As an American expatriate in the Caribbean, repeated blockages of establishing entrepreneurship is a bit mystifying. It isn't a problem creating a US based bank account to accept funds. Of course, US state & federal taxes go along with it. Unless you choose a state like Delaware with favorable corporate tax structuring, the choice to do so is a mathematical cost benefit analysis. We recently found Stripe Atlas that does (starting at $500) all of the heavy paperwork lifting to open a US account, which may not be for the near zero budgeted business. Transferwise offers free borderless accounts that allow you to exchange currency at 10% of the price of standard rates. Combined with Stripe services you could freelance across the globe, according to their website We also found a fellow tropical IT blogger discussing their Payoneer solution which is more low cost than Stripe's Atlas, the global payment processor. Reviews have been mixed regarding Payoneer debit card withdrawals in varing amounts. Great options for the global consultant.
We established in the Caribbean and would like to use what we have locally. Share X mobility is established on both sides of St. Martin. But local banks don't seem to have interest or authority from their EU parents to offer the same options mainland consumers receive. Excuses of fraud prevention or administrative challenges are bogus since accepting cards online requires a billing address unlike card purchases in person. There is definitely second class status regarding bank features, just like we found with local automobile purchasing. We will consult our accountant to see whether to open an office in France proper to gain the digital advantages (at Stripe.fr) afforded to businesses there. Or does it pay to deal with the more complicated taxes of having a bank account outside of our borders like Transferwise offers with virtual local accounts. There are many similarities to buying an EV for use in SXM.
If you were expecting the same choices at a St Martin Nissan dealership as in the EU, you would be surprised to find out that car companies cut up the planet into portions that don't care about government boundaries. If you are south of Texas, then you are in the South American / Latin market. (Brazil has its own market). Meaning, in 2016-2017, no one in the tropics could buy an EV directly from a dealer in our region, since they don't sell them here. Dealer catalogs simply didn't have them. GPS & Bluetooth features weren't even included on any vehicles here either. The whole tropical region seemingly has no GPS.
Back to credit card acceptance in St Martin. On either side of the island, the banks do not offer the full suite of amenities of their continent based counterparts. As a person with technical knowledge, it is a simple keystroke to receive funds to any given bank account. Obviously wire transfers are the prime example. Cryptocurrencies are in fashion now for a reason. It is easy to find alternate means of generating revenue whole bypassing established currency controls ie: banks, exchangers, & credit cards. But since we are not all leap-frogging to new technology together, we need reverse compatibility.
Our service of renting EVs by the day & the hour hinges upon quick payment acceptance. We lease & help locals broker EV purchases as well. We see a great entrepreneurial future for the whole island of St Martin. Especially if the information of how to embark in online payments catches on in our community. Maybe the local banks will catch up. Maybe it won't matter.