Business · Chapters 02 / 04–06
The brand-new company
A freshly incorporated company with no explanation of its operating plan, funding, or target clients reads as a potential shell. What replaces the missing track record is a story with checkable evidence behind it.
~5 min
The issue
An operating business can show recent bank statements with a coherent pattern of activity. A brand-new company can't - so regulators expect the institution to understand the purpose of the relationship some other way, and an inactive or freshly incorporated company with no explanation of its operating plan, funding, or target clients reads as a potential shell company.
Why institutions ask
The three things a new company has to explain instead of a track record: its capitalisation (where the initial funds came from, documented), its client pipeline (who will realistically pay it, with whatever evidence exists), and its operating plan (what it will actually do, stated specifically). Missing financial statements are normal at this stage - what matters is replacing the gap with a credible alternative rather than silence.
What usually helps
In place of statements and accounts, institutions commonly accept (where their policy allows): formation documents plus a short explanation of the operating plan; pre-sale contracts, letters of engagement or intent; marketplace or platform dashboards with an explanation; an internal business plan or reasoned forecast, or an accountant's letter; and proof of initial capital with a clear explanation of its origin. If current revenue still passes through the founder's personal account, personal statements plus a note on the planned separation of accounts are a recognised bridge - acceptance varies by provider.
Accepted or commonly requested evidence
Operating plan / business plan
The purpose of the relationship: what the company will do, for whom, and how it earns.
Pipeline evidence (contracts, letters of intent, pre-sales)
That a real client pipeline exists behind the forecast, even before revenue lands.
Proof of initial capital and its origin
That the company's first funds connect to a declared, plausible source.
Your actions
My new company has a written operating story: what it does, who its target clients are, and how it's funded.
I can document where the company's initial funds came from.
My declared volumes are consistent with what my documents actually show.
These become trackable items in your checklist once your personalized plan is generated.
Prepare an explanation
Source-of-funds explanation
Explain where the money comes from and connect it to how the account will be used, with documents for each step.