Top 5 Corporate Escrow Services for UK Businesses

Escrow services sit between you and whoever you're paying until both sides do what they're supposed to. Useful when you're buying expensive equipment from a supplier in China, holding client deposits on a big project, or releasing payment only when milestones get hit.

This review covers five online escrow services UK businesses use for different deal types, covering what they charge, what they protect, and whether they're worth it for your situation.

We’ve also touched on how Wise Business can help you if you're trying to pay international suppliers without the full escrow setup, thanks to features like the ability to hold 40+ currencies and send payments at the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees.

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*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

Snapshot

Service	Summary
1️⃣ Transpact	Offers transparent, low-cost pricing from £5.98 for small deals; it is FCA-authorised and ideal for tradespeople or small importers needing quick online setup.
2️⃣ Escrow.com	A global leader for domain and merchandise sales with a five-step verification process; pricing is percentage-based (starting at 2.6%) with multi-currency support.
3️⃣ Shieldpay	Specialises in complex M&A and legal settlements with 48-hour escrow creation; provides dedicated account managers and bespoke pricing for professional services.
4️⃣ Barclays Corporate Escrow	Best for institutional deals like pension schemes and large buyouts; offers high-level security under global legal jurisdictions with custom, unquoted pricing.
5️⃣ The Escrow Company	Focuses on SaaS and source code protection through automated Git deposits; annual plans start at £1,795 to ensure business continuity if a vendor fails.

1. Transpact

Transpact is an FCA-authorised escrow service that holds funds in segregated UK accounts until both parties confirm agreed conditions are met. The platform has partnered with TrustMark, the government-endorsed quality scheme for traders.¹

Small business owners and sole traders handling deals use Transpact escrow services in the UK. Tradespeople hold client deposits on renovation work and small importers use it when paying new overseas suppliers.

What sets Transpact apart

Transpact publishes complete pricing on its website while most UK providers hide costs until you've finished sales calls. You pay £2.99 per party for GBP up to £10,000, €3.49 for EUR up to €15,000, or $9.99 for dollars up to $50.² Setup takes minutes online instead of weeks through relationship managers.

Transpact's Solutions for Business Escrow

Either party sets up the escrow online and writes in their conditions. Here's how it works:³

• Register and create: Fill in the amount, payment conditions, and choose a referee for disputes
• Terms negotiation: The other party reviews and can accept or suggest changes until both agree
• No commitment yet: Nothing binding until payment arrives at Transpact
• Payment received: Once Transpact gets full payment, the contract goes live
• Secure holding: Money sits safely until one party instructs payment by clicking 'Make Payment'
• Fast transfer: Transpact sends funds to the recipient's bank account, ending the escrow

Transpact Pricing

Here’s Transpact fee structure:²

• Deals under £10,000 cost £5.98 total
• The £10,000-£19,999 bracket runs £17.98
• Transactions from £20,000-£29,999 cost £24.98.
• Once you hit £100,000, fees jump to £592.32 plus £250 per party

Standard UK and EU bank transfers are included in the listed price, though extra charges can apply in some cases. If funds earn interest while held, Transpact keeps 18.15% of that interest.²

1. Escrow.com

Escrow.com is a US-based online escrow service that works globally, including in the UK. Fidelity National Financial founded it in 1999. The platform has handled over $4.5 billion in transactions.⁴ It holds a California licence and Better Business Bureau accreditation.

Domain name traders, website sellers, and businesses moving expensive merchandise use this secure escrow service in the UK for international deals. It's one of the established online escrow services UK buyers turn to for cross-border transactions.

What sets Escrow.com apart

Escrow.com runs offices in San Francisco, Sydney, Buenos Aires, and Manila for global coverage.⁴ The platform plugs into major e-commerce marketplaces and domain registrars. This works when you're dealing with buyers you've never met across borders.

Escrow.com's Solutions for Online Transactions

Either party starts transactions through the platform. The buyer pays, Escrow.com checks the payment, the seller ships merchandise, and funds move after the buyer confirms receipt. Escrow.com runs a five-step process for buyer-seller transactions:⁵

• Standard service: Basic escrow with buyer confirmation
• Domain Concierge: Costs double and provides high-touch management for complex domain transfers while maintaining full buyer protection
• Payment options: Wire transfer, credit card, PayPal, cheque, or money order
• Currency support: GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, and AUD
• Wire speed: One business day for GBP and EUR

Escrow.com Pricing

Escrow.com runs on percentage fees based on transaction value. You pick between Standard service or Concierge (called Premier on some pages).

