Accounts terms in the payments glossary
Account structures for holding business funds — demand deposit accounts, virtual and FBO accounts, and how pooled and per-customer structures differ.
Demand deposit account
A bank account whose funds can be withdrawn on demand — the standard operating account for businesses in the US.
Virtual account
A sub-account reference layered on one real bank account, used to segregate and reconcile funds without opening separate accounts.
Virtual accounts vs real accounts
A virtual account is a reference over one pooled bank account; a real account is individually titled at the bank. The difference is whose money the bank sees.
FBO account
A custodial bank account titled "for the benefit of" a company’s customers — one pooled account holding funds the platform manages on their behalf.
Pooled account
A single bank account holding funds belonging to many customers, tracked in the holder’s own sub-ledger rather than at the bank.
Wallet account
An account that holds stablecoin balances alongside fiat — custody handled by the provider, so businesses move digital dollars without managing keys.