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OakNorth partners with Wise for international payments. By Dalvinder Kular 08/10/2026 OakNorth has partnered with money transfer technology company Wise to enable its UK business customers to make international payments. Through the partnership OakNorth said its customers, who are scaling businesses with annual turnover of £1 million to £100 million, will be able to make international payments at the mid-market exchange rate in more than 20 currencies, including Euros, US dollars, British pounds, Indian rupees, Hong Kong dollars and Chinese yuan. Using the Wise Platform, OakNoth account holders will be able to make payments almost instantly, with 77 per cent of payments being made in under 20 seconds. The digital bank said new feature gives SMEs a faster, transparent and seamless way to pay suppliers and partners around the world. Peter King, director of business banking at OakNorth, said: "Its customers are ambitious businesses with increasingly global needs, and they need banking services that can keep up with the pace of their growth. Whether they're paying suppliers overseas, entering new markets or working with international partners, knowing what their payments will cost and when their money will arrive are non-negotiable. "By integrating Wise Platform, we can give our customers a better and more transparent way to move money internationally, helping them spend less time managing cross-border payments and more time focused on growing their businesses." The partnership comes as UK SMEs move significant and growing volumes of money across borders. Research commissioned by Wise and independently conducted by consulting firm Edgar, Dunn & Company found that UK SMEs are projected to send over £615.5 billion overseas in 2027. SME overseas payments are also forecasted to grow 22 per cent between 2026 and 2029. Yet as UK SMEs send more money overseas, Wise said they also stand to lose more to the hidden expenses of traditional international payments. These hidden fees are estimated to drain UK SMEs of £7.5 billion in 2027. Other financial institutions around the world use the Wise Platform for their international payments including Monzo, UniCredit, N26, Morgan Stanley and Standard Chartered.

The junior Isa that comes with two hours of free childcare: Oaknorth launches 3.5% deal with a twist. Updated: 04:09 EDT, 5 October 2026 Products featured in this article are independently selected by This is Money's specialist journalists. If you open an account using links which have an asterisk, This is Money will earn an affiliate commission. Blunt Invest do not allow this to affect its editorial independence. The digital challenger bank Oaknorth has launched its first junior Isa at a rate of 3.5 per cent - and it comes with a highly unusual twist. As an extra incentive for parents to open an account, the savings provider is giving them two hours of free babysitting through the childcare app Bubble. Parents and legal guardians can open a Junior Isa (Jisa) for a child and save up to £9,000 annually into the tax-free account. Oaknorth only asks for a minimum deposit of £1 to get started. While the rules allow anyone to contribute to a Jisa once it's set up, at the moment only parents and grandparents can contribute to Oaknorth's Jisa. The Jisa joins adult easy-access and fixed-rate cash Isas available from the bank. Its fixed-rate cash Isas are currently being offered at top rates, with 4.91 per cent available on its one-year fix and 5.02 per cent available on its two-year fix. Is it worth signing up for Oaknorth's junior Isa? Saving into a junior Isa is a good way to build up a nest egg for your child's future. They can manage the account when they turn 16 before getting full access to the money at 18. Oaknorth is a good option if you're happy to manage the account entirely within its app or your online account - there are no branches if you prefer to bank in person. The bank accepts transfers in from other providers, so if your child has a junior Isa elsewhere languishing at a lower rate this is worth considering. It's positive that parents can open the account with as little as £1 but keep in mind that the interest rate of 3.5 per cent is lower than options from other providers. Leek Building Society is offering a junior Isa at 3.85 per cent, while Skipton Building Society is paying 3.8 per cent. What other options do you havesaving for a child? The nature of junior Isas means it's likely that the account will be open for a long time before your child can access it - potentially 18 years if set up at birth. A long time horizon like this means it's worth thinking about investing for your child within a Jisa rather than saving the money in cash. It's important to keep the money invested for at least five years so it can ride out the highs and the lows of the stock market, and this should be achievable if you're opening a Jisa for a young child. Over the long term, investing stands a better chance of beating inflation - the rate at which prices rise over time - than cash. This means your child could potentially get more value from their money when they reach 18. Many investment platforms offer junior Isas, including the UK's most well-known options - AJ Bell*, Hargreaves Lansdown* and Interactive Investor*. Blunt Invest has a guide on how to start investing if you've never considered it before, running through how to pick the right platform and the key concepts to understand. 8 comments. woopi i will bake a cake 3.5% CLOFF, UK, 4h ago Been meaning to sort this for ages! The greatest form of the JISA is the investment ISA... not the cash ISA. Of all government savings initiatives, its by far the one, that stands being the most powerful, life-changing vehicle that parents can take advantage of as long as they stick to... The opinions and views expressed in the comments section are solely those of the individual users and do not represent or reflect the opinions, views, or positions of This is Money. This is Money does not endorse, support, or verify the accuracy of any user-generated content. More top stories. Best buy savings tables. FREE SAVINGS ALERTS The best rates straight to your inbox How this is Money can help. Don't miss. Sponsored guide. Latest from saving & banking. Inside saving & banking. Premium bonds winners. | Prize | Area | Value of bond | | £1,000,000 | Somerset | £11,000 | | £1,000,000 | East Sussex | £5,900 | | £100,000 | Derbyshire | £40,000 | | £100,000 | West Midlands | £850 | | £100,000 | Hampshire And Isle Of Wight | £10,000 | | £100,000 | Cambridgeshire | £16,500 | | £100,000 | Hampshire And Isle Of Wight | £10,000 | | £100,000 | Hertfordshire | £50,000 | More October 2026 winners More must reads...