Open banking

What open banking payments are

Open banking payments (pay by bank, account-to-account or A2A) let a customer pay directly from their bank account. At checkout the customer picks their bank, authorises the payment in the bank's app, and the money moves over instant rails such as Faster Payments in the UK or SEPA Instant in Europe. A licensed payment initiation service provider (PISP) sits between the merchant and the bank and uses the bank's regulated API.

Why merchants add pay by bank

• Lower cost than card acquiring for many use cases — no interchange or scheme fees.
• Instant settlement and no card-style chargebacks.
• Strong authentication is built in, since the customer logs into their own bank.
• Good fit for high-ticket payments, account top-ups, invoices, and recurring payments where variable recurring payments (VRP) are supported.

Where it works

The most mature markets are the UK and the EU (Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Poland). Similar account-to-account rails exist elsewhere under other names: PIX in Brazil, UPI in India — those are covered under local payment methods.

What to compare between open banking providers

• Bank coverage per country and the share of customers who can actually pay.
• Pricing model: per transaction flat fee vs percent.
• Refunds and payouts: can the provider send money back to the payer's account?
• Settlement: own collection account or funds settle straight to the merchant's account.
• Accepted verticals and onboarding requirements.
• UX: hosted bank selection, QR handoff from desktop to mobile, retries.

Related hubs

Open banking method page, bank transfer, SEPA, direct debit, EMI & payment institutions and payment licensing for companies that want their own PISP permission. {count} providers are listed; check Offers or post a request.