A technology entrepreneur, Madelaine Thomas, has accused Barclays of refusing to open a business account for her startup, Image Angel, and closing a personal account connected to her income from the adult content platform OnlyFans. Thomas stated that after an initially positive response, the bank questioned her extensively about revenue from her adult content work and a joint account used for household expenses.
Thomas founded Image Angel, a company that applies digital watermarks to online images to help creators track unauthorized sharing. She expressed frustration that her business, which aims to protect individuals, faced scrutiny seemingly due to her association with adult content platforms. Barclays stated that it has a responsibility to understand the source of funds for business accounts and makes account closure decisions on a case-by-case basis after careful consideration.
This incident follows previous complaints about banks denying services to individuals earning income through adult content. The UK's financial regulator has previously warned institutions against closing accounts of adult workers without a valid reason. Thomas reported that she has since opened a business account with a different bank.
Thomas founded Image Angel, a company that applies digital watermarks to online images to help creators track unauthorized sharing. She expressed frustration that her business, which aims to protect individuals, faced scrutiny seemingly due to her association with adult content platforms. Barclays stated that it has a responsibility to understand the source of funds for business accounts and makes account closure decisions on a case-by-case basis after careful consideration.
This incident follows previous complaints about banks denying services to individuals earning income through adult content. The UK's financial regulator has previously warned institutions against closing accounts of adult workers without a valid reason. Thomas reported that she has since opened a business account with a different bank.
