Open Banking

In its final report, the Competition and Markets Authority has formally implemented reforms aimed at giving people more control of their money. By Q1 of 2018, European banks have to completely open up their data through full APIs. But some banks aren’t prepared to wait that long. Read on to see which ones have taken the lead.

Gary Turner is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Xero, which Forbes described as the “World’s Most Innovative Growth Company.” Xero provides small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs or SMEs) with ‘beautiful’ online accounting software. Gary helped take Xero from a 3-person startup to a company that will have £150 million in revenue this year.

Our CEO, David Brear, talks everything PSD 2 for HotTopics. Legislation is usually brought in to reduce stupidity amongst individuals, or groups exhibiting behaviors that may cause harm. PSD 2 is no different in terms of its purpose and overall need to exist. The European Commission has tried to foster innovation and filter banks toward more inclusive ways of working. PSD, miData and a number of other “carrots” meant to foster innovation have been used with limited success. Banks have treated all of these as purely compliance driven; tick box exercises, and tend to deliver the bare minimum to meet legislation. With regulators and governments now losing patience with banks, we now have the “go to your room” moment; PSD 2.