Casestudy Crown Agents Bank BC.pdf
“Can a mission-driven, UK-regulated wholesale bank specialising in hard-to-reach emerging markets become the essential financial infrastructure layer for development institutions, governments, and NGOs moving money across frontier economies?”
Crown Agents Bank is a long-established UK-regulated wholesale bank specialising in FX and cross-border payments into frontier and emerging markets, particularly across Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Following acquisition by Helios in 2016, the bank embarked on a digital transformation to modernise its technology stack and connect to fintech partners at scale. Its embedded finance strategy centres on leveraging Banking Circle for Euro payment rails and Virtual IBANs to complement its own extensive correspondent network, while deploying platforms like MuleSoft and OutSystems internally to accelerate digital delivery. The bank differentiates itself through deep expertise in hard-to-reach markets and a mission-driven focus on financial inclusion for development institutions, NGOs, and governments.