Does Vanguard UK offer business accounts? Alternatives in 2026

As your business grows and cash flows stabilise, it’s worth considering what to do with the cash sitting in the company account. If you have reserves you don’t need for day-to-day operations, you may want to put them to work in the financial markets.

Vanguard is a popular option for personal investors, but is it available for businesses?

This article explains whether Vanguard offers business or corporate accounts, and covers the best alternatives based on reputation, fees, products and support.

Does Vanguard offer business accounts?

No. In the UK, Vanguard only offers accounts for personal investors, not for businesses, as it confirmed to us by email:

So, if you run a limited company or another type of corporate entity in the UK, you will have to look elsewhere. Note that Vanguard does offer organisation accounts in the United States, which is why you may find references to them online. Those are not available to UK companies.

Best Vanguard alternatives for businesses

Comparison table

#1 Interactive Brokers (best overall)

Founded in 1978, listed on the NASDAQ (ticker: IBKR) and part of the S&P 500 index since August 2025, Interactive Brokers has been through several financial crises and publishes audited results.

Interactive Brokers lets you invest globally in stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds and funds from a single account, and its account management tools let you delegate user permissions, which is useful when more than one person manages the company’s investments.

Many types of entity can open an account, including small businesses, hedge funds, proprietary traders and family offices. You also get order execution through IB SmartRouting and a full set of research tools.

On the downside, its fee structure is complex and account opening takes longer than average, although it is fully online. However, its low currency conversion fees (0.002%, minimum $2) usually make it cheaper overall than most brokers.

Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA, and eligible clients are covered by the FSCS up to £85,000. You can read more on its business account page, or check our step-by-step guide on how to open a business brokerage account with Interactive Brokers.

#2 Saxo

Founded in 1992, Saxo is one of the most established names in the brokerage industry and holds a Danish banking licence. The J. Safra Sarasin Group became its majority shareholder in March 2026 and its sole owner in July 2026. Saxo serves more than 1.5 million clients and is rated A- by S&P. Its platforms include SaxoTraderGO and SaxoTraderPRO for active traders and SaxoInvestor for a simpler experience.

To open a UK corporate account, you need to deposit at least £50,000 and have a corporate bank account. Your initial deposit sets your first tier:

• Classic: standard pricing and support.
• Platinum: from £200,000 (or a certain trading volume), with lower trading costs.
• VIP: from £1,000,000 (or a certain trading volume), with the best pricing and access to trading experts.

After your first 12 months, your tier is adjusted based on the reward points you earn.
Pricing depends on your tier. A US stock order costs 0.08% (min. $1) of the trade value on Classic, falling to 0.03% (min. $1) on VIP.

Saxo says it usually takes about a week to approve a corporate account, provided you send clear copies of:

• Memorandum and articles of association
• Certificate of incorporation
• Proof of the company’s business address, if different from its registered address (for example, a bank statement or utility bill less than three months old in the company’s name)
• Latest financial statements
• Group structure diagram, for companies in complex group structures
• LEI code

Every beneficial owner with 25% or more of the company, and each director, also needs to provide a passport and a proof of address less than three months old.

For more details, check Saxo’s corporate account page, and confirm the current requirements before applying.

#3 Lightyear

Lightyear is a European investment app that operates in the UK through Lightyear UK Ltd, which is directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA, FRN 987226). In the EU, it operates through Lightyear Europe AS, regulated by the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (EFSA).

Business accounts are available to freelancers, sole directors and small, medium and large companies, currently in 22 countries, including the UK, Estonia and Hungary. The director needs a personal Lightyear account first.

You can invest in more than 6,000 stocks and ETFs, as well as money market funds managed by BlackRock or J.P. Morgan. Lightyear can also register your Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) for £42.50 + VAT in the UK or €48 + VAT in the EU, with renewals at £40 + VAT, and it completes the W-8BEN-E form automatically so you get the reduced US withholding tax rate on dividends.

On fees, ETFs have no execution fee (fund manager fees apply), US stocks cost 0.1% (minimum $0.10, maximum $1), UK stocks £1 and EUR-denominated stocks €1, with 0.1% on other European markets. Currency conversion costs 0.35%, which you can reduce by holding balances in its multi-currency account (EUR, GBP and USD). Money market funds have an annual fee of 0.10%, and the rates shown are net of fees.

Through its GBP money market funds, Lightyear offers 3.85% (AER/APY) with BlackRock or 3.84% (AER/APY) with J.P. Morgan (net, variable, true as of 06-Oct-2026). Money market funds are investments, not deposits.

Lightyear business clients can claim up to €300 (£100 for UK business accounts) in a fractional share or ETF or MMF with the promo code “INVESTINGINTHEWEBBIZ“. There is a similar offer for personal accounts: a free fractional share worth up to €100.

On the downside, Lightyear doesn’t offer options, forex or direct commodity trading (only ETCs).

What is a business brokerage account?

A brokerage account is an investment account that gives you access to financial products such as stocks, ETFs, bonds, futures and funds. The word “business” only indicates that the account holder is a company or another legal entity, rather than an individual.

In practice, the products available are similar to those in personal accounts, with a few differences: minimum deposits are often higher, pricing can be better and support is usually more personalised.

Companies invest through a corporate account for several reasons, including putting idle cash to work, diversification and the way corporate profits are taxed. How investment returns are taxed inside a company differs from personal taxation, so it is worth speaking to your accountant before you start.

You will need an LEI code: what is that?

LEI stands for Legal Entity Identifier. It is a 20-character code that identifies entities such as companies, trusts and charities that take part in financial transactions.

A company investing in stocks, ETFs or derivatives traded on the London Stock Exchange, for example, must have an LEI. This lets every transaction be attributed to a verified entity, which makes reporting more transparent.

You can get an LEI from several providers, and it has to be renewed every year. Some brokers, such as Lightyear, can register it for you as part of the account opening process.

Documents needed to open a business account

When applying for a business account with any of these providers, you will usually be asked for the following. This is a general overview, and your broker may ask for more. Unless stated otherwise, documents must be less than six months old:

• Company name and registration number
• Principal place of business address
• Tax residency and tax identification number
• A description of your business activities, the products or services you offer and the countries where you operate
• Information on the source of funds you will use to fund the account
• An LEI code, if you plan to trade on European exchanges
• A completed W-8BEN-E form, if you want to trade US-incorporated stocks

Bottom line

Vanguard doesn’t offer business accounts in the UK, but there are good alternatives. Interactive Brokers is the most complete option and accepts most types of company with no minimum deposit. Lightyear is the simplest for smaller companies and freelancers, especially if you mainly want money market funds, stocks and ETFs. Saxo suits larger companies that can meet its minimum deposit.

Whichever you choose, compare the full cost of investing, check which products you actually need and remember that the tax treatment of corporate investments differs from personal accounts.

This article is for information only and is not investment advice. Do your own research and speak to your accountant before investing your company’s money.