When your business generates revenue in multiple currencies or pays international contractors, a euro-only account quickly reaches its limits. Every incoming USD payment is force-converted, every GBP transfer to suppliers triggers exchange rate mark-ups—and at the end of the month, you lack visibility into which margins actually remain.
Tantum Corporate Accounts offer you native multi-currency accounts with dedicated IBANs in EUR, USD, GBP and CHF, complemented by CSV upload and API for automated bulk payouts. As an EMI regulated by the FMA Liechtenstein with EEA passporting, we can serve both traditional corporations and more complex structures—holding companies, foundations, regulated activities. In this comparison, we show where Tantum and Holvi differ and which solution is better suited for growing, cross-border EEA businesses.
What matters in a multi-currency business account
Not every business account is built for international payment flows. Three features determine whether a solution keeps pace with your growth or becomes a cost trap.
Currency breadth and holding architecture: You need an account that natively holds the currencies in which you actually invoice—USD for SaaS subscriptions, GBP for British suppliers, CHF for Swiss contractors. Incoming payments should arrive directly in the source currency, without you having to accept forced conversion or interpose a third-party provider. Only this way do you retain control over exchange rate timing and avoid hidden mark-ups on every transaction.
API access and bulk payout tools: As soon as you regularly pay commissions to affiliates, transfer salaries to international teams or settle supplier invoices in batches, manual payment entry becomes a bottleneck. CSV upload or a REST API for programmatic payment initiation saves your finance team hours per week and drastically reduces error rates.
Regulation and entity flexibility: Check whether the provider is licensed to serve your legal form. Holding structures, foundations or regulated activities require a provider who understands complex risk profiles—and doesn't blanket-reject at the first KYC review. A licence in Liechtenstein or another EEA state with passporting rights ensures that even when expanding into new markets, you won't need to onboard again.
Additionally, you should pay attention to fee transparency, availability of dedicated IBANs in your company name and the quality of support. A personal account manager who knows your business model can make all the difference during time-critical payouts or new currency requirements.
What Tantum offers: Native currency accounts and API infrastructure
Tantum AG is an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) regulated by the FMA Liechtenstein with EEA passporting. Our multi-currency corporate accounts are designed for businesses that want to handle international payment flows efficiently—without juggling multiple banking relationships.
Native multi-currency accounts: EUR, USD, GBP, CHF and more
Tantum offers you standard support for euro, US dollar, British pound and Swiss franc, with additional currencies on request. Each currency is held as a separate balance, and you receive dedicated IBANs—including local euro IBAN formats in various European jurisdictions and a CHF IBAN from Liechtenstein. A SaaS company that invoices customers in USD and pays European contractors in EUR can manage both flows from one account, without a middleware provider or hidden FX mark-ups in between.
Dedicated IBANs in your company name
Each Tantum account receives IBANs issued in the legal name of your entity. Your customers and suppliers see your company name on their bank statements, which strengthens payment recognition and reduces queries. This is especially important if you collect recurring subscription payments or invoice with enterprise customers who require named-account verification.
Bulk payouts via CSV upload and API
Tantum's API-first architecture enables you to automate payouts: upload a CSV file for regular commission runs, or integrate our API into your finance stack to trigger payments programmatically, query transaction histories and monitor account balances in real time. Your dedicated account manager will help you define the right workflow for your processes.
Built for complex and traditional EEA businesses
Tantum serves both traditional corporations that need reliable payment infrastructure and businesses with more complex structures—holding companies, foundations under Liechtenstein law, regulated activities. If you've been rejected elsewhere or need an institution that understands non-standardised risk profiles, Tantum's underwriting process is designed to evaluate the full picture, rather than applying blanket categories.
Personal account manager and responsive support
Every Tantum customer works with a dedicated account manager who understands your business and can escalate or coordinate currency expansions when needed. You don't navigate through ticketing queues when a time-critical payout is delayed or a new subsidiary needs onboarding.
What Holvi offers: Integrated accounting for solopreneurs
Holvi Payment Services Ltd is an Authorised Payment Institution, regulated by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority. The platform markets itself as home for business finances and combines business account, invoicing and accounting preparation in a single interface. Holvi targets solopreneurs and small teams in Finland, Germany and Austria and offers debit, credit and virtual Mastercard cards as well as features for receipt capture and VAT calculation.
The service emphasises tidy books and simplified tax preparation, with integrations to external accounting software and instant notifications when invoices are paid. Holvi recently added international transfers in eighteen currencies directly in the account, so third-party providers are no longer required for many common FX corridors. The account includes free SEPA transfers per month and tools for managing team expenses—individual card controls, real-time spending transparency and pre-sorted subscription payments on dedicated virtual cards.
Currency support
The Holvi account remains euro-denominated for customers in Germany, Austria and Finland. The newly introduced international transfer feature allows sending and receiving payments in eighteen currencies, but incoming foreign currency payments are typically converted to euro on receipt, unless Holvi has introduced multi-currency holding features that go beyond the transfer service described on the website.
Integrated accounting and receipts
Holvi is designed for users who prefer an all-in-one solution: invoicing, receipt scanning, expense categorisation and accounting preparation are integrated directly into the account interface. For sole traders or small teams looking to minimise the number of software subscriptions, Holvi's bundled approach reduces setup complexity and keeps all financial activities in one dashboard.
