How Metro Bank is Boosting FX Risk Tools with Equals Money

Metro Bank is strengthening its international banking offer for business customers by launching a new FX Forwards service, built on technology from Equals Money. 

The move is yet another step in the high-street bank’s strategy to provide corporate and commercial clients with more sophisticated tools to manage foreign exchange exposure and improve cash flow predictability.

The partnership introduces a digitally delivered, Metro Bank-branded FX platform tailored for SMEs and mid-market corporates as UK businesses continue to demand banking solutions that address real-world currency management challenges in an increasingly global marketplace.

“We are pleased to launch FX Forwards for our Corporate and Commercial customers,” says Andy Veares, MD of Commercial and Corporate Banking at Metro Bank.

“We’ve responded to customer demand with a product designed to help businesses that trade in foreign currencies, as well as to support them to compete and expand internationally. 

“This demonstrates our commitment to offer a broad range of services that enable UK businesses to grow and thrive, backed by the strength of our relationship banking experts.”

Managing risk in a volatile currency landscape

FX Forwards allow businesses to lock in exchange rates for future transactions, a mechanism that shields them from short-term volatility in global currency markets. For companies making regular international payments, this predictability can be critical to maintaining profit margins and financial stability.

Metro Bank’s new offering will enable customers to hedge currency risk directly within their existing banking relationship, removing the need to manage FX positions through multiple counterparties. 

The service, fully powered by Equals Money’s embedded finance technology, promises a simplified user experience underpinned by enterprise-grade infrastructure.

The bank says the service “enables businesses to manage foreign currency exposure, plan future payments with greater certainty and keep more of their FX activity within Metro Bank’s banking services”.

The solution covers all existing foreign currency products, integrating forwards alongside the bank’s spot FX functionality.

A partnership built on specialisation 

For Equals Money, the collaboration highlights the strength of its embedded finance platform – a technology backbone designed to give financial institutions access to scalable, regulated FX infrastructure without reinventing their own systems.

Ian Strafford-Taylor, CEO of Equals Money, says: “Powering Metro Bank’s new FX Forwards capability is exactly what our embedded finance platform is designed for: delivering Tier 1 infrastructure with fintech-level user experience. 

“We’re pleased to be selected for our tailored technology, product breadth, customer experience and speed-to-market capabilities. 

“Together, under Metro Bank’s trusted banking brand, we’re enabling business customers to manage currency risk, ensuring greater predictability in cash flow and planning.”

Looking outside of Metro Bank and Equals Money’s partnership, the pairs’ collaboration reinforces a growing pattern in UK banking – traditional institutions are turning to fintech specialists to accelerate product innovation and modernise customer experience. 

This is an evolution Metro Bank has seen momentum gained in over the past two years. 

Last year, the bank integrated Covecta’s agentic AI platform across its commercial lending processes, complementing its deployment of Infosys’ Topaz platform for digital transformation in 2024.

By aligning with Equals Money in 2026, Metro Bank is continuing that trajectory – leveraging best-in-class fintech partnerships to meet business banking demands at speed and scale.