Nostro and vostro

Two names for the same account, from opposite sides.

A nostro account, from the Latin for "ours", is an account a bank holds with another bank, usually in a foreign currency. A bank in Cairo holding US dollars at a bank in New York calls that its nostro.

A vostro account, from the Latin for "yours", is the same account seen from the holding bank. The New York bank calls it a vostro.

These accounts are the plumbing of correspondent banking. A cross-border payment is a series of debits and credits across them.