Put your company
cash to work
Stocks, funds and up to 4.45% AER yield with BlackRock Money Market Funds.
Tried and trusted by
3,500+
companies
When you invest, your capital is at risk. Only invest excess capital.
Business use cases
For businesses small and large
From saving on fees to paying you interest, we help you make make the most out of your company funds.
Any size business, any size deposit
Whether you’re a startup, SME or bigger business, future-proof your company’s finances in minutes with an investment account that gives access to the world’s markets with no minimum or maximum deposit criteria.
Treasury product backed by BlackRock
Low fees
Tried and trusted
3,500+ companies across Europe use Lightyear
"All businesses should have access to straightforward business accounts that follow the Bank of England rate. But that option hasn't existed until now. I previously used an account from my bank that put my cash into money market funds, but I had to give a month's notice to withdraw and the rate I received was less than half the Bank of England's base rate. That defeats the purpose. I need to earn as much interest as I can on my company's money, but it also needs to be properly liquid so I have an easily accessible cushion for quiet periods to smooth out my cash flow.
With the account that Lightyear offers, I get the same deal as big companies that have been using money market funds for decades. That's a massive step forward for small businesses like mine."
Andy Davis
Owner of ‘The Investors' Media Company'
Your CFO’s best friend
Tools for your business
Managing your company’s finances has never been easier. Extend your runway, manage foreign exchange exposure and interest-rate risk.
Money market fundsInterest5000+ Stocks and ETFsLEI registrationAutomatic W-8BEN-E
Money Market Funds are low risk, highly liquid and AAA-rated investments that pay interest.
As with all investing, your capital is at risk
Our investors
Backed by the best
We’ve raised multiple rounds of finance from leading global investors and business leaders that share our vision for the future of investing.
“For too long, financial markets have been overly complex with high barriers to entry and confusing jargon. Martin, Mihkel and the Lightyear team are lifting the lid on the world of investing – making it more transparent whilst empowering people through education – to choose the products which are right for them”.
Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group
“Lightyear is building a platform that customers not only love and trust, but one that understands the nuances between different regulations, languages, exchanges and cultural investing norms.”
Nicole Quinn, General Parter at Lightspeed Venture Partners
“With launching business accounts, Lightyear is eliminating huge pain points of long, bureaucratic onboarding as well as limited and expensive access to the global markets for a huge audience — deepening their impact on investing in Europe.”
Taavet Hinrikus, Co-Founder of Wise
The important stuff
Protection and regulation
Trusting us with your investments is something we don’t take for granted.
Regulated and insuredSafeguarding your assets
FSCS cover up to £85,000
Lightyear is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Learn more here.
Things you’ll want to know
Questions we’re often asked
Who can open a business account?
Our UK business accounts are here for:
All limited companies registered in the UK that meet our required terms of service / operate in a non-high risk industry.
If you have more than one business, you can open multiple business accounts with us.
How do I open a business account?
It’s super quick and easy to open up a business account.
All you need to have at hand is your LEI code. If you don’t have an LEI code yet, you can generate one right in the Lightyear app.
Just jump into the app, navigate to your profile from the top left corner, and you're there. If you don’t currently have a personal account with Lightyear, you’ll need to set that up first. See Opening an account.
How much does it cost to open a business account?
It’s free to open up a business account! We also don’t charge any custody or monthly fees.
All you need to have at hand is your LEI code. If you don’t have an LEI code yet, you can generate one right in the Lightyear app for £40 + VAT.
Investing through a business is low-cost and priced just like investing from your personal account. We also pay interest on uninvested cash for businesses too.
Check out our full pricing information here.
Can I claim US tax treaty benefits?
You can claim US tax treaty benefits, but it’s optional. Uploading a W-8BEN-E allows you to reduce the tax you pay on dividends from US instruments, but there’s no benefit to that if you:
- Invest in non-US instruments
- Invest in non dividend paying US stocks
- Hold & convert cash
We fill in the W-8BEN-E form for you automatically. All you need to do is answer a few questions in the app, and we’ll generate the PDF form for you right there.
Please note that tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and is subject to change in the future.
Why do I need a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)?
A Legal Entity Identifier, also known as an LEI, uniquely identifies your business. It's required by law for businesses trading stocks in Europe.
If you’ve already registered an LEI — we’ll find it for you during onboarding, all you need to do is confirm the details.
If you don’t yet have an LEI, you can generate one within the Lightyear app for £42.50 + VAT.
What should I keep in mind when investing?
When depositing your business funds to your business account, while making sure your money is working hard for you and your business, please take care with it too
- Don't invest money that you need to operate the business day-to-day
- Always make sure you have operational cash in an FSCS protected account
We're here to help you invest and grow any excess business capital you have, but remember that capital is still at risk when it's invested