For GBP transactions:⁶

• £0-£5,000: 2.6% Standard (£50 minimum) or 5.2% Concierge (£100 minimum)
• £5,001-£50,000: 2.4% Standard (£130 minimum) or 4.8% Concierge
• £50,001-£200,000: 1.9% Standard (£1,200 minimum) or 3.8% Concierge
• Percentage drops further as values climb

Buyers outside the UK pay an extra £25 to cover bank fees when using international wire transfers. Credit card and PayPal payments add a 3.05% processing fee on top of the escrow fee. Wire transfers to UK sellers cost £10, outside the UK costs £20.⁶

1. Shieldpay

Shieldpay is a UK digital escrow provider founded in 2016 that works with legal and professional services. The platform has processed over £8 billion in payments and partners with more than 40 of the UK's top 100 law firms.⁷ It holds FCA authorisation for payment services and follows HMRC anti-money laundering regulations.

Corporate lawyers managing M&A deals, law firms handling litigation settlements, and businesses running supply chain escrow use Shieldpay. Lenders rely on it for construction project payments with milestone releases.

What sets Shieldpay apart

Shieldpay built its platform specifically for law firms and complex corporate deals. It offers API integration with case management systems and sets up escrow facilities within 48 hours compared to weeks for traditional banks.⁸

You get dedicated account managers and white-glove service for multi-party transactions. The platform handles hundreds of shareholders across multiple jurisdictions in single deals.

Shieldpay's Solutions for Professional Services

Shieldpay verifies everyone in the deal, holds the money in tier 1 banks, then pays out when conditions get met. The platform handles M&A, supply chain deals, fundraising, and property transactions. It offers:⁹

• Quick account setup: Get verified and start fast
• Tier 1 bank holding: Money stays secure until terms are met
• Platform release: Funds go out digitally or through release notice
• International payments: Send money abroad with clear fees
• Deal structuring help: Your contact walks you through setup

Works for complicated deals where multiple parties need payments managed properly.

Shieldpay Pricing

Shieldpay charges one-off transaction setup fees with no ongoing maintenance costs. Pricing isn't published on the website. You request custom quotes based on deal complexity, value, and structure.¹⁰

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1. Barclays Corporate Escrow

Barclays runs corporate escrow services through its investment bank for institutional clients and large companies. The bank handles escrow for mergers and acquisitions, financing deals, pension schemes, and commercial property projects. You can open escrow accounts in London, Dublin, Dubai, or New York in currencies including GBP, USD, EUR, and AED.¹¹

This escrow company UK corporations use for large buyouts, institutional investors funding property developments, and pension trustees needing contingent assets. Property developers managing milestone payments and companies segregating funds for regulatory reasons also rely on Barclays.

What sets Barclays apart

You get the backing of a global bank for high-value corporate deals. Barclays provides standardised escrow agreements under English, New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong law.¹¹

The bank offers express onboarding when you need things moving fast. You work with dedicated relationship managers who handle everything from structuring the deal to servicing the account.

Funds held in Barclays escrow can earn yields that offset borrowing costs while you wait for deals to complete.

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

Barclays Solutions for Corporate Deals

Barclays specialists handle complex deals across multiple sectors. You work with relationship managers who guide you through setup and documentation. Here’s what it offers: ¹¹

• M&A deals: Proof of funds, deferred payments, retention accounts, acquisition finance proceeds
• Litigation: Security for legal costs, holding disputed funds until judgment, class action security
• Pension schemes: Contingent assets for trustee negotiations¹
• Commercial property: Milestone payments, institutional investor drip-feeding, landlord security
• Capital markets: Holding bond proceeds between issuance and deployment

The escrow process works well for these complex corporate transactions. For everyday international supplier payments where formal escrow isn't needed, Wise Business offers a simpler route with transfers in 40+ currencies and local account details in 9+ currencies.

