Send money from the UK to China
For senders in London and Manchester, the Guangzhou side matters most. European businesses pay Chinese suppliers and contractors, and Chinese students in Europe receive support from home. From London, that means GBP turned into yuan at a rate you can see, landing in Guangzhou the same day.
GBP
CNY
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The the UK to China corridor, explained
From Manchester to Guangzhou. European businesses pay Chinese suppliers and contractors, and Chinese students in Europe receive support from home.
UK senders fund by Faster Payments from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest or Monzo. The pound balance sits on Grey until the transfer is due. Grey then shows the GBP to CNY rate and fee as two separate numbers and delivers to ICBC or any other bank in China. The recipient doesn't need Grey.
How sending to China works
Sign up
You'll need a passport or BRP and about five minutes. Once verified, China is one of 80+ destinations you can add. Grey works with regulated partners in the UK.
Fund
Top up: pounds in by Faster Payments from any UK bank, CNY out to Guangzhou. The top-up usually clears in minutes.
Send
Chinese banks reject payments where the name doesn't match the account, so copy it from the supplier's invoice. Then confirm the yuan figure and send.
What a transfer to China actually costs
Grey prices the transfer once, in London. You see the rate, you see the fee, and the CNY amount that lands at ICBC is the one you agreed to.
No re-pricing after you tap send
Rate fixed at confirmation, CNY amount shown before you send, nothing adjusted after. That's the whole promise from London to Guangzhou.
On a route where the destination currency moves, it's the reason to use a service at all.
Why this corridor gets overlooked
When you wire dollars to a Chinese supplier, their bank converts at a rate you never see and sometimes holds the funds for review. Yuan lands as a domestic credit. From Manchester, Grey turns that into a quoted GBP to CNY rate and a CNY deposit at ICBC, same as any local transfer.
What arrives in China
Delivery is to the bank account, in CNY, as a domestic credit. That covers ICBC, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China and every other bank in China. Nothing for the recipient to do, and a settlement record for you in London.
Straight to the account
No cash pickup, no agent, no collection code. CNY into the bank.
One recipient, many payments
Save the Guangzhou recipient once and reuse the details.
Receipts
Download a receipt for each transfer showing rate, fee and CNY delivered.
How British senders fund
Before the CNY reaches Guangzhou, the money has to get onto Grey in London. UK senders fund by Faster Payments from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest or Monzo. The pound balance sits on Grey until the transfer is due. Convert to CNY when the payment to Guangzhou is due.
Local rail
Fund by Faster Payments from any UK bank.
Business income
Revenue in pounds or dollars funds the next payment to Guangzhou.
Existing balance
Already funded? Convert to CNY and send in the same session.
If you're covering a monthly obligation in Guangzhou, a standing balance on Grey means the transfer never waits on a bank in London.
Senders from London to Guangzhou
Importers
Deposits and balance payments to factories in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Yiwu and Ningbo.
E-commerce sellers
Recurring payments to suppliers on 1688 and Alibaba who accept bank transfer.
Students
Tuition at universities in Nanjing, Wuhan and Guangzhou, paid in yuan.
Agents and freight
Paying Chinese sourcing agents and forwarders in local currency.
A mixed corridor for senders in London and Manchester. European businesses pay Chinese suppliers and contractors, and Chinese students in Europe receive support from home. Amounts range from a monthly allowance to a full supplier invoice.
Why send to China with Grey
What senders in London want on this route isn't the cheapest headline rate. It's knowing the CNY that arrives at ICBC matches what they promised.
Quoted in London, delivered to Guangzhou. One conversion, one fee, CNY into ICBC, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China or any Chinese bank.
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