Target audience
Holvi is best suited for freelancers, sole traders and small teams in its three active markets who prioritise integrated accounting and receipt management over API infrastructure or multi-entity account structures. The emphasis on VAT calculator, tax-time preparation and expense reimbursement suggests the platform is optimised for simpler legal forms and lower transaction complexity.
Key differences between Tantum and Holvi
1. Currency breadth and holding architecture
Tantum: Tantum offers standard multi-currency accounts that natively hold EUR, USD, GBP and CHF balances, with additional currencies on request. You receive dedicated IBANs in each supported currency—including a Swiss franc IBAN from Liechtenstein—so incoming payments arrive directly, without conversion, unless you choose to exchange. This architecture suits businesses that invoice internationally, pay suppliers in multiple currencies or need to keep USD revenue separate from euro operating expenses.
Holvi: Holvi recently introduced international transfers in eighteen currencies, but the service focuses on facilitating FX transfers rather than holding multi-currency balances. The account itself remains euro-denominated for customers in Germany, Austria and Finland, meaning incoming USD or GBP payments are converted on receipt, unless Holvi's currency holding features have been extended beyond the transfer functionality described on the website.
2. API access and bulk payout tools
Tantum: Tantum is built API-first: you can upload CSV files for bulk payouts or integrate our API into your finance stack to automate payment initiation, query transaction histories and monitor account balances programmatically. A marketplace that pays sellers regularly, or a platform distributing affiliate commissions, can trigger payouts from back-office software and reconcile in real time in the Tantum dashboard.
Holvi: Holvi's feature set emphasises in-app and web dashboard workflows—invoicing, receipt scanning, team card management—but does not prominently describe CSV bulk upload or a public API for payment automation. Teams managing high transaction volumes or requiring programmatic integrations may have to rely on manual payment entry or limited export options.
3. Licence jurisdiction and entity type flexibility
Tantum: Tantum AG is licensed as an Electronic Money Institution by the FMA Liechtenstein and operates under Liechtenstein's legal framework, which supports foundations, trusts and other non-standardised structures common among international businesses. If you operate a holding company, foundation or regulated activity that requires nuanced underwriting, Tantum's onboarding process is designed to evaluate complex risk profiles rather than applying formulaic rejections.
Holvi: Holvi is authorised and supervised by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority and directs its offering to solopreneurs, freelancers and small teams in Finland, Germany and Austria. The emphasis on tax-time preparation, VAT calculators and expense reimbursements suggests the service is optimised for simpler legal forms and lower transaction complexity, which may limit suitability for multi-entity groups or businesses outside core markets.
4. Integrated accounting vs. infrastructure focus
Tantum: Tantum provides the payment infrastructure layer—dedicated IBANs, multi-currency accounts, API payouts, real-time reporting—and expects you to connect your own accounting software or ERP. This separation gives you the flexibility to choose best-of-breed tools (Xero, NetSuite, Datev or a proprietary ledger) and ensures the account adapts as your finance stack evolves.
Holvi: Holvi tightly integrates invoicing, receipt scanning, expense categorisation and accounting preparation into its account interface. For a sole trader or small team that values an all-in-one experience and wants to minimise the number of software subscriptions, Holvi's bundled approach reduces setup complexity and keeps all financial activities in one dashboard.
Decision guide: Which solution fits your business?
The choice between Tantum and Holvi depends on your company size, currency complexity and automation requirements.
Choose Tantum if you:
- Generate revenue in multiple currencies and want to hold them natively, without forced conversion on payment receipt
- Regularly execute bulk payouts—commissions, salaries, supplier payments—and want to automate them via CSV upload or API
- Operate a more complex legal structure (holding company, foundation, regulated activity) or have been rejected elsewhere
- Need dedicated IBANs in multiple currencies (EUR, USD, GBP, CHF) in your company name
- Prefer a personal account manager who understands your business and can escalate on time-critical matters
- Want to continue using your own best-of-breed accounting software (Xero, NetSuite, Datev) and only replace the payment infrastructure
For growing, cross-border businesses that need scalable payment infrastructure, Tantum offers the combination of currency breadth, API access and regulatory flexibility that traditional banks often don't provide. Learn more on our Corporate Accounts page.
Choose Holvi if you:
- Operate as a sole trader or small team in Finland, Germany or Austria
- Invoice primarily in euros and only occasionally make international transfers
- Prefer an all-in-one solution that integrates invoicing, receipt scanning and accounting preparation directly
- Don't need API integration or CSV bulk payouts
- Value transparent, published pricing plans that you can view without inquiry
Holvi is optimised for solopreneurs and small teams who want to consolidate their financial processes in a single interface and whose transaction complexity remains low. The integrated accounting and VAT features are particularly useful for users looking to simplify tax preparation.
Hybrid scenarios
Some businesses start with Holvi and switch to Tantum once international payment flows increase or API automation becomes necessary. Others use both in parallel—Holvi for local euro expenses and simple accounting, Tantum for multi-currency revenue and bulk payouts. Evaluate your current requirements and your growth scenario for the next 12-24 months before committing.
Tantum and Holvi serve different segments of the EEA business account market. Holvi is optimised for solopreneurs and small teams who value integrated accounting and euro-centric workflows. Tantum is aimed at growing, cross-border businesses that need native multi-currency accounts, API infrastructure and the flexibility to serve complex legal structures.
If your international payment flows are increasing or you need to automate bulk payouts, contact our team to discuss your currency requirements and request indicative pricing for your business.
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