FAQ — frequently asked questions

Question 1

Is TimeFX regulated by the FCA?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX Ltd’s Payment and Foreign Currency Exchange Services are provided by Ebury Partners UK Limited. Ebury Partners UK Limited (EPUK) is an Authorised Electronic Money Institution (Financial Services Register No. 900797) and is licensed to provide payment services including FX spots and FX Forwards for the commercial purpose of the facilitation of payments for identifiable goods or services and direct investments. Ebury Partners UK Limited is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, with registration number: ZA345828. TimeFX Ltd is registered with HMRC under Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (registration number XDML00000164897) and is a company registered in England and Wales (Company registration number 13396461).

Question 2

Who is TIMEFX LTD?

Accepted Answer

TIMEFX LTD (trading as TimeFX) provides international payments and foreign exchange services to UK businesses and individuals, including overseas supplier payments, multi-currency accounts and currency risk management. We are a UK company, registered number 13396461, based at 20 Wenlock Road, London, England, N1 7GU, and registered with HMRC for anti-money-laundering supervision under reference XDML00000164897. Regulated payment execution and safeguarding of funds are carried out under the regulatory framework for UK payment services.

Question 3

How does regulation work behind TimeFX's services?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX provides the international payments and FX service you deal with day to day — pricing, onboarding support and ongoing account management. The regulated activities behind that service — holding client money, executing FX conversions, sending and receiving payments — are carried out under the regulatory framework for UK payment services by an FCA-authorised institution, since TIMEFX LTD does not hold a payment institution or e-money licence itself. This means you get a single, dedicated point of contact for your account.

Question 4

Where can I check your regulatory status?

Accepted Answer

You can check the FCA authorisation of the institution that executes regulated payment services on the Financial Services Register. TIMEFX LTD's HMRC AML registration (XDML00000164897) and Companies House record (registration number 13396461) are both public and searchable. Our regulatory disclosure page sets out the full detail, and we are happy to talk it through directly before you apply.

Question 5

Why choose TimeFX for international payments and FX?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX gives you competitive international payments and FX capability alongside a dedicated point of contact who understands your business and helps you navigate onboarding, currency selection and the practicalities of setting up international payments. The underlying regulatory protections are unaffected by that hands-on support, and we are transparent about how our service works.

Question 6

How long does onboarding take?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX supports you through onboarding from your first enquiry. Onboarding itself is conducted by our FCA-authorised payment partner under standard KYC/AML procedures, subject to eligibility, onboarding and compliance checks. Timelines depend on the completeness of the information submitted and the structure of the business — a straightforward single-director company will typically move through review faster than one with a layered ownership structure. We set realistic expectations once we understand more about your business, rather than quoting a fixed number of days upfront.

Question 7

What documents will I need to provide?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX will guide you through exactly what's needed. Typically, expect to provide Companies House details, beneficial-ownership information, and identity and address verification for the directors who will operate the account. Businesses with a holding company or multiple trading entities are usually asked to clarify the ownership structure. Exact requirements can vary depending on your sector, structure and the countries you trade with.

Question 8

Is my business eligible to open an account?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX can give you an early, informal steer on eligibility based on what you tell us. Eligibility itself is assessed against risk-based criteria considering factors such as business activity, ownership structure, trading countries and expected use of the account, subject to eligibility, onboarding and compliance checks.

Question 9

Can sole traders and individuals apply, or only limited companies?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX accepts both business and personal applications, each following its own onboarding path. The documentation requested differs: a limited company is assessed on its corporate structure and beneficial ownership, while a personal application is assessed on individual identity and address verification. Speak to us first if you are unsure which route applies to your situation.

Question 10

What happens if my application is declined?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX will let you know as soon as a decision is available and, where appropriate, suggest whether reapplying with additional information might help. Decisions are made based on compliance policy applied consistently to every application, and we do not have visibility into every internal detail of that assessment. We cannot guarantee any application will be approved.

Question 11

Do I need an existing account before I apply?

Accepted Answer

No. TimeFX supports new customers with no prior international payments or FX relationship. We explain what the onboarding process involves and stay involved as your account is set up, so you are not navigating a new provider's process alone from a standing start.

Question 12

Which currencies do you support?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX enables payments and balances across a broad range of currencies. The exact list applicable to your account, and any restrictions on specific corridors, is confirmed during onboarding rather than fixed in advance, since availability can depend on your business type and destination.

Question 13

How do international payments actually travel?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX routes payments over international networks such as SWIFT, or over local clearing systems in the destination country — for example SEPA in the eurozone, Fedwire or ACH in the US, or Faster Payments and CHAPS domestically in the UK. Which route is used depends on the currency, destination and payment type. Using the correct local rail where available can reduce the number of correspondent banks a payment passes through.

Question 14

What details do I need to send a payment?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX confirms exactly what's needed before you send a payment. You will generally need the beneficiary's full legal name exactly as registered on their account, their IBAN or local account number, the receiving bank's SWIFT/BIC code where applicable, and the bank's registered address. Some countries also require a stated purpose-of-payment code. Getting these details right the first time is the single biggest factor in avoiding delays or returned payments.

Question 15

How quickly do payments arrive?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX gives you realistic timing before you commit to a payment. Settlement timing depends on the currency pair, the rail used and the cut-off times of both the sending and receiving banks. Major currency pairs over well-established rails often settle same-day or next-day; less common currencies or corridors with more correspondent banks in the chain can take longer. We do not guarantee specific delivery times.

Question 16

Can I receive payments as well as send them?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TimeFX provides multi-currency accounts so you can receive payments into currency-specific balances, which can reduce the deductions that sometimes occur when an overseas customer's bank routes a payment through multiple correspondents. You then choose when, or whether, to convert those balances to GBP.

