Wise prohibited businesses

Businesses Wise won't support — and who will

Wise's Acceptable Use Policy lists categories it does not support and will decline. If you were turned away, it's a category decision — here's where each high-risk business can process compliantly instead.

Sourced from Wise's published Acceptable Use Policy, last updated 2026-03-25.

Verify on Wise

What Wise restricts — and where it belongs

Each category below is one Wise bars or gates. All of them are businesses Spectrum ePay underwrites.

Category
On Wise
With Spectrum ePay
Adult content & services
Unsupported
We underwrite itAdult & Dating payments
Cannabis & CBD
Unsupported
We underwrite itCBD payments
Kratom & controlled substances
Unsupported
We underwrite itKratom payments
Nutraceuticals & pharmacy
Unsupported
We underwrite itNutraceuticals payments
Gambling
Unsupported
We underwrite itGaming payments
Firearms & weaponry
Unsupported
Forex, CFD & binary options
Unsupported
We underwrite itForex & Trading payments
Tobacco
Unsupported
Multi-level marketing
Unsupported

Why Wise declines these businesses

Wise is built for cross-border transfers and multi-currency accounts, not for acquiring high-risk card payments. Its Acceptable Use Policy simply declines the categories that carry chargeback and regulatory exposure — so the answer isn't a workaround on Wise, it's a merchant account built to underwrite the risk.

Spectrum ePay underwrites this to a dedicated high-risk merchant account — 90%+ approvals, USD payouts to your U.S. bank, and a checkout that feels like Stripe.

Merchant accounts we underwrite

If your business is in one of these categories, the Wise decision was a category decision — not a decision about your business.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take business card payments on Wise for a high-risk business?

Wise's Acceptable Use Policy declines the high-risk categories above, and Wise is designed for transfers and multi-currency accounts rather than card acquiring. A dedicated merchant account is what actually lets you accept cards in these verticals.

Does Wise support forex or CFD businesses?

No — binary options and FX/CFD/options trading platforms are listed as unsupported. Spectrum ePay underwrites compliant forex merchants to a dedicated account.

What's the Wise alternative for accepting high-risk payments?

Spectrum ePay places the categories Wise declines — adult, CBD, supplements, gaming, forex and more — to dedicated high-risk merchant accounts with USD payouts and a modern hosted checkout.

Declined by Wise? Get approved instead.

90%+ approvals, USD payouts to your U.S. bank, and a checkout that feels like Stripe. Same-day integration, no contract, one flat rate.