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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent

Banks warned over denying sex workers business accounts

Accounts are often closed on the basis of financial crime or reputational grounds. This is despite sex work being legal in the UK apart from Northern Ireland where it is illegal to pay for sex. Photograph: Artur Marciniec/Alamy
Accounts are often closed on the basis of financial crime or reputational grounds. This is despite sex work being legal in the UK apart from Northern Ireland where it is illegal to pay for sex. Photograph: Artur Marciniec/Alamy Photograph: Artur Marciniec/Alamy

The City regulator has warned UK banks over denying accounts for sex workers, after hearing that a lack of access to business banking could lead to “significant harm” for individuals.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that while banks said they were able to provide accounts for the adult entertainment industry in theory, they were often denying or shutting down business accounts in practice.

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