What it does
Unity Trust Bank offers business current and savings accounts for UK organisations with social or environmental purposes. Its online banking supports one, two or three payment approvers, bulk transfers and account statements. Account charges depend on annual incoming turnover.
Unity makes payment authority part of the account setup. A charity or business can require one, two or three people to approve payments, so a prepared file does not automatically leave the account before the remaining signatories have acted.
An online-banking administrator can register through Payments hub → Register for Bulk Faster Payments. Once enabled, prepare a CSV with each recipient’s name, sort code, account number, amount and reference. Use New Bulk Payment, select and upload the file, then review it before Approve and submit. Dual or triple authority still requires the other approvers.
Each file holds up to 100 payments. The final same-working-day processing cutoff is 3pm, subject to available funds and checks. This service costs 25p per payment, negotiable for T3 customers.
Current-account charges
Turnover means payments received into the Unity account over 12 months, excluding internal transfers.
| Account tier | Annual account turnover | Monthly fee | Standard transaction charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Under £100,000 | £7 | Free |
| T2 | £100,000 to £2 million | £7 | 15p |
| T3 | Above £2 million | £7, negotiable terms | Negotiated by transaction type |
Additional services, including bulk payments, have separate charges. T3 includes a relationship manager.
New business customers need a £50 opening balance. Applicants provide organisation, ownership, identity and source-of-funds details. Unity does not bank organisations outside the UK or those with more than 25% offshore ownership. It has no branches of its own; cash and cheques can be paid in through NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank, with cash-only deposits at the Post Office.
Strengths
- Dual and triple authority keep file preparation separate from final approval.
- Bulk Faster Payments accepts CSV files with up to 100 recipients.
Watch out for
- Bulk processing has working-day cutoffs and a separate per-payment charge.
- Unity has no branches of its own and restricts overseas organisations and offshore ownership.
Best for
- UK charities and organisations with several payment signatories
- Finance administrators preparing repeated supplier or payroll payments
Sources
- Business Banking | Ethical Current and Savings Accounts UK (Oct 25, 2026)
- Unity Business Current Account (Oct 27, 2026)
- Unity Account Eligibility (Oct 27, 2026)
- Unity Bulk Faster Payments (Oct 27, 2026)