# Understanding your financial address

When you open a Stripe financial account, Stripe assigns it a financial address: a set of local bank account details that external banks and payment senders can use to send you money. In the US, this is a routing number and account number, in the UK, it's a sort code and account number, and in the EU, it's an IBAN and BIC.
To anyone sending you funds, your financial address looks and behaves exactly like a standard bank account. They enter the details into their bank, initiate a transfer, and the money arrives in your Stripe financial account.
## Virtual bank accounts
A virtual bank account is a bank account that exists digitally rather than as an account held directly at a traditional bank. It has real, usable account details in the same format as any other account, but the account itself is managed by a financial technology provider (like Stripe) through partnerships with licensed banking institutions.
Your Stripe financial address is a virtual bank account. In practice this means:
* It works like a real account. You can share the details with any bank or payment sender. Incoming transfers arrive just as they would to a conventional account.
* It's hosted by a regulated institution. The account details belong to Stripe's banking partners - licensed banks who hold the underlying funds and are regulated in each region.
* Stripe manages it on your behalf. You interact with your balance, transactions, and account settings through the Stripe Dashboard, not through a bank's interface.
Virtual bank accounts are common in modern financial infrastructure. They're how many payroll platforms, expense management tools, and embedded finance products give businesses local account details without requiring them to hold a direct relationship with a bank in every market.
## One financial account, one financial address per currency
Each Stripe financial account has one financial address per currency. You can have multiple financial accounts per Stripe account.
These details are stable and don't change unless Stripe explicitly reissues them. You can share them freely with banks, counterparties, or internal finance systems as a standing destination for incoming funds.
## Key facts
- Region
- Account details
- Payment networks
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- United States
- Routing number and account number
- ACH, Fedwire
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- United Kingdom
- Sort code and account number
- Faster Payments, CHAPS
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- European Union
- IBAN and BIC
- SEPA, SEPA Instant
## FAQ
### Is my financial address the same as a bank account number?
Functionally, yes. It works the same way from a sender's perspective. The underlying infrastructure is a virtual account hosted through Stripe's banking partners rather than a direct account at a high-street bank.
### Can I use my financial address to receive payments from anyone?
Yes. Anyone with a bank account in the same payment network can send funds to your financial address. There's no restriction on who can send - it works like any standard bank account destination.
### Will my financial address ever change?
In normal circumstances, no. Your financial address is stable and can be treated as a permanent account destination. Stripe will notify you if a change is ever required.
### Can I have multiple financial addresses for the same currency?
Each financial account has one financial address. If your use case requires multiple receiving accounts (for example, to segregate funds by business unit), contact Stripe to discuss your options.