is less than I had to pay before to a different EMI.

Forester said:
TBMK, forget about any European EMI with this setup; even about any bank/EMI in European countries that are not hostile to Russians like Serbia.
Click to expand...
Forester said:
Really, think about some Chinese subject, or perhaps HK EMI like Statrys (forget Airwallex) and/or:
What about some bank at Belize/Thailand? (Or possibly Cambodia.)
Click to expand...
I need SEPA transfers, highly preferrable with a personal IBAN. I don't know any bank in Thailand that could provide IBAN in SEPA, even a pooled one, and I know just one bank in Belize that seems to accept LLCs without substance - Caye, it provides a pooled IBAN.
 
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#14
Forester said:
Well... Russian passport and Thai residence with Belize LLC in an IT business. Really a toxic mix nowadays.
Click to expand...
Yeah this is near peak toxicity from banks point of view. If only the company would have been in the crypto or adult industry, it would have been perfection.

That it was still possible to open a bank account with a regular EMI is actually quite hopeful, also for all of us with less toxic setups.

Ideally though, would be nice with a world where anyone can get banking regardless of citizenship or residency, if one just makes money for the bank, and the business isnt like organized crime or a scam/fraud.
 
#15
cckuhqilfownnfctux said:
I need SEPA transfers, highly preferrable with a personal IBAN.
Click to expand...
Oh well. Yes, I have forgotten to ask what are the payment destinations, methods and currencies needed. SEPA I see as a huge problem in your case / with your setup.

Currenxie gives you this via CITI UK, you're happy – but otherwise: try to step into the banker's boots and ask yourself: why such a company wants to operate internally at the EU market? Incorporated at Belize, managed from Thailand, UBO being a Russian. Why if not because of something shady? A high-risk position, really.
Try to ask at Interpolitan Money... but better do not expect anything.

cckuhqilfownnfctux said:
I don't know any bank in Thailand that could provide IBAN in SEPA, even a pooled one,
Click to expand...
Yes, I believe you.

cckuhqilfownnfctux said:
and I know just one bank in Belize that seems to accept LLCs without substance - Caye, it provides a pooled IBAN.
Click to expand...
Well, if I were you, I would be happy with this ;).
Frankly, if you even do not have a substance... I am afraid that you are in a extremely difficult position. It's 2024, not 2014 or even 2004.

And – perhaps the last question that I haven't asked yet – what's your monthly turnover?


Cloudbanck said:
Yeah this is near peak toxicity from banks point of view. If only the company would have been in the crypto or adult industry, it would have been perfection.
Click to expand...
thu&¤#

Cloudbanck said:
Ideally though, would be nice with a world where anyone can get banking regardless of citizenship or residency, if one just makes money for the bank, and the business isnt like organized crime or a scam/fraud.
Click to expand...
“I have a dream...”
We all know what was Martin Luther King's fate and how it all went further :( ;)
 
#17
cckuhqilfownnfctux said:
Yeah I think I should incorporate in the UK - still a member of SEPA and still russian-friendly jurisdiction.
Click to expand...
Well, a SEPA member – yes; russian-friendly – yes and no, depending on a context.
Regardless of the above, be advised that unless you engage a UK director, your troubles with banking will not disappear. Companies with non-resident directors are generally not welcome in UK financial institutions. Times when Go Solo was willing to establish a company and open a bank account for a non-resident are, unfortunately, gone.

cckuhqilfownnfctux said:
Several thousands, less than 100k yearly.
Click to expand...
It's another weak point, regrettably.
It in no case represents a remarkably interesting business for any bank/EMI, hence their willingness to onboard you will be even lower.
In the same time, it makes absolutely no sense to consider establishing your own European company with a substance as a middleman and not much sense to engage other European company as a middleman for some %.

Can't you get paid in crypto?
And, what's wrong with SWIFT only in general, especially if you want just a backup solution (completely wise) when you are served by Currenxie?
 
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