International supplier payments, priced clearly

You've got an invoice from a manufacturer in Italy, a components supplier in China, or a design studio in the UAE, and it's due in their currency, not yours. We convert your pounds and pay the supplier directly, at a transparent 0.25%-0.40% margin, depending on transfer size, with no Currencyflow payment transfer fees, so the amount that leaves your account is the amount you planned for. You can see your Currencyflow exchange rate upfront, before you commit to anything.

  • Pay suppliers in their local currency
  • Transparent 0.25%-0.40% margin, depending on transfer size
  • No Currencyflow payment transfer fees
  • Personal support, including direct access to our founder

Send, save... & relax.

Transparent pricing, always shown upfront.

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Your funds are safeguarded and kept separate from Currencyflow's operational funds. They are held in segregated safeguarded accounts through our FCA-authorised payment institution partner, Sciopay Ltd (FRN 927951).

Freddie Smith

By Freddie Smith, Founder & CEO, Currencyflow · Updated 29 October 2026

What international supplier payments are

An international supplier payment is simply paying an invoice raised in a foreign currency: your UK business owes a supplier abroad, and the money has to reach them in euros, dollars, dirhams, or whatever they bill in. The complication isn't the payment itself, it's the exchange rate sitting inside it. With Currencyflow, you see that exchange rate and the 0.25%-0.40% margin applied to it before you confirm, so the cost is clear from the start.

We do this differently. You tell us the invoice amount and the currency, we quote you a fixed, transparent margin on the rate with no payment transfer fees, and we send the funds straight to your supplier's account. You see the exact rate for your payment before you confirm, so there's no margin to work out afterwards. You get direct, personal support by phone, WhatsApp or email, including access to our founder Freddie, which matters when a payment is time-sensitive or a supplier is chasing. Your funds are held in safeguarded accounts through our FCA-authorised payment institution partner, Sciopay Ltd, kept separate from day-to-day operating money. Whether you pay one supplier a quarter or fifty a month, the mechanics stay the same.

Who uses this

This is built for UK businesses that buy from abroad and are tired of guessing what a payment will actually cost. A furniture retailer importing finished pieces from a workshop in Italy, settling each order in euros. An electronics assembler buying boards and components from suppliers in Shenzhen, paying in US dollars because that's how the invoices come. A marketing agency that outsources production to a studio in Dubai and pays in dirhams every month. A food importer bringing olive oil in from Spain and coffee from suppliers who invoice in dollars, juggling two currencies at once.

What they share is a real exposure to the rate: the invoices are big enough, or frequent enough, that a wide margin genuinely eats into their costs. If you're paying suppliers in one or more foreign currencies and the amounts matter to your margins, this is for you. If you want the fuller situational picture, from payment terms to keeping supplier relationships smooth, our guide to paying overseas suppliers walks through it. If you're also selling abroad and taking money in, our page on managing FX for import and export businesses covers both sides of that flow. You'll find every page in our business FX hub, and when you're paying a supplier in a specific country, our corridor guides go route by route, from the UK to Italy to the UK to the UAE.

How paying a supplier works

  • Send us the invoice details

    Tell us who you're paying, the amount, and the currency they've billed in. We'll quote you a fixed margin on the rate for that payment, with no payment transfer fees on top.
  • Set up your account once

    Your account manager gets your business verified, which means the usual KYC and source of funds checks that any regulated payments business has to run. It's a one-time setup, and after that repeat payments are quick.
  • Fund the payment

    Send your pounds to your safeguarded Currencyflow account by UK bank transfer. We confirm as soon as the money reaches us.
  • We pay your supplier

    We convert at the agreed rate and send the funds to the supplier's account. Euro payments go over SEPA and other currencies through the relevant network, and we'll confirm the timing for your payment.
  • You get confirmation

    We tell you when the payment has gone, and you've got a clear record of the rate and amount for your books.

What to think about before you pay

The invoice currency decides who carries the risk. If your supplier invoices you in their currency, the exchange rate is your problem, and the cost in pounds can shift between agreeing the order and paying it. If they invoice in pounds, they're carrying that risk instead, and it's often priced into what they charge you. Neither is automatically better, but it's worth knowing which side you're on before you negotiate terms.

Timing matters more than people expect. Payments settle on value dates, and every currency has daily cut-off times after which a payment rolls to the next working day. If a supplier's terms are net 30 and you're cutting it fine, a missed cut-off or a public holiday in their country can push the money past the deadline. Your account manager can tell you the realistic timeline for the currency you're paying in.

Get your documentation ready once. As a regulated payments flow, larger or first-time payments can need source of funds evidence, and setting a supplier up as a new payee involves standard AML checks. Having company details, beneficial ownership, and invoice records to hand makes the first payment smooth. After that, paying the same supplier again is fast.

If a payment is weeks away, you can fix the rate now. For a large invoice with a future due date, a forward contract lets you lock in today's rate for a payment due later, so a move in the market doesn't change what you owe in pounds. If you'd rather wait for a specific rate to appear before paying, a target-rate order transfers automatically the moment the market hits the level you've set. Managing this across lots of suppliers is its own discipline, and our currency risk management page goes into it properly.

What you get with Currencyflow

DetailsCurrencyflow
Currencyflow exchange rateShown instantly
Margin0.25%-0.40%, depending on transfer size
Currencyflow payment transfer feesNone
Personal supportPhone, WhatsApp and email, including direct founder access
Future rate toolsForward contracts and target rate orders
Coverage40+ currencies across 100+ countries
SafeguardingClient funds held in segregated safeguarded accounts through our FCA-authorised payment institution partner, Sciopay Ltd (FRN 927951)

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Plenty of businesses pay some suppliers in euros, others in dollars, and others in dirhams or another currency entirely. You get a quote per payment in whatever currency the invoice is raised in, and the same account handles all of them.
There are no payment transfer fees. What you pay is a margin on the exchange rate, which we set by payment size and show you in full before you confirm. On a large invoice that’s usually where the real cost of an international payment sits, so seeing it up front matters.
For euro payments over SEPA it’s usually the same or next working day once your funds reach us. Other currencies depend on the destination banking network and the cut-off time for that currency. Your first payment can take a little longer while your account is verified.
Standard business verification for you (company details and the usual KYC and AML checks), plus the supplier’s account details and, for larger payments, source of funds evidence such as the invoice and your recent accounts. It’s a one-time setup per supplier, and repeat payments after that are quick.
Yes. A forward contract fixes today’s rate for a payment due later, so the pound cost of that invoice won’t move even if the market does. If you’d rather hold out for a particular rate, a target-rate order pays automatically when the market reaches it. Your account manager can set either one up.
There’s no fixed cap. Larger payments go through additional source of funds checks as standard, so it helps to have your documentation ready before the money is due. There’s no requirement to reach a minimum before you can send.
Freddie Smith

Written by

Freddie Smith

Founder & CEO, Currencyflow

Freddie Smith is the Founder and CEO of Currencyflow, an international foreign exchange and payments specialist focused on high-value transfers for individuals and businesses worldwide. With over 12 years of commercial experience across financial services and digital media, including several years working with financial services comparison platforms, Freddie has spent his career at the intersection of partnerships, growth strategy, and money movement. He founded Currencyflow to bring transparent, fixed-margin pricing and personal relationship management to clients making significant international transfers.

Last updated 29 October 2026

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