A payment account built for adult businesses launches in the UK and EU

Vaultus, a London company founded in 2024, announced on 28 September the launch of a payment account "built specifically for businesses across the adult industry", available in the United Kingdom and the European Union. The release names creators, agencies, adult retailers and sex tech companies as the target customers. Business Matters reported the launch on 29 September.

The account is not a bank account. The company describes itself as "a financial institution, not a bank": the regulated services are provided in partnership with Equals Money Plc, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as a payment institution (firm reference 488396), with EU funds held through Equals Money Europe in Belgium. Funds are safeguarded rather than covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, a distinction the pricing page states in its own words.

The pricing page lists five tiers. Personal, for solo creators, costs £5 or €6 a month with no opening fee. Business tiers cost £25/€30 (Bronze), £35/€40 (Silver) and £45/€50 (Gold) a month, each with a one-off opening fee of £50/€59 refunded if the account cannot be opened, and Platinum is priced case by case. Foreign exchange margins go from 2.5 percent on Personal and Bronze to 2 percent on Gold. Virtual cards are free; a physical card costs £10 or €12. According to the release, business tiers add bulk payments, so an agency can pay its whole creator roster in one batch, plus forward contracts, and Gold and Platinum add Xero and SAP integration.

The company's argument rests on two documents. The FCA's September 2024 update on payment account access found that firms' financial crime risk tolerances led to some sectors, adult entertainment among them, being treated as higher risk or refused, and quoted industry representatives on workers pushed onto personal accounts that reveal their real name to clients. A 2023 survey by the Free Speech Coalition with SexWorkCEO, of more than 600 adult industry members, found that 63 percent had lost a bank account or a payment tool because of their work.

The four founders are named by first name only. The desk has not opened an account. It sent the company five written questions on 29 September; the answers, signed by co-founder Cameron and relayed by Lydia Coulter, arrived by email on 2 October 2026 and are summarised below.

What the company answered (2 October 2026)

Onboarding. Agencies apply through the company's sign-up form and declare themselves as management agencies; the industry list includes an "Adult Content Creation and Management Services" option. The company says consideration can take up to ten days because it treats the sector as high risk. Its standard document list for an agency: supplier invoices and contracts, proof of company formation and structure, the last three months of bank statements, proof of address, a tax ID where applicable, client contracts and invoices, and identity verification, with follow-up requests possible. Anything illegal is refused. The answers give no refusal rate.

Who is accepted. At 2 October 2026, the company says it does not accept agencies registered in the United States, mainland China or sanctioned countries, and that it plans a US expansion "in the next 2 years", without a date.

Inbound money. At the same date, the company states it has no restriction on payouts from subscription platforms and names OnlyFans, Fansly, Telegram Stars via Fragment, MYM, Fanvue, ManyVids and LoyalFans as accepted sources.

Paying a roster. According to Vaultus, accounts hold up to 35 currencies and pay out in more than 60, excluding sanctioned countries, over Faster Payments, SEPA, SWIFT or CHAPS. It states no limits on inflows or outflows; applicants declare their expected monthly inflows and yearly outflows, which it uses as a baseline to flag unusual activity. A creator receives an ordinary transfer to a bank account or to an e-money wallet with an IBAN. No time to receipt is promised.

Debanking, first hand. The co-founder describes losing agency accounts after banks asked for invoices and recipient details on cross-border transfers to creators, then closed the account "as we believe the account activity goes against our Terms and Conditions". One platform, which he does not name, held $5,000 for six months and released it in two payments.

Safeguarding versus FSCS. The company draws the same line the desk drew on 29 September. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme covers bank deposits and does not apply to e-money institutions; the FSCS puts its limit at £120,000 per eligible depositor per authorised firm since 1 December 2025. Vaultus says e-money institutions cannot lend client money and describes its own arrangement as full safeguarding in separate accounts at other banks, through Equals Money; the FCA's rules also allow an insurance or guarantee route. It points to the FCA's safeguarding rules in force since 7 May 2026, which require reconciliation on each reconciliation day, monthly reporting, an annual independent audit and a plan to return client money, and states that if an e-money firm fails, funds are returned through an administrator, which can take longer than an FSCS payout and may carry administration costs. Its legal notice names Vaultus Limited, Companies House number 17225774, and Equals Money International Limited, FCA reference 900493, as card issuer.