Can a non-US business get an MCA?

Almost never from a US-based MCA funder. Standard US MCA contracts require a US-formed entity, a US business bank account, a US-domiciled signer with an SSN or ITIN, and US-source receivables. International businesses miss on at least 3 of those 4 every time. The handful of cross-border revenue-based-finance providers (Clearco, Wayflyer, Uncapped) underwrite very differently and serve mostly e-commerce.

What if I form a US LLC for my foreign business?

It's a path, but not a shortcut. You'll need (1) the LLC actually operating with US revenue in a US bank account for 3-6 months minimum, (2) a US EIN, (3) typically a US-domiciled signer or an ITIN signer with US tax filings, and (4) sometimes a US physical address that isn't a registered-agent box. Most funders also pull the personal credit of the signer through a US bureau, which an offshore founder won't have.

Will US funders take Canadian or Mexican bank statements?

No. The ACH withdrawal is the entire repayment mechanism, and ACH is a US-only rail. CAD-denominated revenue at a Canadian bank can't be pulled by a US MCA funder. A few Canadian-side funders (Merchant Growth, Lendified, Greenbox Capital's Canadian arm) underwrite CAD revenue at Canadian banks via EFT/PAD — that's the right channel for a Canadian-domiciled business.

What about cross-border e-commerce sellers?

If you sell on Amazon, Shopify, or Stripe and your sales settle into a US bank account in USD, you may qualify for revenue-based financing from Clearco, Wayflyer, Uncapped, Parker Capital, or Settle — even if you're personally based abroad. They underwrite the platform data, not the founder's residency. Factor-equivalent costs run 6-14% of advance amount over 6-12 months, much cheaper than a traditional MCA.

Is an ITIN enough to get an MCA?

For a meaningful number of funders, yes — if the business itself is fully US-domiciled with real US revenue. See our ITIN-only owner funding guide for the funder list. The ITIN alone won't substitute for a missing US business operation though; it's only the signer-identification piece.

MCA international business funding — the detailed 2026 guide for non-US merchants

If your business operates outside the US — or routes revenue through a foreign entity — almost every US MCA funder will decline you on intake. Here's exactly what international merchants can fund, what they can't, and the realistic alternatives.

The honest 60-second answer

The US merchant cash advance industry is not built for international businesses. The product was designed around three structural assumptions: (1) a US-formed legal entity (LLC, S-corp, sole prop), (2) a US business bank account from which daily ACH withdrawals can be pulled, and (3) a US-domiciled signer whose personal credit can be pulled and whose tax filings can be referenced. If your business misses any of the three, the answer from a traditional MCA funder is almost always “decline at intake” — usually before you even reach an underwriter.

That doesn't mean you have no options. It means the path runs through a different set of products: Canadian-side MCA funders for Canadian businesses, revenue-based financing platforms for cross-border e-commerce, and US LLC formation plus 6+ months of US operating history for founders who genuinely want to access US capital. This guide walks each path honestly.

Why US MCA funders auto-decline international businesses

Understanding the “why” matters because it determines which workarounds actually move the needle and which ones look promising but die in underwriting. There are four hard structural barriers:

1. ACH is a US-only payment rail

A merchant cash advance is repaid by the funder pulling daily ACH withdrawals from your business operating account. ACH (Automated Clearing House) is a domestic US payment network — it does not reach Canadian banks, UK banks, EU SEPA accounts, or anywhere else. If the funder can't pull a daily ACH, the entire repayment mechanism breaks. This is the single biggest reason international businesses can't access US MCAs — and it's not negotiable, because it's the rail itself.

2. US-formed entity is contractually required

The MCA contract is a sale of future US-source receivables. The seller (you, the merchant) must be a legal entity capable of selling those receivables under US commercial code. A UK Ltd, an Irish private limited, a Canadian corporation, a Mexican S.A. de C.V. — none of those can sign a US receivables-purchase agreement governed by (typically) New York or Delaware law. Funders won't structure around this; their legal templates assume a US LLC, US S-corp, US C-corp, or US sole proprietorship.

