Open Banking Hits 15M Users in UK

New data found that nearly a third of all adults in the United Kingdom now use open banking services.

Figures from Open Banking Limited showed that more than 15.6 million people and businesses use services powered by open banking, according to a Monday (Sept. 1) press release. In July, open banking services were used a record 2.04 billion times, a 3.5% increase from the previous month.

“This data shows how open banking is now part of everyday life for millions of people and businesses across the U.K., from paying taxes to shopping online. It’s fast, secure and built on trust,” Open Banking Limited CEO Henk Van Hulle said in the release. “To maintain momentum and unlock its full potential, we look forward to working closely with government, regulators and the wider ecosystem, ensuring open banking delivers even greater value, innovation and impact for everyone.”

Open banking adoption has climbed steadily year over year, with total users increasing by 34% in the last year, per the release.

“This reflects the growing consumer demand for secure, convenient and transparent financial solutions, and continues a multiyear trend that has seen open banking move from a niche innovation to a core part of modern financial services,” the release said.

Payments are still one of the biggest drivers of adoption, with July’s numbers showing that the total value of payments has reached 29.89 million, an 8.7% uptick, according to the release. The data followed the passage of the U.K.’s Data Use and Access Act, which sets up the next phase of open banking, open finance and smart data adoption in the country.

Meanwhile, open banking in the United States is in flux, characterized by fragmented private efforts and rising tension between banks and FinTechs.

“It may be the case that in the U.S., consumer demand helps pull open banking toward a more complete realization of its potential,” PYMNTS reported Aug. 25. “There are still key issues to be ironed out, especially as fraudsters target faster payments.”

Progress will depend on voluntary bank-FinTech partnerships and private-led projects. Companies have developed APIs, while many still depend on screen scraping, an approach that brings with it security vulnerabilities.

“Trust remains a barrier but also offers an opportunity,” the report said, pointing to PYMNTS Intelligence research showing that while roughly 11% of U.S. consumers used open banking payments, 82% of those users reported satisfaction.