Cardstream and Mastercard Join Forces to Accelerate Open Banking Adoption in the UK
Cardstream, a leading UK-based FinTech renowned for its white-label payment solutions, has recently announced a strategic partnership with Mastercard, a global leader in payment technology. This collaboration aims to enhance Cardstream’s Payment Facilitation-as-a-Service (PFaaS) platform, allowing businesses in the UK to offer open banking payments to merchants and retailers, as reported by FF News.
Enhancing Payment Options for Merchants
The partnership between Cardstream and Mastercard is designed to significantly expand payment options for both merchants and their customers. With the integration of Mastercard’s Open Banking technology, Cardstream’s clients—including acquirers and payment facilitators—can now seamlessly include open banking as a payment method alongside traditional card payments.
Supporting the Demand for Secure Digital Payments
This initiative comes in response to the growing demand for secure, bank-based digital payment alternatives. Cardstream’s PFaaS platform offers white-label services that empower partners to operate under their own brand while utilizing Cardstream’s robust infrastructure. Key features of the platform include:
- Efficient processing, collection, and disbursement of transactions across various payment methods.
- Secure Open Banking connectivity, enabling easy access to UK banks.
- User-friendly consumer experience for a range of transactions.
Innovative Payment Solutions to Roll Out by 2025
The new solution will facilitate single immediate payments (SIPs) and set the groundwork for commercial variable recurring payments. This next-generation payment method will enable direct-from-bank recurring bill payments, with plans for rollout across Europe, including the UK, by late 2025.
A History of Collaboration
Cardstream and Mastercard share a history of successful collaboration, having previously worked together on innovations such as network tokenization and Click to Pay. This latest initiative further strengthens Cardstream’s offerings to its partners.
Statements from Leadership
Cardstream’s CEO, Adam Sharpe, expressed enthusiasm regarding the partnership: “There’s strong demand for open banking payments as a secure and convenient way to pay alongside cards. We’ve long collaborated with Mastercard on innovations like network tokenization and Click to Pay, and we’re excited to offer a turnkey solution that lets payment providers launch branded Open Banking Merchant Services quickly.”
Valerie Nowak, Mastercard’s Executive Vice President and Head of Open Banking for APEMEA, added: “The open banking market is set for significant growth in Europe. Our commitment is to foster an innovative, accessible, and secure payments ecosystem. By empowering Cardstream, we can support both issuing and acquiring customers with a comprehensive open banking solution and thereby enhance payment choice for their customers.”
For more information on the evolving landscape of payment technologies, you can visit Mastercard or explore Cardstream’s official website.