Press releases
Every story we have published, newest first. Each links to the full report, with the method, every source and a PDF. Figures are as providers published them on the date shown.
September 2026
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Big banks pay small businesses a fraction of Bank Rate on their savings The five largest business banks pay between 0.5% and 1.21% on easy-access business savings, with Bank Rate at 3.75% and smaller banks paying up to 3.90% -
Small businesses pay up to £252 a year just to bank their cash, and nearly half of accounts only take it at the Post Office Paying in £1,000 of takings a month costs nothing at Santander or the Co-operative Bank, but £21 a month at HSBC and £19.40 at Lloyds -
Free business bank accounts can cost a shop £649 a year NatWest's two £0-fee accounts cost a cash-taking shop more than eight of the nine accounts that charge a monthly fee -
Nine UK business accounts rely on safeguarding rather than the FSCS £120,000 guarantee ANNA Money and Wise Business say business funds are not FSCS-protected, and for Tide it depends on which account a customer holds -
Paid to switch: what banks pay new customers in the UK and abroad The largest business cash bonus in each market: Chase's $3,000 (£2,217.30) in the United States for $300,000 of external deposits held for 180 days; UOB's up to S$4,500 (£2,625.30) a year in Singapore for 15 or more qualifying transactions every month; TD's C$1,000 (£535.60) in Canada for a C$100,000 savings balance held for 120 days; Tide's £200 in the United Kingdom for £10,000 held in its Instant Saver for 30 days; Westpac's A$100 (£53.24) in Australia for a single A$100 deposit. -
Cash is where the money goes: what UK business accounts charge to pay in notes and coins 25 of the 31 plans (from 13 of the 16 providers) publish cash-deposit terms; the 6 that do not - Allica Bank's Business Rewards Account, ANNA Money's four plans and Wise Business - mention no cash service at all on the pages read. -
The real cost of 'free' business banking 14 of the 31 plans (11 bank accounts and 3 e-money accounts) publish a £0 ongoing monthly fee, a different thing from the 11 plans that publish an introductory free period; only the two NatWest plans appear in both groups. -
The UK Business Banking Fee Index - September 2026 14 of the 31 plans publish no monthly fee; the median across all 31 is £7 a month, the median among the plans that charge a fee is £10, and the highest published fee is £69.99. -
Free periods and the switcher's calendar: what UK business account offers are really worth 11 of the 31 plans (35.5%), from 10 of the 16 providers, publish a free period; 10 are bank accounts and one is an e-money account. -
FSCS or safeguarded? Where UK small-business money actually sits Of the 31 UK business account plans from 16 providers in the Bank Solutions dataset (checked 5 September 2026), 22 are offered by 13 banks and 9 by three e-money institutions - ANNA Money, Tide and Wise Business.
Using our releases
Quote freely with a link to the report. Credit: Source: Bank Solutions analysis of providers' published tariffs. For figures, charts and data, see the page for journalists, or email editor@banksolutions.uk.