The United States took 21.0% of EU goods exports in 2025, worth €554.9 billion, according to Eurostat data published in March 2026. Even a business run entirely from Europe is likely to touch US dollars somewhere, because the US dollar still carried roughly 81% of global trade finance messages on Swift as of March 2026, per the ECB’s June 2026 report on the international role of the euro.
Five providers all offer a “USD account”, but they mean four different things. Some supply genuine US bank details that clear over ACH and Fedwire. Some supply a multi-currency e-money balance denominated in dollars. Some supply a marketplace collection account. Which one you hold reaches your customer’s accounts payable system, your auditor and your own reconciliation.
Key Takeaways
- A European business can benefit from dollars that arrive as dollars, without conversion on the way in.
- Inbound receiving fees and FX markup drive up costs of moving money, often more than the headline cost of a monthly plan.
- Providers differ on what the balance legally is: a bank deposit, an e-money balance, or a digital asset.
- Entity jurisdiction disqualifies many European companies before pricing matters.
- Card access on the USD balance varies, and so does what backs it.
Criteria for comparing a USD account
- Receiving mechanics: whether inbound USD wires, ACH and SWIFT payments land in dollars without conversion.
- Total cost per inbound payment: the fixed receiving fee plus FX markup, which together usually exceed the monthly plan.
- Eligibility: which entity jurisdictions the provider actually onboards.
- Legal character of the balance: deposit, e-money or digital asset, and what protection attaches to each.
1. Slash, for European companies that want the receiving line to disappear
The Slash Global Account serves businesses that operate outside the US and earn, hold and spend in dollars. It covers over 130 countries, with no US entity, SSN or EIN required to get started.
Besides access, rail coverage is what sets it apart. One account carries a US account and routing number for ACH and wire receipts, SWIFT for international counterparties, and stablecoin transfers in USDC and USDT across 15 supported networks including Ethereum, Solana, Base and Avalanche.
- A US account and routing number, so US clients pay the same way they pay a domestic vendor.
- Invoicing with embedded payment links, so a customer pays by bank transfer or stablecoin from the invoice itself.
- The Slash Global Card, a physical and virtual Visa card funded by the Global Account balance, which earns cashback on eligible purchases.
- One transaction view across ACH, wires and stablecoin transfers.
The Slash Global Account balance is not a bank deposit and carries no FDIC insurance, and Slash does not custody the assets behind it. Many European teams run the Global Account as the collection and spend layer for dollar operations and keep long-term reserves with a local bank. Coverage for EU and UK entities sits on the Slash Europe region page. Digital-asset transfers can also be irreversible, which is worth writing into a payments policy before the first transfer.
2. Wise Business, a fit for companies paid mostly by ACH
Wise publishes its fees plainly on its own business pricing page, which makes them straightforward to model. A European business gets local account details in more than 20 currencies, including a US routing and account number, and holds balances across more than 40 currencies. FX starts around 0.57% with no markup on the mid-market rate, and batch payments handle up to 1,000 recipients per run.
The receiving line is where the cost sits. Wise charges a fixed 6.11 USD per inbound USD wire or SWIFT payment, domestic USD ACH is free, and a one-time setup fee unlocks the account details. At twenty inbound wires a month that comes to roughly $122 before any conversion, which suits a business paid by ACH and costs a business paid by wire.
3. Airwallex, a fit for multi-entity groups collecting in many currencies
Airwallex suits companies collecting across several currencies at once. Global Accounts carry local details in more than 20 currencies, local transfers are free to over 120 countries, and FX runs around 0.5% above interbank on major currencies and about 1% on the rest, per BusinessComparison’s review. Plans are tiered from a free or low-cost entry level up to enterprise, with SWIFT priced per transaction.
Two things need confirming for a specific entity. Pricing is regionalized, so the published rate card may not be the one that applies. And Statrys reports an inbound receiving fee of around 0.3% on some account types, which does not appear on the public pricing page.
4. Revolut Business, a fit for teams already banking in the EEA
Revolut Business holds a full UK banking license and operates in Europe through Revolut Bank UAB, which puts the balance in a different regulatory category from most of this list. The platform sends and receives more than 30 currencies with local and global account details. For a company already running euro operations there, adding USD is a short step.
The limits are structural. Europe has no permanently free plan, with Basic starting from €10 a month. Interbank FX applies only up to a monthly allowance, and conversion above it carries a fee, so any real conversion volume pays a spread. Statrys records eligibility as restricted to companies registered in the UK, the EEA or the US. Country-specific IBANs cover a minority of markets, which matters when a counterparty’s system rejects a foreign IBAN.
Pricing a USD account against a real payment mix
Take last quarter’s inbound payments and sort them by rail before comparing any plan. A business paid by ACH and a business paid by wire can reach opposite conclusions from the same fee table.
Twenty inbound wires a month costs roughly $122 at Wise’s fixed 6.11 USD, and nothing on a provider that does not charge an inbound wire fee. Against that, a monthly plan difference of $20 or $30 is the smaller number. Then apply the FX markup to the share actually converted, because a business holding dollars to spend dollars converts far less than the headline rate suggests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a European company open a US bank account without a US entity?
Not a US bank account in the strict sense. What is available is a US account and routing number issued through a provider that serves non-US businesses, reachable by ACH, wire and SWIFT. The Slash Global Account covers over 130 countries and asks for home-country registration instead of a US entity, SSN or EIN.
What does it cost to receive USD payments in Europe?
The fixed receiving fee and the FX markup together, which usually exceed the monthly plan. Wise charges 6.11 USD per inbound USD wire with free domestic ACH. Payoneer charges 1% on US ACH receipts. Airwallex has a reported inbound fee near 0.3% on some account types that is worth confirming for a specific entity.
Is a Slash Global Account the same as a business bank account?
No. A Global Account balance is not a bank deposit and carries no FDIC insurance, and the provider does not custody the assets behind it. That is a different legal position from a Revolut balance held under a banking license in the EEA, and it belongs in a treasury policy rather than being discovered later.
