THE NAME GAME

When sending money abroad becomes complicated by having too many names

The other day I needed to pay a freelancer in the UK for a service she had provided to me.

Simple, one would think.

After all, we live in the age of global banking and online transactions. What could possibly be easier?

I asked whether she accepted PayPal, which has worked like a charm for me in the past and doesn't even involve any banks.

She didn't.

But she mentioned that many of her international clients use Wise, a financial technology company that lets you send money across borders quickly and, apparently, more cheaply than a bank.

I knew Wise. I had even had the app on my phone at some point. But when I originally set it up, technical issues prevented me from linking it to my Japanese bank account, so I eventually deleted it.

Besides, it's not every day I need to send money abroad.

Still, perhaps it was time to give it another try.

I downloaded the app, entered my personal information, scanned my My Number Card (the Japanese equivalent of a social security card), took the obligatory selfie and, within minutes, my account had been created and approved.

Easy.

Then came the final step: linking my Japanese bank account so I could transfer money into Wise.

And that's when things got interesting.

It asked me to enter my legal name in Japanese Katakana.

Whenever I encounter this question in Japan, I tend to pause.

You see, my ‘legal name’ comes in several flavours.

My passport says: ROLF ARNOLD WIETLISBACH

My Japanese bank account says: ヴィートリスバッハ　ロルフ　アーノルド

Which is essentially the same name, just written in Katakana and in reverse order.

But my My Number Card says: WIETLISBACH ROLF ARNOLD / 小林 ロルフ

The second part reads ‘Kobayashi Rolf’.

Kobayashi is my wife's maiden name. When I registered in Japan, officials suggested that I have it registered as my legal ‘nickname’ instead of my proper name, as having a Japanese name would undoubtedly make things easier.

It does.

Sometimes.

The irony is that, as far as the authorities are concerned, I officially carry my wife's maiden name, while my wife is recognised under my Swiss family name.

I know.

Japan doesn't always do logical when it comes to names.

But I digress.

I entered my official Japanese nickname into Wise.

Refused.

Hmm.

Perhaps the app wanted the name under which my bank account was registered.

I entered that.

Refused.

At this point I turned to ChatGPT, my helpful digital companion.

‘This is a very common problem for people like you…’

It was extremely understanding.

It then suggested not one possible solution, but several combinations of my various names, spellings and Katakana incarnations.

Surely one of them would work.

About an hour later, I still hadn't progressed beyond the same screen.

I conceded defeat.

And it was at this point that I finally remembered why I had deleted the app on a previous occasion.

Fine. Forget Wise.

I would simply make an international transfer directly from my Japanese bank account.

How difficult could that be?

It turned out that, in order to make international payments through the bank's online portal, I first had to apply for access to this particular ‘special service’.

Processing and approval could take several days.

Really?

I consulted my trusted AI friend again, who confirmed this.

But, as always, it had an alternative.

I could go to the physical bank branch.

Of course I could.

The branch is a 20-minute walk away and is open from 9:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday.

Unfortunately, I also have a job.

And an employer who wants us back in the office full time – and an office that is not anywhere near a bank.

Just as I was contemplating taking half a day off – or perhaps a full day, just in case – I checked the fees.

The remittance would cost roughly 12% of the amount I wanted to send, consisting of the outbound remittance fee, foreign exchange margin, SWIFT bank fee and UK receiving bank fee.

At that point, I decided that the global financial revolution could wait.

I wrote back to the freelancer, explaining that I had tried my best, but PayPal had turned out to be the only feasible solution.

She accepted.

And sent me a link.

Sometimes frustration and simple solutions can be remarkably close.

I also write fiction under the name R.K. Arnold. My debut novel, Love, Secrets, and a Plate of Sushi, is a romantic comedy set across Switzerland, England and Japan.

Read Chapter One free.