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
Does something like a “financial prodigy” actually exist? Nov 6, 2015 General Finance Questions What do your friends personally think about Bitcoin? Nov 6, 2015 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics How do banks connect into and communicate over the SWIFT network? Nov 5, 2015 Banking and Payments Technology Stack Ben Milne: How does Dwolla FiSync handle settlement of payments between banks? Nov 5, 2015 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems Is there such a thing as international banking law? Nov 5, 2015 Law, Contracts, Terms of Service and Legal Structures Will fintech startups eventually seriously challenge or displace bulge-bracket banks? Nov 5, 2015 Fintech, BaaS and Embedded Finance Who controls or owns the largest amount of bitcoins? Nov 5, 2015 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics On average, how much does each individual customer cost a bank to serve? Nov 5, 2015 How Banks Work On average, how long does it take to move money between two different countries? Nov 4, 2015 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad If you held a U.S. money-transmitter license and wanted to use Bitcoin, what international money-transfer business models could you build? Nov 1, 2015 Money Transfer Business and MTOs If a single bitcoin is very expensive, how can Bitcoin still support microtransactions? Nov 1, 2015 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics Why doesn’t PayPal let users change the country associated with their account? Nov 1, 2015 Payments (General) How much capital would be needed to start a bank in Pakistan? Nov 1, 2015 Central Banks and Bank Supervision How can Ripple or other digital currencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin help the underbanked or emerging middle class? Nov 1, 2015 Emerging Markets and Financial Inclusion Should the Bank of the United States be reinstated, and why or why not? Oct 12, 2015 Economics, Inflation and Monetary Policy What are the demographics of Western Union users sending money from the U.S. to Asia, and is the experience smooth or painful for senders and recipients? Oct 12, 2015 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad Why do bankers tend to prioritize serving larger companies over smaller ones? Oct 11, 2015 How Banks Work Money Laundering: How can I receive large deposits into my bank account while complying with source-of-funds checks and regulations? Oct 11, 2015 AML Programs, KYC and Compliance Operations Is data security a bank’s biggest cost center, and if not, what usually is? Oct 11, 2015 Cybersecurity, Digital Identity and Authentication Why is the payments ecosystem so complicated? Oct 10, 2015 Starting and Running a Fintech or Payments Business What is a good bank to open an account with in Australia? Oct 10, 2015 Opening Bank Accounts, Personal and Business What is David Marcus’s plan for payments across Facebook and Messenger? Oct 9, 2015 Digital Wallets, Mobile Money and P2P Payments Could Apple Pay become a threat to existing payment networks? Oct 9, 2015 Digital Wallets, Mobile Money and P2P Payments Why do intra-Europe transfers using IBAN sometimes take so long? Oct 9, 2015 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad Would Qiwi be treated as a money-transfer service under U.S. regulations? Oct 8, 2015 US Money Transmitter Licensing and MSB Registration Why are ATM cards standardized to a particular physical size? Oct 8, 2015 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards What is the best approach to launching a superior system that combines elements of M-Pesa and Alipay? Oct 6, 2015 Digital Wallets, Mobile Money and P2P Payments How can I get a co-branded prepaid Mastercard, Visa, or PayPal card for my virtual assistants that also promotes my website with my logo? Oct 6, 2015 Card Networks and Card Issuing In the U.S., is the mobile payments market being driven more by retailers or by banks? Oct 3, 2015 Digital Wallets, Mobile Money and P2P Payments Are Ripple, Dogecoin, Bitcoin, and similar digital currencies all likely to succeed long term? Oct 1, 2015 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics Why do banks take time to move payments from one country to another? Oct 1, 2015 International Wire Transfers and Large Transfers How can banks assist customers in cases of fraudulent debit transactions? Sep 12, 2015 Fraud and Scams In multi-country travel, how are ports of embarkation and disembarkation determined? Sep 12, 2015 Payments (General) Can Bitcoin be “printed” the way central banks create more paper currency? Sep 12, 2015 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics If fiat currencies are backed by governments, what underpins Bitcoin’s value without a central authority? Sep 12, 2015 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics With only one dollar, what realistic online business ideas could potentially grow it to $1,000 in three months? Sep 11, 2015 Freelancers, Side Hustles and Getting Paid Online Why does Pakistan have relatively few mobile wallets despite high mobile penetration? Sep 11, 2015 Emerging Markets and Financial Inclusion Will remittance fees ever realistically fall to zero? Sep 11, 2015 Payment Corridors and Remittance Economics Why is financial inclusion still low in Pakistan? Sep 11, 2015 Emerging Markets and Financial Inclusion When tips are added to a card payment at a restaurant, how are they processed after the transaction? Sep 11, 2015 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards What regulations must be followed when starting a payments business that uses ACH? Sep 11, 2015 US Money Transmitter Licensing and MSB Registration How can you tell whether a money order has already been cashed? Sep 11, 2015 Payments (General) What regulatory changes have limited PreCash Inc’s ability to partner with MSBs after TransferWise? Sep 11, 2015 Licensing Strategy, Sponsorship and Agent Models Why are there no completely free international money transfer tools? Sep 11, 2015 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad Where do currency exchange dealers source their foreign currency inventories? Sep 11, 2015 FX Rates, Spreads and Currency Markets What does a bank need to offer foreign-currency sub-accounts to customers? Sep 11, 2015 Correspondent Banking, Nostro and Vostro, and Settlement Which regulations apply when starting a money handling or money transfer business in the US? Sep 11, 2015 US Money Transmitter Licensing and MSB Registration Is two-factor authentication via OTP really making internet and mobile banking safer? Sep 11, 2015 Cybersecurity, Digital Identity and Authentication What is the best way to move savings from the US to Pakistan while retaining value in US dollars? Sep 11, 2015 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad How can I retrieve a 6-digit verification code for an EntroPay card charge when it doesn’t show on my statement? Sep 11, 2015 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards