- →
-
Contact Form
-
Banks in Guernsey are licensed by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission under the Banking Supervision (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2020, and its register lists 21 banking licensees in October 2026, among them Barclays, Butterfield, HSBC, Investec, Lloyds, NatWest International, Royal Bank of Canada and Skipton International. The Commission’s own summary sets expectations: every bank on the island belongs to a wider banking group, and most are wealth management banks or banks serving the local finance sector, with some serving the retail market. Citibank, still named on some lists, is not on the register. The company itself is registered by the Guernsey Registry, not the GFSC.
The retail business accounts are written for companies run from the islands. HSBC’s referral route wants every director, partner, owner, trustee and signatory living in Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, Jersey or the Isle of Man, the main place of business on the island of registration, and no nominee company, group or offshore holding structure above the company. NatWest International asks for owners, directors and shareholders resident in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar and a single layer of ownership. Lloyds’ Island Business Banking Account is for businesses operating in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
A company owned and managed abroad usually reaches a bank through its resident agent. Every Guernsey company needs one unless exempt, either a Guernsey-resident director or a licensed corporate services provider, and that provider is exactly the client the corporate banks describe.
| Provider | Route in | Who it says it serves |
|---|---|---|
| Butterfield Bank (Channel Islands) | Relationship manager; the page is titled intermediary banking | Trust companies, fund administrators, captive insurers, asset managers, law firms, liquidators |
| NatWest International | Online for island residents; intermediary-only forms for companies and trusts | Island-owned businesses, and companies introduced by intermediaries |
| Barclays, Guernsey Branch | International Corporate Banking | Corporate clients booked in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man |
| HSBC, Guernsey Branch | Online referral, then phone or SmartServe | Domestic trading businesses with island-resident owners |
| Wise | Online | Lists Guernsey among places where an account can hold money |
Airwallex does not list Guernsey as a country of registration, Revolut Business wants a UK or EEA company, and Mercury a US one.
In force since 26 November 2008, the scheme covers deposits up to £50,000 per qualifying claimant per licensed bank, with total compensation capped at £100 million in any five years. Qualifying claimants are individuals holding deposits for their own benefit, wherever they live, Guernsey-registered charities, executors, parents saving for children and trustees of Guernsey Retirement Annuity Trusts. The scheme’s leaflet answers the company question in one line: a company is not a qualifying claimant. A Guernsey company’s balance therefore has no compensation behind it.
Business savings accounts sit with the same banks and the same eligibility tests as current accounts. Lloyds lists an Island Business Reserve, 32-day and 95-day notice accounts, fixed term deposits and a money market call account in sterling, euros or US dollars for businesses. Butterfield offers its corporate clients call accounts in all major currencies, fixed deposits, and notice accounts in sterling, US dollars and euros.
Guernsey uses sterling. The European Payments Council gives it the code GG in BICs but GB in IBANs, and the Crown Dependencies have been inside the geographical scope of the SEPA schemes since 1 May 2016, the listing referring to the island of Guernsey. Whether a particular bank sends SEPA euro transfers depends on its own adherence.
The Guernsey Registry records the company, its directors and its resident agent; the bank decides on the account afterwards. If a company you acquire already banks, the account remains the company’s, but the bank reviews the incoming owners, directors and signatories, and can let it run on, ask for further evidence, or close it.
Our team can form a new Guernsey company or supply one of our ready-made Guernsey companies and prepare the banking application alongside it. Where one of our banking contacts suits the company, an introduction is possible, but approval rests with the bank alone. More background is on the Guernsey hub and in our guide to shelf companies with a bank account.
Not through the retail accounts: HSBC wants every director, owner and signatory living in Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, Jersey or the Isle of Man, and NatWest International wants owners and directors resident in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar. A company run from abroad normally banks through its resident agent, a licensed fiduciary, using intermediary channels such as Butterfield’s and NatWest International’s.
No. The Guernsey Banking Deposit Compensation Scheme pays up to £50,000 per qualifying claimant per licensed bank, but its leaflet states that a company is not a qualifying claimant. Individuals wherever they live, Guernsey-registered charities, executors, parents saving for children and trustees of Guernsey Retirement Annuity Trusts are covered; company money relies on the strength of the bank.
Yes, at a bank that accepts it as a customer. Lloyds lists an Island Business Reserve, 32-day and 95-day notice accounts, fixed term deposits and a call account in sterling, euros or dollars, and Butterfield gives its corporate clients call, notice and fixed deposits in major currencies. The eligibility rules are the same as for a current account.
The law does not require one: Guernsey sets no residency test for directors, though every company needs a resident agent, either a Guernsey-resident director or a licensed corporate services provider. Bank policy is stricter on the retail side, where HSBC and NatWest International want island-resident owners and directors. Without them, the resident agent’s banking channels are the usual route.