Unsupported Businesses
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Written by Charlie
Updated over a week ago

We cannot support the following businesses for a Novel business bank account.

Financial and professional services:

Investment & credit services

Securities brokers; mortgage consulting or debt reduction services; credit counseling or repair; investment services; real estate opportunities; lending instruments

Money and legal services

Financial institutions, money transmitters and money services businesses, check cashing, wire transfers, money orders; currency exchanges or dealers; bill-pay services; crowdfunding; insurance; bail bonds; collections agencies; law firms collecting funds for any purpose other than to pay fees owed to the firm for services provided by the firm (e.g., firms cannot use Novel to hold client funds, collection or settlement amounts, disputed funds, etc.)

Virtual currency or stored value

Virtual currency that can be monetized, resold, or converted to physical or digital products and services or otherwise exit the virtual world (e.g., Bitcoin); cryptocurrency mining equipment; initial coin offerings; digital wallets, sale of stored value or credits maintained, accepted and issued by anyone other than the seller

IP Infringement, regulated or illegal products and services:

Intellectual property or proprietary rights infringement

Sales, distribution, or access to counterfeit music, movies, software, or other licensed materials without the appropriate authorization from the rights holder; any product or service that directly infringes or facilitates infringement upon the trademark, patent, copyright, trade secrets, or proprietary or privacy rights of any third party; use of Novel intellectual property without prior written consent from Novel; use of the Novel name or logo or in a manner that otherwise harms Novel or the Novel brand; any action that implies an untrue endorsement by or affiliation with Novel

Counterfeit or unauthorized goods

Counterfeit goods; unauthorized sale or resale of brand name or designer products or services; sale of goods or services that are illegally imported or exported

Gambling

Lotteries; bidding fee auctions; sports forecasting or odds making for a monetary or material prize; fantasy sports leagues with cash prizes; internet gaming; contests; sweepstakes; games of chance including legal or illegal forms of gambling, internet gambling, sweepstakes and contests with a buy-in or cash prize; charity sweepstakes and raffles for the explicit purpose of fundraising

Regulated or illegal products or services

Cannabis dispensaries and related businesses; sale of tobacco, e-cigarettes, and e-liquid; online pharmacies; prescription-only products including card-not-present pharmaceuticals; peptides and research chemicals; fake references or ID-providing services; age restricted goods or services; weapons and munitions; gunpowder and other explosives; fireworks and related goods; toxic, flammable, and radioactive materials; products and services with varying legal status on a state-by-state basis; goods or services, the sale of which is illegal under applicable law in the jurisdictions to which your business is targeted or directed

Adult content and services

Pornography and other obscene materials (including literature, imagery and other media) depicting nudity or explicitly sexual acts; sites offering any sexually-related services such as prostitution, escorts, pay-per view, adult live chat features; sexually oriented items (e.g., adult toys); adult video stores and sexually oriented massage parlors; gentleman's clubs, topless bars, and strip clubs; sexually oriented dating services

Unfair, predatory, or deceptive practices:

Get rich quick schemes

Investment opportunities or other services that promise high rewards

Mug shot publication or pay-to-remove sites

Platforms that facilitate the publication and removal of content (such as mug shots), where the primary purpose of posting such content is to cause or raise concerns of reputational harm

No-value-added services

Sale or resale of a service without added benefit to the buyer; resale of government offerings without authorization or added value; sites that we determine in our sole discretion to be unfair, deceptive, or predatory towards consumers

Products or services that are otherwise restricted by our financial partners:

Aggregation

Engaging in any form of licensed or unlicensed aggregation of funds owed to third parties, factoring, or other activities intended to obfuscate the origin of funds; payment facilitation

Drug paraphernalia

Any equipment designed for making or using drugs, such as bongs, vaporizers, and hookahs

High risk businesses

Bankruptcy lawyers; remote technical support; psychic services; essay mills; chain letters; door-to-door sales; medical benefit packages; telemedicine and telehealth services; travel reservation services and clubs; airlines; cruises; timeshares; circumvention, jamming and interference devices; prepaid phone cards, phone services; telemarketing, offering substantial rebates or special incentives as an inducement to purchase products or services; telecommunications manipulation equipment; forwarding brokers; negative response marketing; subscriptions over one year; extended warranties; government grants; embassy, foreign consultate, or other foreign governments; charities without proper registration; credit card and identity theft protection; the use of credit to pay for lending services; any businesses that we believe poses elevated financial risk, legal liability, or violates card network or bank policies; any business or organization that a. engages in, encourages, promotes or celebrates unlawful violence or physical harm to persons or property, or b. engages in, encourages, promotes or celebrates unlawful violence toward any group based on race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other immutable characteristic

Multi-level marketing

Pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing

Pseudo pharmaceuticals

Nutraceuticals, pseudo-pharmaceuticals and other products that make health claims that have not been approved or verified by the applicable local and/or national regulatory body

Social media activity

Sale of Twitter followers, Facebook likes, YouTube views, and other forms of social media activity and online traffic

Substances designed to mimic illegal drugs

Sale of a legal substance that provides the same effect as an illegal drug (e.g., salvia, kratom)

Video game or virtual world credits

Sale of in-game currency or game items, unless the merchant is the operator of the virtual world

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