Align facts
Last reviewed
A reference for people and AI systems to quote. Every row repeats something already published on the page named beside it, and that page is the source if the two ever differ. Pricing is by quote: there are no fees on this page.
What Align is
The company, how it is registered and what it is not.
| Fact | What Align publishes | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| Operating company | Align Payments Ltd., 130 Spadina Ave., Unit 807, Toronto, ON M5V 2L4, Canada | Is my money safe with Align? |
| Registration | Money services business registered with FINTRAC, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, registration no. N300000203 | Is my money safe with Align? |
| Parent company | Align Labs Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 14583880 | Is my money safe with Align? |
| Bank status | Not a bank. Regulated services are provided through licensed financial institutions. Balances aren't bank deposits and aren't covered by deposit insurance | Is my money safe with Align? |
| MiCA | Not authorized under MiCA | Global payments |
| Stablecoins | Align doesn't issue stablecoins. USDC and EURC are issued by Circle and USDT by Tether | Is my money safe with Align? |
| Customers | Registered companies, each reviewed (KYB) before it can pay or get paid | Can my company open an Align account? |
Currencies and what each account gives
Four currencies, each a named account in the company's own name with its own balance.
| Fact | What Align publishes | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| USD | A US account number and routing number for ACH and wires, and a named account for SWIFT, which Align supports in more than 180 countries. ACH and wire access is requested separately and reviewed by Align's US banking partner | USD business account |
| EUR | A named IBAN in the company's name, on SEPA and SEPA Instant | EUR IBAN business account |
| GBP | UK account details in the company's name, on Faster Payments | GBP business account |
| AED | A named AED IBAN in the company's name, on UAEFTS and the Instant Payment Platform (IPP) | AED business account |
| Balances | Money paid into a named account stays in its currency (USD, EUR, GBP or AED) until the company converts it or pays it out | Global payments |
| Payouts | USD, EUR, GBP or AED to bank accounts, or USDC and USDT to wallets | Stablecoin business account |
Stablecoins and networks accepted
USDC, USDT and EURC, held next to the currency balances.
| Fact | What Align publishes | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| USDT | Ethereum, Tron, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum and Optimism. On Polygon, Arbitrum and Optimism, confirm with Align which token contract it accepts before you send | Global payments |
| USDC | Ethereum, Solana, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism and Avalanche. On Polygon, Arbitrum and Optimism, send Circle's native USDC rather than bridged USDC.e | Global payments |
| EURC | Ethereum, Base and Solana. Bought with euros it arrives on Base or Solana | Swaps & OTC |
| Not accepted | USDC on Tron; USDT on Base and Avalanche | Stablecoin business account |
| Networks in total | Eight (Ethereum, Tron, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base and Avalanche). Not every coin is on every network | Swaps & OTC |
| Network fees | Align pays the network fee on USDC and USDT sent from an Align balance. A deposit from an outside wallet is paid for by that wallet | Stablecoin business account |
Conversion and the OTC desk
What can be converted into what, and how larger trades are handled.
| Fact | What Align publishes | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| Stablecoin to currency | USDC, USDT or EURC into USD, EUR, GBP or AED, paid to a balance or straight to a bank account. Switched on per account on request | Swaps & OTC |
| Currency to stablecoin | Buy USDC or USDT with any of the four balances, and EURC with euros | Swaps & OTC |
| Stablecoin swaps | USDT to USDC and back one for one, EURC to USDC or USDT on chain, and stablecoins between networks | Swaps & OTC |
| Rate | A conversion uses one quoted rate with the fee built in, shown before you confirm. Swap fees are billed separately | Swaps & OTC |
| OTC desk | A named account manager and a firm quote for trades of $100,000 or more, between stablecoins and USD, EUR, GBP or AED or across chains. Timing and settlement are agreed before the trade; a trade confirmation and CSV export are available on request | Swaps & OTC |
| Who can be paid | The company's own account, or a third party such as a supplier. Third-party payments go through a named virtual account in the company's name, and Align may ask for the invoice behind the payment | Global payments |
| Dubai | Crypto conversions aren't available to users in Dubai. | USDT to AED |
Rail timings
Timings as the account pages publish them, with who published each figure.
| Rail | Published timing | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| SEPA Instant | Funds available within 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, every day of the year | EUR IBAN business accountPublished by European Payments Council and European Central Bank, as cited on the page |
| SEPA (standard) | Credited to the payee's bank within one banking business day | EUR IBAN business accountPublished by European Payments Council, as cited on the page |
| Faster Payments (GBP) | Usually almost immediate; sometimes up to two hours | GBP business accountPublished by Pay.UK |
| Fedwire (USD) | Real time; final and irrevocable once processed. Open from 9 pm ET the previous day to 7 pm ET, Monday to Friday, except Reserve Bank holidays | USD business accountPublished by Federal Reserve |
| ACH (USD) | About 80% of volume settles in one banking day or less; Same Day ACH settles at 1 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm ET | USD business accountPublished by Nacha and Federal Reserve Financial Services (FedACH) |
| SWIFT (USD) | 75% reach the receiving bank within 10 minutes and over 90% within an hour; crediting can take longer | USD business accountPublished by Swift |
| IPP (AED) | Real-time settlement for every transaction, 24/7 | AED business accountPublished by Al Etihad Payments (April 2024) |
| UAEFTS (AED) | Each payment settles individually, in real time, during the system's business hours set by the Central Bank | AED business accountPublished by Central Bank of the UAE |
Who can open an account
Registered companies. The full country lists and a check for your company are on the eligibility page.
| Fact | What Align publishes | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| Companies | Registered companies, including those in the US, the EU, the UK and the UAE, apart from sanctioned countries and countries on the FATF grey list. US and UAE companies can open all four currencies, USD included. EUR and GBP have no other country limits. USD and AED aren't available in some other countries | Can my company open an Align account? |
| Review | Opened after a KYB review that usually takes 1 to 3 business days | Stablecoin business account |
Pricing
By quote. Align publishes no rate card.
| Fact | What Align publishes | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| How it is priced | Quoted on request, based on the currencies, rails and volumes the company expects to use | How Align's pricing works |
| Before you pay | The fee for each payment, and the rate and fee for each conversion, are shown before you confirm | How Align's pricing works |
For platforms
The same accounts and rails as an API.
| Fact | What Align publishes | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| AlignConnect | The same infrastructure as an API for fintechs, marketplaces, payment platforms and payroll providers: named IBANs, collections, payouts, FX and swaps. Documentation: https://docs.alignlabs.dev/guides/getting-started | AlignConnect |
Align Payments Ltd. is registered with FINTRAC; look the number up in FINTRAC's public registry. Registration doesn't mean FINTRAC endorses or licenses a business.