UK open banking adoption passes 15 million users
Open Banking Limited reported a record 15.16 million UK users in July, nearly one in three adults, with 29.89 million open-banking payments that month. OBL also flagged >2 billion API interactions and VRPs accounting for >4% of transactions, citing 34% year-on-year user growth.[^1][^2]
Asima’s perspective. Strong user and payments growth, plus early VRP share, supports enterprise cases for account-to-account (A2A) checkout, “smart debits”, and payout flows. For infrastructure buyers, this reinforces prioritising VRP-ready consent and reliable high-volume API handling.
EU moves to exclude Big Tech from FiDA
According to the FT and Finextra, EU negotiators are set to exclude Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta from the forthcoming Financial Data Access (FiDA) regime intended to enable wider data sharing in financial services. Final text is due to be agreed in the autumn 2025 trilogues.[^3][^4]
Asima’s perspective. If enacted, FiDA’s carve-out could favour EU-first data intermediaries and banks, reducing platform risk for regulated providers. Enterprises building open-finance products should plan for EU-hosted data partners and portability across member states.
Plaid agrees to JPMorgan data-access fees
Plaid has agreed to pay JPMorgan for access to customer-permissioned data after the bank said aggregators were “massively taxing” its systems. Reporting indicates fees will vary by use case, with payments firms likely to pay more. This followed JPMorgan’s July notice that it would start charging fintechs for data access.[^5][^6]
Asima’s perspective. Paid data access changes AISP economics in the US and underscores the value of bank-grade connections. UK and EU programmes should stress efficient polling, event-driven access, and data-minimisation to keep the total cost of ownership low if similar pricing models appear.
Vipps MobilePay adopts pay-by-bank in Finland with Tink
Vipps MobilePay will use Tink’s Pay by Bank so Finnish users can add and use all domestic bank accounts, and make A2A payments at checkout. Tink’s Pay by Bank becomes one of three payment methods in Vipps MobilePay’s Finnish e-commerce checkout.[^7][^8]
Asima’s perspective. Another large-scale wallet embracing A2A signals mainstream merchant adoption. For UK enterprises, this is a useful reference for blending cards and A2A in a single UX while driving lower-cost rails for repeat purchases.
Tide becomes a unicorn with $120 million raise
Tide raised $120 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by TPG with participation from Apax Digital Funds. Tide said proceeds will support international expansion and investment in agentic AI to automate SME workflows.[^9]
Asima’s perspective. SME platforms with embedded finance continue to attract capital. For enterprise partners, this points to demand for modular AIS/PIS, reconciliations, and payouts that integrate into accounting and ERP tools.
Nubank applies for a US bank charter
Nubank applied for a US national bank charter, calling it a step toward evolving from a regional to a global model. The company, with 120 million+ customers across Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, signalled plans that could eventually include deposit accounts, credit, lending and digital-asset custody in the US.[^10]
Asima’s perspective. A chartered, digital-first entrant would increase competitive pressure on US incumbents and issuers. For infrastructure buyers, anticipate rising expectations for instant onboarding, low-cost payments, and cross-border feature parity.
[^1]: Open Banking Limited, “Open banking surges to 15 million UK users as July marks record adoption” (01 Sep 2025). https://www.openbanking.org.uk/news/open-banking-surges-to-15-million-uk-users-as-july-marks-record-adoption/
[^2]: Open Banking Limited Insights, “2 Billion API calls and 15 Million users – a landmark month…” (Jul 2025 data, published Sep 2025). https://www.openbanking.org.uk/insights/2-billion-api-calls-and-15-million-users-a-landmark-month-for-open-banking-in-the-uk/
[^3]: Finextra, “EU to exclude Big Tech from financial data sharing system – FT” (22 Sep 2025). https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/46632/eu-to-exclude-big-tech-from-financial-data-sharing-system—ft
[^4]: Financial Times, “EU to block Big Tech from new financial data sharing system” (Sep 2025). https://www.ft.com/content/6596876f-c831-482c-878c-78c1499ef543
[^5]: Finextra, “Plaid to pay JPMorgan for access to customer data” (16 Sep 2025). https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/46602/plaid-to-pay-jpmorgan-for-access-to-customer-data
[^6]: Reuters, “JPMorgan plans to charge fintechs for customer data, Bloomberg News reports” (11 Jul 2025). https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/jpmorgan-plans-charge-fintechs-customer-data-bloomberg-news-reports-2025-07-11/
[^7]: Finextra, “Vipps MobilePay selects Tink to introduce Pay by Bank in Finland” (18 Sep 2025). https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/46615/vipps-mobilepay-selects-tink-to-introduce-pay-by-bank-in-finland
[^8]: Tink blog, “Vipps MobilePay P2P partnership: Pay by Bank in Finland” (18 Sep 2025). https://tink.com/blog/news/vipps-mobilepay-p2p-partnership/
[^9]: Reuters, “UK fintech startup Tide raises $120 million to join unicorn club” (22 Sep 2025). https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/uk-fintech-startup-tide-raises-120-million-join-unicorn-club-2025-09-22/
[^10]: Reuters, “Nubank applies for US bank charter in expansion outside Latin America” (30 Sep 2025). https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/brazils-nubank-applies-us-bank-charter-2025-09-30/
