ACI Worldwide Acquires Open Banking Firm Payment Components

Payments technology company ACI Worldwide has acquired financial messaging/open banking solutions provider Payment Components.

With this acquisition, ACI plans to integrate Payment Components technology into ACI Connetic, its cloud-native unified payments platform, the company announced Monday (Nov. 3).

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“ACI’s acquisition of Payment Components will further strengthen the capabilities of ACI Connetic, defining a new standard for how banks drive payment transformation and compete in the digital economy,” Thomas Warsop, CEO and president of ACI Worldwide, said in a news release. “Beyond the cutting-edge technology, we are also impressed by the talent of the Payment Component’s team, whose dedication to innovation aligns with our vision to shape the future of payments.”

Founded in Greece in 2014, Payment Components develops software for A2A payments, API management, and financial messaging, and is used by 65 banks and institutions across 25 countries, the release added, and leverages generative artificial intelligence (AI) to “simplify and accelerate payment processes, delivering richer and more agile payment services.”

In other open banking news, recent PYMNTS research shows that a “simple knowledge gap,” rather than cost or convenience, may be the reason open banking payments have yet to attract a wider audience in the U.S.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “What Consumers Need for Pay by Bank to Catch On,” published in collaboration with Trustly, shows that 56% of consumers were not even aware that the option exists.

The figure dwarfs every other reason consumers cite for not trying the service, including worries about entering banking information online or a preference for debit cards.

“The data finds that pay by bank, often described as a direct-from-account alternative to card payments, is a solution waiting for a problem,” PYMNTS wrote. “Consumers show they can be swayed by discounts, loyalty benefits and cash back offers. However, those incentives don’t matter if half the market doesn’t realize the option is on the table.”

The report indicates that pay by bank’s best chance for taking off could come from sectors where consumers already link accounts directly, like betting, ridesharing or investment transfers.

Young users, especially Generation Z and millennials, show the most willingness to experiment. More than 40% in each group showed interest in using the method for transferring funds between bank and brokerage accounts.

“Ease of use is another understated factor,” PYMNTS wrote. “Nearly 4 in 10 current users say the simplicity of pay by bank is its main draw. For resistant consumers, that benefit is often invisible. Only 1 in 5 who do not use the method view convenience as a potential selling point.”