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 can I find a payment processor in the UK for third-party (brokered) transactions that isn’t PayPal? Dec 6, 2014 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways Why don’t people simply borrow large sums from banks and disappear? Dec 6, 2014 Lending, Credit Scores and BNPL How can someone with no credit use a high income to build credit more quickly? Dec 6, 2014 Lending, Credit Scores and BNPL Is it technically feasible for the RBA to issue AUD using Ripple or Stellar-style technology? Dec 5, 2014 Stablecoins and CBDCs AML: After HSBC and Citibank, which financial institution might regulators target next for AML or sanctions violations? Dec 4, 2014 Regulators, Enforcement and Regulatory Change Why haven’t startups—or Facebook—leveraged Facebook’s massive user base for money-transfer services? Dec 4, 2014 Business Strategy, Case Studies and Lessons Learned Why have cross-border money transfer startups become so popular recently? Dec 4, 2014 Money Transfer Business and MTOs How could someone potentially grow $1 million into $10 million in under five years? Dec 4, 2014 Wealth Management, Private Banking and Family Offices How do governments and financial institutions detect and disrupt terrorist financing networks? Dec 4, 2014 Money Laundering and Financial Crime Is it technically feasible for the Reserve Bank of Australia to issue AUD today using a blockchain-based system? Dec 4, 2014 Stablecoins and CBDCs Does TransferWise build direct banking relationships in each country or rely on backend networks like Earthport? Dec 3, 2014 Sponsor Banks, FBO Accounts and Banking Access for Fintechs and MSBs What are the minimum requirements to open a café in Singapore? Dec 3, 2014 General Finance Questions What would you do today if your total savings amounted to only $10,000? Dec 3, 2014 Personal and Consumer Finance, Budgeting and Saving Why can’t we have a single government-owned bank for everyone? Dec 3, 2014 General Finance Questions Why was Bitcoin created in the first place? Dec 2, 2014 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics Who are the biggest buyers of foreign currency, and what motivates those purchases? Dec 2, 2014 FX Rates, Spreads and Currency Markets How was the standard size for credit cards and business cards determined? Dec 1, 2014 History of Money, Banking and Finance Would it be easy for hackers to create counterfeit bitcoins? Dec 1, 2014 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics What is the likely future of Bitcoin—will it become mainstream or fade in popularity, and for what reasons? Nov 12, 2014 Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology Money Transfers: How much of Western Union’s remittance profits could Bitcoin potentially capture? Nov 12, 2014 Money Transfer Business and MTOs How might Bitcoin change the remittance industry, if at all? Nov 12, 2014 Crypto Payments, On-Ramps and Off-Ramps Why should Bitcoin fall under money-laundering regulations? Nov 12, 2014 Money Laundering and Financial Crime What is the best payment processor that earns commission on transactions? Nov 10, 2014 E-Commerce, Marketplace and Platform Payments Has anyone been prosecuted for trading Bitcoin in countries where it’s prohibited? Nov 10, 2014 Regulators, Enforcement and Regulatory Change I want to build a subscription-based online store where users can pay via PayPal, cards, and Bitcoin—what no-code (ideally free) WordPress plugins or other tools can I use? Nov 10, 2014 E-Commerce, Marketplace and Platform Payments Why do central banks publicly disclose foreign exchange reserves instead of keeping speculators uncertain? Nov 10, 2014 Central Banks and Bank Supervision What is a good credit card for frequent international travelers? Nov 9, 2014 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards What is your view on Dwolla as a payments platform? Nov 9, 2014 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems What is the IBFT fee charged by Pakistani banks? Nov 9, 2014 Sending and Receiving Money Abroad Is it realistically possible to enforce an outright Bitcoin ban? Nov 9, 2014 Regulators, Enforcement and Regulatory Change What unique advantage made PayPal so successful in its early days? Nov 8, 2014 Business Strategy, Case Studies and Lessons Learned How can an international money-transfer business effectively use Ripple? Nov 8, 2014 Money Transfer Business and MTOs How far behind is Singapore’s telecom infrastructure compared with countries that have more advanced systems? Nov 8, 2014 General Finance Questions How is the maximum number of virtual machines a computer can run determined? Nov 8, 2014 Payments (General) If I sell Bitcoin online on a recurring basis (for example using PayPal or Stripe), do I need to register as a money services business? Nov 8, 2014 UK and EU Licensing, EMIs and Payment Institutions What are PayPal’s main strategic objectives? Nov 8, 2014 Business Strategy, Case Studies and Lessons Learned How do ATMs and internet/mobile banking systems enable bill payments and mobile top-ups for telecom providers? Nov 8, 2014 Banking and Payments Technology Stack Do the British Virgin Islands use an ACH system? Nov 6, 2014 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems At what exchange rates are international wire transfers executed? Nov 6, 2014 International Wire Transfers and Large Transfers What does a startup CTO actually do and own responsibility for? Nov 6, 2014 Careers, Jobs and Working in Finance In payments, what does the term “rails” mean? Nov 5, 2014 Payments (General) Which RBI rules and regulations does PayPal have to follow? Nov 5, 2014 Regulators, Enforcement and Regulatory Change What are virtual credit cards? Nov 5, 2014 Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards How can a money-transfer startup scale and enter additional countries? Nov 4, 2014 Money Transfer Business and MTOs Why is PayPal classified as a stored-value facility in Singapore if it doesn’t require approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore? Nov 4, 2014 Licensing in Other Countries How can retailers who import goods from China compete with sellers based in China? Nov 3, 2014 Business Strategy, Case Studies and Lessons Learned Which companies provide ACH payment services? Nov 3, 2014 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems In the U.S., which common payment, wire, banking, card, or check problems should technology realistically eliminate within a year? Nov 3, 2014 Domestic Payment Rails, National Switches and Clearing Systems What is payment card aggregation and how does the model operate? Nov 1, 2014 Merchant Accounts, Processors and Gateways Virtual Currency: What is the connection between Second Life’s currency and Bitcoin? Oct 12, 2014 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Basics