Glossary

Banking

De-risking

De-risking is when a financial institution closes or refuses accounts for an entire category of customer — a country, industry or business model — rather than assessing each individually. It is a compliance-cost decision, not a judgement about a specific customer's conduct.

In plain terms: A bank dropping a whole type of customer because the category is too much trouble.

Why it matters

Why an account can close despite flawless conduct, and why the institution often cannot give a satisfying reason. The only practical defence is not depending on one account: open a second once revenue is steady.

Read the full guideUS business banking

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