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
Do Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan restrict foreign banks from processing credit card transactions domestically? May 12, 2016 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards What kinds of profit margins do remittance companies typically earn? May 12, 2016 Payment Corridors and Remittance Economics What are the benefits of leveraging existing money-transmitter license holders instead of obtaining a full bank charter? May 12, 2016 Licensing Strategy, Sponsorship and Agent Models How will mobile financial services achieve mass adoption among both the banked and unbanked? May 12, 2016 Emerging Markets and Financial Inclusion Why do most hackers never get caught—can’t providers trace where stolen funds go in bank or PayPal fraud cases? May 12, 2016 Money Laundering and Financial Crime Which podcasts should bankers and banking professionals listen to in order to better understand mainstream money and banking systems? May 12, 2016 Learning and Certifications: Guides, Calculators, Quizzes and Courses Can I transition my career from literature into banking? May 11, 2016 Careers, Jobs and Working in Finance Now that Snapcash launched, does that imply most messaging apps will add money-sending, and should every platform do it? May 11, 2016 Digital Wallets, Mobile Money and P2P Payments What is the total addressable market (TAM) for micropayments in the U.S., Europe, and globally, and why? May 11, 2016 Payments (General) Why are micropayment fees often so expensive? May 11, 2016 Payment Operations, Pricing and Fees For a bank, is it better to offer one all-in-one mobile app (banking + PFM + NFC + wallet), or multiple separate apps for different functions? May 10, 2016 Digital Banks, Neobanks and Mobile Banking What major innovations by banks or non-banks have transformed global banking, and how successful were they? May 9, 2016 Open Banking and Account Aggregation What regulations apply when starting an online bank in Europe? May 9, 2016 UK and EU Licensing, EMIs and Payment Institutions Are there banks in Hong Kong that specialize in Africa or Middle East operations? May 9, 2016 General Finance Questions Is there an international certification program specifically for payments professionals? May 8, 2016 Learning and Certifications: Guides, Calculators, Quizzes and Courses Do credit and debit card payments go through SWIFT, or do they use separate networks? May 7, 2016 Card Networks and Card Issuing If I transfer $10,000 from the U.S. to India or ₹10,000 from India to the U.S., what net amount will I receive? May 7, 2016 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad Why are NFC readers popular in most mobile payment solutions for physical purchases? May 6, 2016 Payments (General) How do remittance transfers function from sender to receiver? May 5, 2016 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad Before wire-transfer technology existed, how were funds moved from one person to another? May 5, 2016 History of Money, Banking and Finance Are there APIs that support building remittance services to Nepal, India, and the rest of Southeast Asia? May 5, 2016 Developer Tools, APIs, Sandboxes and Open Source What licensing considerations apply when holding customer funds in an international peer-to-peer marketplace? May 5, 2016 UK and EU Licensing, EMIs and Payment Institutions Would a bullion-backed “hard” cryptocurrency meaningfully disrupt fiat currencies? May 5, 2016 Stablecoins and CBDCs Could a digital-currency business succeed in Pakistan? May 5, 2016 Licensing in Other Countries Who are the five most powerful figures in global banking today? May 4, 2016 Central Banks and Bank Supervision Will WhatsApp ever offer a full API for interacting with feature phones in creative ways? May 4, 2016 Developer Tools, APIs, Sandboxes and Open Source Which payment gateway lets a U.S. company charge customers in multiple local currencies, including those in Southeast Asia? May 4, 2016 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways What trends were expected to shape mobile payments in 2015? May 4, 2016 Digital Wallets, Mobile Money and P2P Payments What is the maximum amount of money I can legally send to Thailand? May 4, 2016 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad What stops banks from processing electronic transactions on weekends and public holidays? May 4, 2016 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems When opening a joint bank account, do all account holders need to be physically present? May 3, 2016 Opening Bank Accounts, Personal and Business What are the options for making foreign payments without using a credit card? May 3, 2016 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad How do banks manage and record very large volumes of transactions and customer accounts? May 3, 2016 Banking and Payments Technology Stack Could Steam’s virtual wallet balance (or “Steam money”) become the most widely used virtual currency? May 3, 2016 Payments (General) What would the world look like if borrowing money didn’t exist? May 3, 2016 Economics, Inflation and Monetary Policy Bitcoin in 2015: What’s the best platform for Bitcoin day trading (excluding Coinbase) for users outside the U.S.? May 2, 2016 Crypto Exchanges, Trading and Markets What are some interesting facts about Stellar.org? May 2, 2016 Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology Should I combine remittances, bill pay, mobile top-ups, and merchant payments into one app, or build separate apps? May 2, 2016 Business Strategy, Case Studies and Lessons Learned What is a strong payment gateway option for a Saudi/Middle East startup besides PayPal? May 2, 2016 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways How can a website or app initiate an ACH transfer without being underwritten? May 1, 2016 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems If Bank A’s debit card can withdraw cash at Bank B’s ATM, how does that work without banks sharing sensitive account data? May 1, 2016 Card Networks and Card Issuing Why is every major tech company building its own payment platform? May 1, 2016 Business Strategy, Case Studies and Lessons Learned What is Western Union? Apr 12, 2016 Money Transfer Business and MTOs Is there a way to let users transfer money to each other directly from their bank accounts inside my app? Apr 12, 2016 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems How does one country lend money to another—do they transfer it electronically, ship it physically, or is it just accounting entries? Apr 10, 2016 Correspondent Banking, Nostro and Vostro, and Settlement What impact will FinCEN regulation have on virtual-currency payment systems being treated as money transmitters? Apr 10, 2016 US Money Transmitter Licensing and MSB Registration Can an investment management company accept money (fiat and bitcoin) through a payment gateway? Apr 9, 2016 Crypto Payments, On-Ramps and Off-Ramps Who is likely to become PayPal’s next president? Apr 8, 2016 Payments (General) Can Pakistani businesses use a Skrill business account to accept Visa and Mastercard payments? Apr 8, 2016 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways How would widespread adoption of Ripple affect SWIFT and CLS in terms of market share and revenue? Apr 8, 2016 Business Strategy, Case Studies and Lessons Learned