Faisal Khan
Answers by

Faisal Khan

Cross-border payments, banking access, licensing. Thirty-one years inside regulated money movement.

Founder, Faisal Khan LLC·Istanbul, working globally
3,061Questions answered
31+Years in payments
400+Companies served
72+Countries
About

Every answer on askmint is mine. I have spent more than thirty-one years in financial services, almost all of it on one problem: how money legally crosses a border, and what a regulator needs to see before it will.

My career began in technology, not banking. I moved into banking and payments, and then into cross-border payments. That is where I saw how badly companies get caught by the rules across many countries. Not because the rules are impossible, but because the wrong structure was chosen before anyone understood the flow of funds.

Since starting the consultancy in 2010, I have worked with more than four hundred companies across seventy-two countries, from early-stage startups to established financial institutions. The work is helping them obtain licences, secure banking relationships, and build compliance frameworks that hold up under examination.

Today it is mostly licensing strategy, MSB banking access and cross-border payment structures, alongside writing, speaking and the educational sites that sit around the practice. This site is one of them.

Every call I take, I take myself. Twelve thousand of them so far.

Where I work

Licensing and compliance

Money transmitter licences, payment institution registration and compliance programmes across many countries. More than fifty licence applications done.

Banking relationships

Getting and keeping bank accounts for high-risk and regulated businesses. The part most operators underestimate.

Cross-border payments

Payment corridors, settlement design, FX risk and the licensing that sits underneath international money movement.

What I am not
  • A bank, money transmitter or money services business
  • A law firm. Nothing here is legal advice
  • In the flow of funds. I never hold client money

Answers

3,061 answers · newest first
How easy is it for a non-resident to open a bank account in Singapore? Dec 1, 2016 Opening Bank Accounts, Personal and Business Which regulated financial company in the EU offers an excellent onboarding experience? Nov 6, 2016 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways Are U.S. banks generally willing to open accounts for U.S. companies owned by non-residents? Nov 6, 2016 Opening Bank Accounts, Personal and Business How can I find a payment service provider whose services I can resell? Nov 6, 2016 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways What are the requirements to become an ACH processor? Nov 6, 2016 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems Why is Simple not classified as a bank? Nov 6, 2016 Fintech, BaaS and Embedded Finance Which debit card works best for online shopping in Pakistan? Nov 6, 2016 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards Which prepaid cards in the United States allow receiving money from individuals? Nov 5, 2016 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards Is making a wire transfer through Chase secure, and how can I verify its safety? Nov 5, 2016 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems How does a bank connect into the broader financial system? Nov 5, 2016 Banking and Payments Technology Stack What is school banking, and how is it practiced in Asia? Nov 2, 2016 Personal and Consumer Finance, Budgeting and Saving Is it common for small banks or credit unions to fail or shut down? Nov 2, 2016 Central Banks and Bank Supervision What is the MT103 SPP format for funds transfers, and why don’t most banks support it? Nov 2, 2016 International Wire Transfers and Large Transfers Why do people accept extremely high bank service charges for ATM usage? Nov 1, 2016 Payment Operations, Pricing and Fees How much black money has moved through hawala channels? Nov 1, 2016 Hawala, Informal Value Transfer and Shadow Finance Do merchant accounts support third-party billing, and does PayPal allow this? Oct 9, 2016 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways What actually happens behind the scenes during an international money transfer? Oct 9, 2016 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad How can I get my Payoneer debit card delivered to Ghana? Oct 9, 2016 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards Can India issue a national ID in the form of a debit card like Nigeria has done? Oct 5, 2016 Cybersecurity, Digital Identity and Authentication How can you cash a personal check if you don’t have a bank account? Oct 5, 2016 Personal and Consumer Finance, Budgeting and Saving What are good rule-of-thumb guidelines for selling stocks? Oct 3, 2016 Capital Markets: Stocks, Bonds and Derivatives Are services like P2PCash or Abra close to disrupting the international remittance market? Oct 3, 2016 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad What happens to a country if it is disconnected from the SWIFT system? Oct 3, 2016 Geopolitics of Money and the International Monetary System Which bank does Facebook use to process payment transactions? Oct 2, 2016 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways Which countries have the most advanced banking systems? Oct 2, 2016 General Finance Questions Which types of payment methods are safest? Oct 2, 2016 Payments (General) I want to become a risk manager at a bank or company—does this offer strong long-term career growth? Oct 2, 2016 Careers, Jobs and Working in Finance What should eBay’s business model become in a world where PayPal is no longer part of it? Oct 2, 2016 E-Commerce, Marketplace and Platform Payments If I give my virtual assistant access to my SunTrust business online banking for reconciliation, could they view my account number or initiate transfers? Oct 2, 2016 Cybersecurity, Digital Identity and Authentication Can central banks own assets like real estate, or would that conflict with their mandate or relationship to markets and government? Oct 2, 2016 Central Banks and Bank Supervision In a modern banking era, why are wire transfers still limited over weekends and take multiple days? Sep 9, 2016 Correspondent Banking, Nostro and Vostro, and Settlement What factors influence how people choose a channel for international money transfers? Sep 9, 2016 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad How difficult would it be to seriously disrupt Western Union’s core business? Sep 8, 2016 Money Transfer Business and MTOs Is it realistic to start a business with little or no capital, and how could it be done? Sep 8, 2016 Starting and Running a Fintech or Payments Business What are the practical steps to execute a bill-payments startup idea? Sep 8, 2016 Starting and Running a Fintech or Payments Business What would happen if the U.S. dollar lost its position as the world’s primary reserve currency? Sep 6, 2016 Geopolitics of Money and the International Monetary System What is the best method to transfer $200,000 from the Philippines to the United States? Sep 6, 2016 International Wire Transfers and Large Transfers What are the national benefits of plastic money and cashless transactions compared to cash? Sep 6, 2016 Payments (General) What are the best Check 21 processing providers for startups? Sep 2, 2016 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems Are all paper checks processed through the ACH network? Sep 2, 2016 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems What role do central banks play in today’s globalized financial system? Sep 2, 2016 Central Banks and Bank Supervision What do the Winklevoss twins understand about Bitcoin beyond wanting to profit from it? Sep 2, 2016 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics How do remittances impact the country where the immigrant is employed? Sep 2, 2016 Economics, Inflation and Monetary Policy How can an online B2B portal position itself as an intermediary in payments? Sep 1, 2016 E-Commerce, Marketplace and Platform Payments Is Bitcoin dead or declining? Sep 1, 2016 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics Is there a way to bypass Venezuela’s strict FX controls using Bitcoin? Sep 1, 2016 Capital Controls, Currency Crises and Black-Market Rates Why can’t ACH transfers be processed instantly? Sep 1, 2016 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems What does “core capital” mean for a bank? Sep 1, 2016 How Banks Work What would happen if a government issued a tender to an individual to set up a privately owned central bank? Sep 1, 2016 Central Banks and Bank Supervision What are the most affordable ways to do international bank or money transfers? Sep 1, 2016 International Wire Transfers and Large Transfers