Mercury vs Wise vs Relay for GCC Founders — Who Actually Approves You in 2026

The bottom line for GCC founders

None of the 6 GCC countries are excluded

UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman residency does not appear on Mercury's or Relay's prohibited-country lists, and Wise supports account holders resident in most of the Gulf too. Account-opening eligibility is not the obstacle for GCC founders. What actually differs between providers is card shipping (Mercury), business-account access in one country on Wise, and which platform fits your day-to-day banking needs.

Mercury: eligible everywhere in the GCC, but read the card notice

Mercury publishes a list of countries where it will not open an account at all. As of this writing it includes countries such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, and Yemen, among others — Mercury updates this list periodically, so always check the current version on Mercury's own support pages before you apply. None of the six GCC countries are on it. A UAE, Saudi, Qatari, Kuwaiti, Bahraini, or Omani resident with a properly formed US LLC or C-Corp, an EIN from the IRS, and a non-PO-box US business address can apply the same way a founder in any other supported country can.

Mercury's prohibited-account list currently includes (not exhaustive): Afghanistan, Belarus, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Yemen, and several dozen additional countries — but no GCC country.

The card-shipping pause you need to know about

Physical Mercury cards are not shipping to 6 GCC countries right now

According to Mercury's own support documentation ("Restricted countries for card issuance"), physical card shipments are currently paused to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (as well as Israel) "due to the ongoing conflict in the region." This is a shipping and logistics pause — not an account-eligibility restriction. Your Mercury account opens and functions normally: you can receive wires and ACH, pay vendors, and connect Stripe. Mercury's stated workaround is to issue a virtual card immediately, which covers online payments, Stripe payout testing, and most SaaS subscriptions. If you need a physical card for day-to-day spending, plan around this — a secondary Wise or Relay card, or shipping a Mercury physical card to a US mail-forwarding address, are the common fixes GCC founders use.

Wise Business: strong across most of the Gulf, with real exceptions

Wise Business is a multi-currency account first, not a USD-only bank like Mercury or Relay — useful if you invoice or hold balances in AED, SAR, QAR, or other currencies alongside USD. Availability by residency, per Wise's own help center, currently looks like this:

Country	Current status (Wise Business)
Saudi Arabia	Personal and business accounts supported
Qatar	Personal and business accounts supported
Kuwait	Personal and business accounts supported
Bahrain	Personal accounts only — Wise does not currently support business accounts for Bahrain residents
United Arab Emirates	Not currently on Wise's list of supported residency countries for personal or business accounts
Oman	Not currently on Wise's list of supported residency countries for personal or business accounts

Wise has separately announced that it received regulatory approval from the UAE Central Bank to bring Wise services, including business accounts, to the UAE — but that is a future rollout, not a live option as of this writing. If you're UAE- or Oman-based, do not build your banking stack around a Wise Business account until you've confirmed current eligibility directly on wise.com. This list changes as Wise expands regionally, and a note in a blog post is never a substitute for what the provider itself shows you at signup.

Relay: no GCC country on the prohibited list

Relay Financial publishes a prohibited-countries list tied to its banking partner's KYC policy and applicable US sanctions. It currently includes countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, and Syria — again, always confirm the current list on Relay's support site before applying, since it changes without notice. None of the six GCC countries — UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, or Oman — are on it. Relay does not publish a GCC-specific card-shipping notice the way Mercury does, but as with any fintech, shipping and support policies can change; confirm current terms with Relay support before relying on physical card delivery to your GCC address.

So which one should a GCC founder actually pick?

Rather than asking which account is "best," match the account to your situation:

Mostly USD revenue, want the cleanest dashboard — Mercury. Keep the current card-shipping pause in mind and set up a virtual card on day one so you're not waiting on a physical card that may not ship.
Want tight sub-account budgeting or a bookkeeper login — Relay. Same GCC eligibility as Mercury, with no published card-shipping restriction for the region.
Invoicing in AED, SAR, QAR, or other local currencies alongside USD — Wise Business, but confirm your specific country is currently supported for a business account before you build your stack around it, especially if you're in the UAE, Oman, or Bahrain.
Want redundancy in case one provider limits or reviews your account — open two: a USD account (Mercury or Relay) plus Wise Business where eligible, so a single provider's risk review never leaves you without banking.

Whichever account you choose, the prerequisites are identical: a registered US LLC or C-Corp and an EIN from the IRS. If you don't have those yet, the banking decision is premature — see our full comparison of documentation, fees, and approval odds in our general non-resident banking guide, or our dedicated guide to US LLC banking and Stripe setup for Saudi Arabia entrepreneurs.

FAQs

Can UAE, Saudi, Qatari, Kuwaiti, Bahraini, or Omani residents open a Mercury account in 2026?

Yes. None of the six GCC countries appear on Mercury's prohibited-country list, which currently covers countries such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, and Yemen. You need a US-formed LLC or C-Corp, an EIN, and a non-PO-box US business address — residency in any GCC country does not block the application.

Does Mercury ship physical cards to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, or Oman?

Not currently. Mercury's support documentation states that physical card shipments are paused to all six GCC countries (plus Israel) due to the ongoing regional conflict. Your account still opens and operates normally, and Mercury issues a virtual card immediately as a workaround for online spending.

Is Wise Business available to Bahrain residents?

Personal accounts, yes. Business accounts, not currently — Wise's own help center states that Bahrain residents can hold money in a personal account but not a Wise Business account. Confirm directly on wise.com since this can change.

Can UAE or Oman residents use Wise Business today?

As of this writing, neither country appears on Wise's list of supported residency countries for personal or business accounts. Wise has announced UAE Central Bank approval to bring its services to the UAE in the future, but that is not yet a live option. Check wise.com directly before relying on it.

Does Relay accept GCC-resident LLC owners?

Yes. None of the six GCC countries appear on Relay's published prohibited-countries list, which is built around its banking partner's KYC policy and US sanctions requirements. As with any fintech, always verify the current list before applying.

Do I need a US LLC and EIN before applying to any of these accounts?

Yes, in essentially all cases. Mercury, Wise Business, and Relay all onboard US business entities, so you need a registered US LLC (or C-Corp) and an EIN from the IRS before you apply to any of the three.

Which account should a GCC founder open first?

For most founders operating mainly in USD, Mercury is the common starting point, with a virtual card set up immediately given the current physical-card pause. Founders billing heavily in AED, SAR, or QAR alongside USD often add Wise Business as a second account once they've confirmed their country is currently supported.

Need the US LLC and EIN before you can apply?

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Account approval is decided independently by each provider and is not guaranteed. Card-shipping policies, prohibited-country lists, and country eligibility can change without notice — always verify current terms directly with the provider.