API performance meets adoption

Open banking hits new highs in August

The latest performance data from Open Banking Limited shows that in August 2025 there were 31.34 million successful payment initiations, made up of 26.41 million Single Domestic Payments (SDPs) and 4.93 million Variable Recurring Payments (VRPs)¹.

Performance metrics reinforce this growth story. Availability levels were consistently above 99.5%, average response times came in at around 342ms, and more than 99% of API calls succeeded¹. These are not just operational statistics – they are proof of infrastructure maturity at scale.

For leaders across banks, fintechs, and payment providers, the implications are clear: open banking is now operating at volumes and levels of reliability that demand board-level attention.

The numbers behind the milestone

Metric	August 2025 value	Strategic implication
Successful payment initiations (SDP + VRP)	31.34 million¹	Demonstrates rapid month-on-month adoption
VRP share of total	4.93 million (~15.7%)¹	Variable recurring payments are moving towards mainstream use
Average API availability	99.52% (unweighted)¹	Consistently high reliability builds user and partner trust
Average API response time	342ms¹	Supports real-time experiences demanded by end-users
Successful API calls	99.33%¹	Minimal friction – essential for scalable adoption

What this means for the C-suite

1. Reliability as differentiation

With availability and performance converging at high levels, the question shifts from “can it work?” to “how well does it work?” Institutions that invest in resilience, monitoring, and predictable service levels can stand apart.

2. VRPs are gaining traction

Almost one in six open banking payments in August was a VRP¹. This creates new opportunities for subscription billing, usage-based models, and flexible financial products. For banks and fintechs, being ready to support and monetise VRPs is now a priority.

3. Operational and risk management imperatives

As volumes pass 30 million a month, the scale of potential risk rises. Boards need clear oversight of downtime, error handling, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance. Small weaknesses can quickly cascade when multiplied at this scale.

4. Strengthening ecosystem partnerships

Growth depends not only on infrastructure but also on strong relationships with merchants, TPPs, and fintechs. Transparent pricing, robust SLAs, and accessible developer support will be decisive in retaining and expanding those partnerships.

5. Data as a strategic asset

Detailed analytics on payment types, failure rates, latency, and adoption patterns can guide product strategy, pricing, and capacity planning. Institutions that harness this data will outpace those that see it as a compliance exercise.

Risks to monitor

Concentration risks – dependence on specific providers or endpoints can amplify outages.
Latency spikes – averages hide peak-time stresses. Worst-case scenarios must be understood.
Regulatory change – VRPs in particular are under scrutiny, with the PSR setting the pace for expansion².
Security and fraud vectors – higher volumes increase the attractiveness of attacks.
Customer trust – adoption depends on clear communication of benefits, safety, and control.

Strategic recommendations

Establish board-level KPIs for API uptime, response, and failure handling.
Build VRP-ready products and commercial models across verticals such as utilities, insurance, and subscriptions.
Strengthen developer experience with clear documentation, sandbox access, and transparent SLAs.
Invest in stress-testing and disaster recovery aligned to projected adoption curves.
Communicate the milestone internally and externally as a marker of progress and proof of reliability.

Bigger picture

Context matters. Open Banking Limited’s impact report earlier this year highlighted VRPs as one of the fastest-growing areas, accounting for over 13% of payments in early 2025³. Active user numbers are also rising steadily, embedding open banking into everyday financial life.

Passing 30 million successful payments in a single month is not just a statistical achievement. It confirms that open banking is moving into the mainstream – with all the opportunities and responsibilities that brings.

Conclusion

August’s milestone shows open banking is no longer experimental infrastructure. With more than 30 million payments processed reliably in a single month, the model has proven its ability to scale. For executives, the takeaway is simple: the future of payments is already here – and strategy must evolve to capture the opportunities and mitigate the risks.

Those who act now, aligning resilience, partnerships, and product strategy with this momentum, will set the pace for the next phase of growth.

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