Barclays Pricing

Barclays doesn't publish escrow pricing on its website. The bank provides escrow services to both existing Barclays clients and new-to-bank clients. The Barclays Escrow team guides you through the account opening process.¹¹

1. The Escrow Company (formerly Escrow London)

The Escrow Company operates as a software and SaaS escrow specialist with offices in London, Atlanta, and Sydney. Founded in 2015, the company handles source code protection and cloud application continuity for businesses licensing software or running SaaS platforms. The company integrates with AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud for automated deposits.¹²

Software developers protecting source code, SaaS vendors running cloud applications, and businesses licensing mission-critical software use this escrow for business UK and international markets. Banks, insurance firms, and regulated industries requiring software continuity assurance also rely on these services.

What sets The Escrow Company apart

The company built automated deposit systems that connect directly to GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, and Azure DevOps repositories.¹²

You can store source code in your choice of UK, EU, US, Canada, or Australia data centres to meet regional compliance requirements.

The company offers SaaS continuity solutions that include 90 days of live environment replication if a vendor fails.¹³

The Escrow Company's Software Protection Solutions

The Escrow Company provides automated escrow for software and cloud applications:

The company runs automated deposits from GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, and Azure DevOps.¹ You pick between different service levels. Here’s what it offers:^{13 14}

• Software escrow: Deposits source code, deployment scripts, containers, VM images, and database backups from Git repos
• SaaS escrow: Same deposits plus cloud environment protection for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud apps
• SaaS access continuity: Quarterly-tested credentials for production environments, works for single-tenant setups
• SaaS recovery escrow: Secondary environment hosted by The Escrow Company, scaled down until you need it
• Managed SaaS continuity: Live backup environment with 90 days of service if your vendor fails
• Express Escrow: Self-service setup with unlimited repos, pay by card, choose UK/US/EU/Australia legal jurisdiction

Testing happens annually or semi-annually, depending on which service you pick. All solutions include automated deposits.¹³

Software escrow protects you if vendors go under. For paying developers or contractors abroad on projects where you already have trust, Wise Business handles transfers in 40+ currencies without escrow fees.

The Escrow Company Pricing

Software escrow starts at £1,795 per year plus setup fee, which covers unlimited automated deposits from Git repos, 1TB storage, and multiple data residency regions.¹⁵

SaaS access continuity (quarterly-tested production credentials) costs £2,995 annually. SaaS recovery escrow and managed continuity solutions need custom quotes.

Simplify your international payments with Wise Business

Escrow services work well for high-risk transactions where you need third-party protection. For standard international supplier payments where you trust your vendor, Wise Business offers a great alternative that helps you avoid hidden exchange fees.

With Wise Business, you can send money to 160+ countries and hold 40+ currencies in one account, all at the mid-market exchange rate with upfront fees. The platform handles batch payments when you need to pay multiple suppliers at once.

Wise Business also offers local account details in 9+ currencies, which means international clients can pay you without cross-border fees on their end.

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*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

FAQs

How do escrow services mitigate financial risk for businesses?

Escrow puts a neutral third party between buyer and seller. The agent holds your money until both sides finish the deal. Buyers get refunds if goods never arrive. Sellers get paid after delivery. Nobody walks away with cash or products.

When should a business use an international escrow service?

You need international escrow when buying expensive items from overseas sellers you don't know. Property deals across borders, machinery from foreign suppliers, large equipment purchases. If the deal goes wrong in another country, good luck chasing your money through their courts.

How can I identify a secure and trusted escrow service for my business?

Check for FCA authorisation. Client money sits in separate bank accounts, not in the company's operating funds. Look at Trustpilot reviews. See how many years they've operated. Read the contract before handing over money. It should explain exactly when funds get released and how you resolve problems. A trusted escrow service UK businesses use will have clear pricing and transparent terms.

Sources

1. Transpact Blog – Transpact
2. Transpact prices - Transpact
3. Transpact Process – Transpact
4. What is Escrow.com – Escrow.com
5. How Escrow Works – Escrow.com
6. Escrow fee calculator – Escrow.com
7. About Shieldpay – Shieldpay
8. Escrow as a new way to manage supply chain risk – Shieldpay
9. Escrow payment solution – Shieldpay
10. Payment Service Terms – Shieldpay
11. Corporate escrow services – Barclays
12. About the Escrow Company – The Escrow Company
13. SaaS escrow services – The Escrow Company
14. Express escrow self service – The Escrow Company
15. How much does software escrow cost? – The Escrow Company

Sources last checked on 28th January 2026