USD business account for companies outside the US

The short answer

Align opens named USD accounts for companies based outside the US, in the company's own name. You get a US account number and routing number through Align's US banking partner, so US customers can pay you by ACH or domestic wire, plus a named account for SWIFT payments from banks abroad. Dollars you receive land in your balance as USDC or USDT.

ACH and wire access isn't switched on automatically. You request it, and the US banking partner runs a second review after Align's KYB. The partner can decline or set limits.

If you'd rather hold dollars as a bank deposit, or you need a US bank account for a US entity, other routes fit better. How to get a USD account as a non-US company compares them.

At a glance

What US payers need from you

A US customer's payables team sets you up as a vendor before it pays. Give them, in writing, your company's legal name exactly as it appears on the account and the account number, routing number and any bank name and address exactly as they appear in the details we give you. Tell them whether you expect ACH or a wire, so they set up the right payment type. Getting paid by US customers without a US entity covers the invoice and Form W-8BEN-E.

Check every digit before you send them. Nacha's rules let the receiving bank post an ACH payment on the account number alone; they don't require a name match, Nacha said in a July 2024 bulletin. The account number is what routes the money.

Payers outside the US use your SWIFT details instead. Give them your full registered address, with town and country in their own fields. Swift had planned to start rejecting fully unstructured addresses in November 2026, but said on 27 August 2026 (updated 21 September 2026) that it was deferring the change and would set out new timing by December. No new date had been set as of October 2026.

Speed and limits by rail

On 9 October 2025, the Federal Reserve Board said Fedwire will open 22 hours a day, Sunday to Friday, including weekday holidays, no earlier than 2028. Saturdays stay closed. For a closer comparison of the domestic rails, see ACH vs Fedwire vs FedNow.

Why USD payments fail or arrive late

• A wrong account or routing number. Nacha lists R03 (no account or unable to locate account) and R04 (invalid account number structure) among the returns banks send for administrative reasons.
• A fraud hold. Since 1 October 2024, Nacha's rules have let a receiving bank delay funds from an ACH credit it suspects was sent under false pretenses. Nacha's definition covers misrepresenting who owns the account being credited. Since June 2026, every receiving bank has had to run risk-based monitoring for such credits (since March 2026 for banks that received 10 million or more ACH payments in 2023). Invoicing in the exact name on the account gives the payer and both banks less to question.
• A SWIFT payment that arrives short. Under the SHA charge code, intermediaries take their fees from the amount. Ask payers abroad to use OUR if the full invoice must arrive; OUR, SHA and BEN explained has the detail.

What to check when choosing a provider

1. Whose name is on the account. A named account shows your company. A pooled one shows the provider and identifies you by a reference. See named vs pooled virtual accounts.
2. Which rails you get, and when. Some account details only work for ACH, others only for SWIFT. Ask whether ACH and wire access needs a separate review and whether limits apply.
3. What happens to the dollars. Some providers keep them as a dollar balance at a bank. With Align they land as USDC or USDT, and the stablecoin is converted when you pay a supplier.
4. Whether you're eligible. Providers exclude different countries and industries.

How to open one

1. Create an account online. It takes a few minutes.
2. Upload your company documents. This takes 5 to 10 minutes if you have them ready. The KYB documents guide lists what to prepare.
3. Wait for the compliance review. Align's compliance team reviews your documents in 1 to 5 business days. Your application shows Pending KYC Completion until documents are submitted, Pending while they're under review, Resubmission Required if Align needs more information or a replacement document, and Approved when the account is active.
4. Request ACH and wire access. Align's US banking partner then runs its own review. It can decline or set limits.

Once you're live, payments to third parties such as suppliers go out from your named account, and Align may ask for the invoice behind a payment. Read the prohibited and restricted use policy before you apply.

Align Payments Ltd. is registered with FINTRAC in Canada as a money services business (registration no. N300000203). Regulated services are provided through licensed financial institutions.

Sources

• Nacha, The significant majority of ACH payments settle in one business day or less (August 2023)
• Nacha, Increasing the Same Day ACH dollar limit to $10 million
• Federal Reserve Financial Services, FedACH processing schedule
• Nacha, Voluntary formatting standard for the individual name field (July 2024)
• Nacha, Same-day processing of ACH returns by RDFIs (June 2025)
• Nacha, Risk management topics, effective 1 October 2024 and fraud monitoring phase 2
• Federal Reserve, About the Fedwire Funds Service
• Federal Reserve Board, Expanded operating days for two large-value payment services (October 2025)
• Swift, How long does a Swift payment take?
• Swift, Swift accepts community request to extend structured address migration (August 2026, updated September 2026)
• Wise, What are Swift correspondent fees?
• Align docs, USD ACH and wire onboarding and Business (KYB) verification