3. Signer identification and personal credit pull

Every US MCA funder pulls the personal credit of the 50%+ owner during underwriting. That requires either a US Social Security Number or a US Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). A foreign founder with neither can't be credit-pulled, which means most underwriters won't score the file. A handful of funders work with ITIN-only signers (see our ITIN-only owner funding guide), but a foreign passport alone with no US tax filings is universally a decline.

4. OFAC, KYC, and bank-side compliance

Funders run OFAC sanctions screening on every signer and every receiving bank account. They also have KYC (Know Your Customer) and BSA (Bank Secrecy Act) obligations through their warehouse-line banks. A non-US signer or a non-US receiving account triggers enhanced due diligence that most MCA shops are not staffed to do — so the policy default is decline.

The four real paths for international merchants

Path 1: Canadian MCA via a Canadian-domiciled funder

If your business is Canadian — Canadian corporation, CAD revenue at a Canadian bank (RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, Desjardins) — the right channel is a Canadian-side funder, not a US one. The Canadian MCA market is smaller (roughly 1/20th of the US market by deployed capital) but real. Key players:

Merchant Growth — Vancouver-based, largest Canadian-domestic MCA funder, underwrites CAD revenue via PAD (Pre-Authorized Debit) on Canadian banks.
Lendified / Thinking Capital — Toronto-based, fintech-style underwriting, term-loan-with-daily-payment products that function like MCAs.
Greenbox Capital (Canadian arm) — the only US-headquartered funder with a real Canadian operation, runs through a Canadian subsidiary.
iCapital Canada / 2M7 Financial — smaller, more flexible on industry, work with restaurants and trucking on the Canadian side.

Factor rates run higher than the US — 1.30 to 1.55 is typical — because the Canadian market is less competitive and funding costs are higher. See our dedicated Canadian business funding guide for the full ranking.

Path 2: Revenue-based financing for cross-border e-commerce

If you sell on Amazon, Shopify, Stripe, or a similar platform and your sales settle in USD into a US bank account (even if you personally live abroad), you may qualify for revenue-based financing — a product structurally similar to an MCA but underwritten on platform data rather than residency. The leaders:

Wayflyer — Dublin-headquartered, funds e-commerce sellers globally; advances of $10K–$20M against future sales; fee equivalent of 6-12% over 6-12 months.
Clearco — Toronto-based, funds Shopify and Amazon sellers in US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia; 6% flat fee on most products.
Uncapped — London-based, funds e-commerce and SaaS across UK, EU, US; fees 6-12% depending on payback term.
Parker Capital / Settle — US-based but underwrites Amazon and Shopify data globally for sellers who route into US bank accounts.

The trade: factor-equivalent cost is dramatically lower (6-14% versus 30-50% for a US MCA), but the qualification is narrower — you must have 3-12 months of platform data, your business model must be e-commerce or SaaS, and many programs require minimum monthly revenue ($10K-$100K depending on lender).

Path 3: Form a US LLC and build 6+ months of US operating history

For founders who genuinely want long-term access to US business capital — not just one advance — the durable answer is forming a US entity properly. The honest checklist:

Form a Delaware or Wyoming LLC with a real US registered agent (not just a P.O. box). Cost: $50-300 plus annual fees.
Get an EIN from the IRS. Foreign founders without an SSN can get one via Form SS-4 by mail or fax — takes 4-8 weeks.
Open a US business bank account. Mercury, Relay, Bluevine, and Wise Business now accept non-resident founders with a US LLC + EIN. Chase, BofA, and most traditional banks still require a US visit and US-domiciled signer.
Apply for an ITIN if you don't have an SSN. This is the single biggest unlock for MCA access. Without an ITIN or SSN, no credit pull is possible.
Run 3-6 months of US revenue through the US bank account before applying. Funders want to see deposit consistency, not just account opening.
File a US tax return. Even a single-member foreign-owned LLC must file Form 5472 + Form 1120. Funders increasingly ask for the most recent return, and skipping the filing creates a $25K IRS penalty per year.

