Cross-border payments generate reporting duties for the business, its bank, or both. Germany requires residents to report cross-border payments above EUR 50,000 to the Bundesbank; India's banks report under the RBI's FEMA reporting directions and individuals' outward remittances are capped at USD 250,000 a year; US banks must attach originator and beneficiary data to transfers of USD 3,000 or more, and US companies report foreign accounts on the FBAR. The FATF tightened its payment transparency standard in June 2025, for implementation by 2030.
Reports the business itself files
German residents must report incoming and outgoing cross-border payments to the Deutsche Bundesbank, except payments up to EUR 50,000, payments for imports and exports of goods and short-term loans of up to twelve months. A US company with signature authority over or an interest in foreign accounts worth more than USD 10,000 in aggregate must file an FBAR by 15 April.123
Data banks collect and pass on
US financial institutions must include the transmitter's name, account number and address, the amount, date and recipient's institution on transfers of USD 3,000 or more, and file currency transaction reports on cash transactions above USD 10,000. In the UAE an IBAN is mandatory for electronic payments, and financial institutions apply customer due diligence to occasional wire transfers of AED 3,500 or more. In India, authorised dealer banks report foreign exchange transactions under the RBI's Master Direction on Reporting under FEMA, and individuals may remit up to USD 250,000 a year under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme.
The FATF agreed revisions to Recommendation 16 in June 2025 to increase the information that accompanies cross-border payments and to require tools against fraud and error, and expects countries to be ready by the end of 2030. Businesses should expect banks to ask for fuller beneficiary details over the coming years.45678910
| Market | Rule | Threshold | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Bundesbank payment reporting | Above EUR 50,000; goods trade exempt | AWV § 67 |
| United States (federal) | Travel rule on funds transfers | USD 3,000 | 31 CFR 1010.410 |
| United States (federal) | Currency transaction report | Cash above USD 10,000 | 31 CFR 1010.311 |
| United States (federal) | FBAR | Foreign accounts above USD 10,000 aggregate | IRS |
| UAE | CDD on occasional wire transfers | AED 3,500 | Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025 |
| India | Liberalised Remittance Scheme (individuals) | USD 250,000 per financial year | US State Department |
Decisions to make
- Does the German entity make or receive cross-border payments above EUR 50,000 that are not for goods?12Services, royalties, dividends and longer loans are reportable to the Bundesbank.
- Does the US entity hold accounts abroad, for example with its parent's bank?3Aggregate balances above USD 10,000 trigger the FBAR.
- Are payment instructions complete with beneficiary name, address and account?410US travel rule data and FATF's revised standard depend on them.
- Is an individual, rather than the company, sending money out of India?9Individuals are limited to USD 250,000 a year under LRS.
Documents usually needed
- Payment instructions with full beneficiary name, address, account or IBAN and bank details
- Contract or invoice describing the purpose of the payment
- Bundesbank reporting submissions (Germany)
- FBAR records of foreign account balances (US)
- Bank declarations and purpose information required by the remitting bank
Common mistakes
- Not filing Bundesbank reports because the bank processed the payment
- Omitting beneficiary address or account details, delaying transfers
- Overlooking FBAR for accounts held at the parent group's foreign bank
- Assuming individual remittance limits in India apply to companies
Questions businesses ask
Who reports a German company's royalty payment abroad?
The resident company must report cross-border payments to the Bundesbank unless an exemption applies, such as the EUR 50,000 threshold.12
What does the FATF June 2025 change mean for businesses?
Banks will need to send more information with cross-border payments and apply anti-fraud tools; countries should be ready by the end of 2030.10
What this guide does not yet confirm
These points need checking with a qualified local professional before you rely on them.
- RBI purpose codes for outward and inward remittances could not yet be checked, so the purpose code lists are not set out.
- Payment statistics or purpose reporting in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the UK and France were not researched.
- The US amendment to 31 CFR 1010.410 delayed until 1 January 2028 was not analysed.
Sources and review status
Each statement is numbered to the source it was checked against. We use official sources where we can, and each statement says whether it was checked against an official or a secondary source. Sources last checked on 19 October 2026. None of it has been professionally reviewed yet: it is research checked against official and secondary sources by WONE Global, not legal or tax advice.
Residents must report incoming and outgoing cross-border payments to the Deutsche Bundesbank. Residents (Inländer) under the Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance; reporting deadlines in § 71 Abs. 6 AWV; exemptions in de-banking-002.
Reused from market guide claim de-banking-001.
Payments of up to EUR 50,000 (or the equivalent in another currency), payments for the import or export of goods and short-term loans of up to twelve months are exempt from the Bundesbank payment reporting duty. Exemptions from § 67 Abs. 1 AWV.
Reused from market guide claim de-banking-002.
A US person, including a corporation, partnership or LLC, with a financial interest in or signature authority over foreign financial accounts whose combined value exceeds 10,000 US dollars at any time in the calendar year must file FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR) electronically, due 15 April of the following year with an automatic extension to 15 October. Federal. Applies to a US subsidiary that holds accounts abroad, for example with its foreign parent's bank.
Reused from market guide claim us-banking-g06.
For funds transfers of USD 3,000 or more, a US financial institution sending the transfer must include the transmitter's name, account number, address, the amount, execution date and the recipient's financial institution, and intermediaries must pass this information on (the travel rule). Federal, 31 CFR 1010.410(f). Recipient details must be included when received with the order. An amendment to this section has been delayed until 1 January 2028.
Financial institutions must file a currency transaction report for each deposit, withdrawal, exchange of currency or other payment or transfer involving a transaction in currency of more than 10,000 US dollars. Federal, 31 CFR 1010.311. Applies to physical currency, not wire transfers. FinCEN geographic targeting orders can set lower thresholds for specified businesses and areas.
The eCFR is an authoritative but unofficial editorial compilation; the official text is the annual CFR edition and Federal Register. Reused from market guide claim us-banking-g04.
An IBAN has been mandatory since 2012 for all electronic payments and receipts within and outside the UAE, except credit card payments. Federal; all bank accounts. The same page notes that many banks require a minimum monthly balance and may charge a fee below it, without stating amounts.
Reused from market guide claim ae-banking-g13.
Customer due diligence is required on starting a business relationship and, for financial institutions, on occasional transactions of AED 55,000 or more and occasional wire transfers of AED 3,500 or more; dealers in precious metals and stones must apply it to cash transactions of AED 55,000 or more. Federal. Virtual asset service providers: occasional transactions of AED 3,500 or more (Article 7(3)); commercial gaming operators: AED 11,000 or more.
Reused from market guide claim ae-risk-003.
The RBI Master Direction on Reporting under FEMA sets the reports that authorised persons and authorised dealer Category-I banks must submit, and is shown as updated on 1 October 2026. Central rule (RBI).
The page loaded once; later loads returned unrelated content, so its detailed provisions were not reviewed. Reused from market guide claim in-banking-005.
India's Liberalised Remittance Scheme allows resident individuals to remit up to USD 250,000 per financial year (April to March) for permitted current and capital account transactions, such as investing or buying property abroad. Central rule (RBI). Applies to resident individuals.
Secondary (foreign government) source: US Department of State 2025 Investment Climate Statement. Central bank pages for this country could not yet be checked.
The FATF agreed revisions to Recommendation 16 on payment transparency in June 2025, increasing the information that must accompany cross-border payments and requiring tools against fraud and error, and expects all countries to be ready to implement them by the end of 2030. International standard; applies through national law. FATF consulted on implementation guidance in June to August 2026.
Questions on this topic
10 statements on cross-border payment reporting
