How to become a business customer

If you wish to invest business funds and trade on behalf of your company, then a business account may be the right one for you.

Your benefits at a glance:

  • Secure and reliable 24/7 trading platform that is fully compliant with AML5
  • Competitive fee structure on Bitpanda Pro (compared to the usual applicable default Bitpanda Pro fees)*
  • Dedicated Business Account Specialists
  • A wide range of simple and easy-to-use financial products & features (i.e. Bitpanda Stocks**, crypto indices, White Label)

*Modified fees only apply on Bitpanda Pro and have to be individually arranged.

**Bitpanda Stocks are contracts replicating an underlying stock or ETF. More information and the prospectus are available at bitpanda.com. 

  1. Requirements
  2. Create a new business account
  3. Most frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. Requirements

In this example situation, you should have representation rights for the business you are planning to register, wish to invest funds on behalf of your company and trade at least EUR 100,000 per year for business purposes. In this case, we will need the following documents for review, which all are essential for opening a business account:

  • A recent company register excerpt (no older than 6 weeks)
  • Bank account statements of all relevant bank accounts used for deposits/withdrawals showing the company name and your IBAN (no older than 3 weeks)
  • Legal authorisation to act on behalf of the company you want to register (if not apparent from previous documents)
  • Most recent financial statements available (annual account, balance sheet, Profit & Loss statement)
  • A dated and hand-signed organisational chart showing the company structure, including ownership percentages (if the ownership structure has more than one level and must show the levels up to the ultimate beneficial owners)
  • Current and official shareholder list or equivalent (where applicable, depending on company type)

Note: If the documents are not available in German or English, we require a translation into German or English in addition to the original document.

Depending on the nature of your business, we might need to request additional documents. In order to provide you with the best possible service, we will also require some information about your business and intention:

  • Description of your business model
  • Intended use of the business account you want to open with us
  • Expected total investment for the respective year

Note: Before submitting your application, please make sure to complete the verification of your account and that you have all documents ready. Only then can we start with the review.

In addition, we need to identify all authorised persons who may access the business account. Therefore, they also have to verify themselves with us through opening a separate private account. 

2. Create a new business account

If you hold the company’s representation rights that you want to register with us, you can simply create a business account via this link. You will just need to follow the instructions. For this link to work, you need to be logged out of any existing Bitpanda account.

The person signing up and verifying the business account must hold representation rights of the business, as also visible on the company register excerpt.

Note: A phone number can only be used for a single Bitpanda account. So if you create a business account in addition to your private account, then you will need to use a different phone number.

Once the registration is complete, you will receive an email with further information. In order to speed up the process, please make sure to complete the verification process before submitting the required documents.

If you do not receive this email, please check here to see what you can do or contact us via the email address you used to create the business account.

3. Most frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Requirements

I do not intend to trade 100k. Can I still open a business account?
We want to ensure that all our business users benefit from the best possible customer experience. Thus, it is essential for our users to meet all the requirements for opening a business account.
Why are these documents and information required?

Since the 10th of January 2020, companies like Bitpanda have been legally obliged to obtain a minimum amount of information from their users in the European Union. This serves to combat money laundering and terrorist financing and is commonly referred to as Know Your Customer (KYC) practice.

As a company based in Austria, Bitpanda is also subject to the Financial Market Money Laundering Act based on the 5th European Money Laundering Directive as of the 10th of January, 2020.

In accordance with our legal obligations, we are required, among other things, to obtain information on our customers (both natural and legal), as well as the purpose of the intended business relationship. There is no way to circumvent this process.

Read more in our blog.
What is a company register excerpt?

In order to get to know our potential clients and to determine the identity and seriousness of their application, it is necessary to provide an extract from the company register of the respective country, which contains all information about companies such as their name, address, business sector, ownership data, etc. 

Please note, that we require an official translation in addition to the original document if the document is not in German or English.

Companies based in the United Kingdom (UK) will need to provide a Company Snapshot or Certificate issued by the Companies House.
Why do you need an organisational chart of the company?
In addition to the business information, we also need to understand the ownership structure and identify the ultimate beneficial owners (natural person), who directly or indirectly hold at least 25% of shares of the company. An example can be seen here.
We are a start-up and don’t have financial results available yet. What can we provide?

Financial documents such as annual financial statements and balance sheets of legal entities provide us with important information which we are required to review before accepting a business account registration. 

For young companies or Start-ups who do not have financial statements yet, we require a detailed business plan including a financial forecast instead.

Application

Who is allowed to sign up for a business account?
The person signing up has to be authorised to act on behalf of the company (e.g. Director, Manager, CEO) as seen in the company register excerpt.
I have a power of attorney. Am I allowed to sign up for a business account?
No, this is not possible.
How can I submit the required documents?
Simply reply to the email you receive or send the documents to business-signup@bitpanda.com using your registered email address. Alternatively, you can also use our contact form for submitting your documents.
Why do authorised persons have to verify/create a separate Bitpanda account?

In addition to the company details, we are obliged to identify all authorised persons who may access the business account. 

Therefore, we require the opening of a private Bitpanda account and the completion of the online verification.

Who is allowed to sign the documents?

All documents have to be signed by the representative(s) of the company (e.g. if joint representation rights apply, then we need the signatures of all relevant representatives).

Do you accept digital signatures?

No. All documents have to be signed by hand.

How long does the review take?
If the necessary documents and information is provided accurately, the review process can be completed within several days. However, missing or incomplete information, as well as increased ticket volumes, can delay the process.

My application has been rejected. Why?

Bitpanda reserves the right to decline business account applications for several reasons.  You can find more information in our terms and conditions.

General

Do you offer different limits/fees/premiums for businesses?

We offer a modified fee structure on Bitpanda Pro* based on your trading volume (compared to the usual applicable default Bitpanda Pro fees).

*Modified fees only apply on Bitpanda Pro and have to be individually arranged with Bitpanda.

I want to sign up for a private account but accidentally opened a business account (or vice-versa).

No worries. Get in touch with us directly via our contact form. We will be happy to assist you.

Can I use the same phone number for my business and private account?

Currently, this is not possible. Each account needs its own phone number.

I cannot access my private account after signing up for a business account.
Due to security reasons, our system does not allow multiple accounts for one person. However, you can of course own both a private and a business account. Please contact us so we can reactivate your private account.
I cannot deposit. What does the error “Action Forbidden” mean?

Your account has probably been registered as a business account but has not been approved yet. Transfers are made possible once your business account has been approved. Please have a little patience until our review has been completed.

How are my private information and the provided documents stored?
Data protection is of the utmost importance to us. We keep our users' data encrypted in a restricted-access database, and we also implement many other security measures in accordance with section 32 GDPR. For further information, please check out our privacy policy.
Can I use my private bank account for transfers from/to my business account?
Business accounts may only be used for business purposes and on behalf of the registered company. Thus, deposits or withdrawals are only allowed to bank accounts with the same business name.
What should I do in case of any change in the company (e.g. company name, director, address, bank account etc.?
Any changes must be reported to us immediately during the business relationship, together with the relevant evidence.
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