This path takes 6-12 months end to end before you have a real shot at a US MCA. It works. It's slow. It's the right move for founders building a long-term US business presence, not for someone trying to bridge a one-time cash gap.

Path 4: Trade finance and supply-chain credit

If you're an international supplier or wholesaler with US buyers, the right product may not be an MCA at all — it's trade finance. Companies like Marco Financial, Drip Capital, Stenn, and Modifi advance against confirmed US-buyer invoices, even when the seller is in Mexico, India, Brazil, or Vietnam. Fees run 1-3% per 30 days against invoice face value. Qualification is the buyer's creditworthiness, not yours.

The traps to avoid

Three common mistakes international founders make trying to access US MCAs:

Using a friend or family member's SSN as the signer. This is bank fraud. Funders catch it during the OFAC + KYC review when the SSN doesn't match the actual operator. Penalties include immediate default of the advance plus criminal referral.
Routing foreign revenue through a US bank to fake US operations. Funders read your bank statements line by line. Wire transfers from a foreign entity, ACH deposits with non-US originators, or large round-number deposits without merchant-processor IDs are red flags. They'll deny the file and your name goes into the industry consortium “watch” database.
Paying a broker who promises “international approval.” With rare exceptions for the cross-border RBF lenders listed above, no broker can make a US MCA happen for a non-US business. The fee you pay is the broker collecting on hope. Ask which specific funder will fund — if they can't name one, walk away.

What we tell international founders honestly

If you're looking at this guide because you're trying to fund a non-US business through a US MCA: the realistic answer is don't, unless your business fits the cross-border RBF profile or you're willing to do 6-12 months of US LLC buildup first. The fees you'd pay a broker to chase a US MCA approval are better spent on (a) forming a US entity properly, (b) opening a Mercury or Relay account, (c) applying for an ITIN, and (d) running real US revenue through the account.

Once you have 3-6 months of US bank-account history, a US EIN, an ITIN, and a real US operation — even a small one — your access to US MCA capital flips from “decline at intake” to “eligible at most funders.” The factor rate will be at the higher end of the range for the first advance because you're a thin-file merchant in the funder's eyes, but after one renewal-and-pay cycle the rates normalize.

Frequently asked questions

Can a non-US business get an MCA?: Almost never from a US-based MCA funder. Standard US MCA contracts require a US-formed entity, a US business bank account, a US-domiciled signer with an SSN or ITIN, and US-source receivables. International businesses miss on at least 3 of those 4 every time. The handful of cross-border revenue-based-finance providers (Clearco, Wayflyer, Uncapped) underwrite very differently and serve mostly e-commerce.
What if I form a US LLC for my foreign business?: It's a path, but not a shortcut. You'll need (1) the LLC actually operating with US revenue in a US bank account for 3-6 months minimum, (2) a US EIN, (3) typically a US-domiciled signer or an ITIN signer with US tax filings, and (4) sometimes a US physical address that isn't a registered-agent box. Most funders also pull the personal credit of the signer through a US bureau, which an offshore founder won't have.
Will US funders take Canadian or Mexican bank statements?: No. The ACH withdrawal is the entire repayment mechanism, and ACH is a US-only rail. CAD-denominated revenue at a Canadian bank can't be pulled by a US MCA funder. A few Canadian-side funders (Merchant Growth, Lendified, Greenbox Capital's Canadian arm) underwrite CAD revenue at Canadian banks via EFT/PAD — that's the right channel for a Canadian-domiciled business.
What about cross-border e-commerce sellers?: If you sell on Amazon, Shopify, or Stripe and your sales settle into a US bank account in USD, you may qualify for revenue-based financing from Clearco, Wayflyer, Uncapped, Parker Capital, or Settle — even if you're personally based abroad. They underwrite the platform data, not the founder's residency. Factor-equivalent costs run 6-14% of advance amount over 6-12 months, much cheaper than a traditional MCA.
Is an ITIN enough to get an MCA?: For a meaningful number of funders, yes — if the business itself is fully US-domiciled with real US revenue. See our ITIN-only owner funding guide for the funder list. The ITIN alone won't substitute for a missing US business operation though; it's only the signer-identification piece.