Question 17

What is a purpose-of-payment code, and do I need one?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX confirms the correct code as part of setting up your payment. Many countries require an international payment to be tagged with a code describing its commercial purpose — for example, goods purchase, services fee or loan repayment. This is a regulatory requirement in the destination country, and getting it wrong can delay or return a transfer.

Question 18

What exchange rate will I get?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX always confirms your actual transaction rate before you commit to a payment or conversion, so you know exactly what you are agreeing to rather than relying on a rate you may have seen earlier or elsewhere. The rates shown on our site are independent ECB daily reference rates, provided as an indicative benchmark rather than a transactable price.

Question 19

Do you charge per transaction?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX prices reflect the currencies, volumes and tools your business actually uses, and are discussed transparently before you commit to anything. We do not publish a single fixed fee table, because the right structure genuinely varies by business — a company making occasional large transfers has different needs from one making frequent smaller payments, and pricing is set accordingly during onboarding.

Question 20

What is a forward contract, and should I use one?

Accepted Answer

A forward contract lets you agree an exchange rate today for settlement on a specified future date, which can be useful if you have a known future payment or receivable and want budget certainty rather than exposure to rate movement in the meantime. It fixes the outcome rather than guaranteeing a favourable one — if rates move in your favour after fixing, you do not benefit on the hedged amount. Whether it suits your business depends on your specific exposures.

Question 21

Can I hedge recurring payments, not just one-off transfers?

Accepted Answer

Yes, TimeFX offers forward contracts and related tools that can be used against a recurring schedule of payments or receivables, not only single transactions. This suits businesses that pay the same overseas supplier, or invoice the same overseas customer, on a repeating basis and want to reduce the impact of rate movement across the whole schedule rather than transaction by transaction.

Question 22

Do exchange rates ever move in my favour after I've fixed a rate?

Accepted Answer

If you have used a forward contract or similar tool to fix a rate in advance, subsequent market movement — in either direction — does not change the rate you have already agreed for that transaction. This is the nature of the trade-off: certainty over the outcome, in exchange for giving up any upside if the market later moves favourably. It is not possible to have both certainty and unlimited upside on the same transaction.

Question 23

Are my funds safe?

Accepted Answer

TIMEFX LTD does not take custody of customer funds at any point — we do not operate client accounts or hold balances ourselves. Funds are held by our FCA-authorised payment partner, an FCA-authorised institution, under the safeguarding arrangements required by UK payment-services and e-money regulation, which keeps client money separate from the institution's own operating funds.

Question 24

How is my personal and business data handled?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX processes the information you provide during onboarding and account use in line with UK data protection law, for purposes including identity verification, anti-money-laundering checks and ongoing account administration. Our privacy notice sets out what is collected, why, and how long it is retained. We do not sell customer data to third parties.

Question 25

What happens to my data during the KYC process?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX handles anything we hold directly under the commitments set out in our own privacy notice. Identity documents and beneficial-ownership information you submit are also used to carry out the customer due-diligence checks required under UK anti-money-laundering regulations, under the data-protection and retention policies of the FCA-authorised institution that carries these out.

Question 26

What security measures protect my account?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX does not have access to your account credentials. Account access, authentication and transaction security are managed as part of the regulated platform you use directly, including login and transaction-authorisation controls. We encourage standard good practice such as using a business email address, enabling any available multi-factor authentication, and limiting who within your organisation holds account access.

Question 27

What if I suspect fraud or unauthorised activity on my account?

Accepted Answer

Contact TimeFX immediately, and separately notify the account provider through the account portal or their own support channels, since they hold the account and are best placed to investigate and, if needed, restrict activity. Acting quickly matters — the sooner suspected fraud is reported, the more options are typically available to limit any impact.

Question 28

How do I log in to my TimeFX account?

Accepted Answer

Existing customers sign in through the secure customer portal operated by our FCA-authorised payment partner, which is where balances, payments and conversions are managed. Use the "Customer login" link in the site header, or go to otimefxltd.ebury.com directly. TimeFX does not host a separate login of its own, and we will never ask you for your portal password. If you do not have an account yet, start an application instead.

Question 29

Can I speak to someone?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Call +44 20 8987 8083 during Monday–Friday, 09:00–17:30 UK time, or email hello@timefx.co.uk. We respond to enquiries within one UK business day. If your query relates to an active account, transaction or payment, we may direct you to the account provider's own support channel, since they can access transaction-level detail that we cannot see directly.

Question 30

Do you offer support outside business hours?

Accepted Answer

TimeFX's own team is available during Monday–Friday, 09:00–17:30 UK time. Outside these hours, urgent account issues — such as a payment query or suspected unauthorised activity — should be raised directly with our FCA-authorised payment partner through your account portal, since they operate the regulated platform and can act on time-sensitive account matters directly.

Question 31

How do I make a complaint?

Accepted Answer

Contact TimeFX directly using the details above if your complaint relates to our service, and we will acknowledge and address it. If it relates to a regulated activity such as a payment, conversion or account service, it should also be raised with the account provider, since they are the regulated entity responsible for that activity. Our complaints page sets out the full process and escalation routes.

Question 32

I'm not sure who to contact — TimeFX or the account provider. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Contact TimeFX first. If your question relates to something we can answer directly — pricing conversations, onboarding support, general guidance — we will help. If it needs the regulated account provider's involvement, such as a live transaction issue or account-specific detail, we will point you to the right channel rather than leaving you to guess, so you are not passed between parties unnecessarily.

Frequently asked questions.

About TIMEFX LTD and regulation

Onboarding and eligibility

Payments and settlement

Rates, pricing and hedging

Security, safeguarding and data

Support

Speak with our team