Amit Sharma

🏦 NatWest Boxed and Saga Money form partnership to deliver savings products for over-50s Andrew Ellis, chief executive officer of NatWest Boxed, said: “This partnership is a testament to how leading firms like Saga can deploy new technology, like embedded finance, to offer specialised products and services at the point of need, provide additional value to customers, and drive sustainable behaviours." https://lnkd.in/epWdY69Y #OpenBanking #OpenFinance #EmbeddedFinance #Fintech #Collaboration #Partnership #Payments #Technology #Finance #FinancialServices #SavingsProducts NatWest Saga plc. Jerry Toher Stephanie Melrose

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Best payment apps for small businesses By Dom Walbanke on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs With the number of payment methods increasing, your small business needs to be able to accommodate with all-in-one payment apps The post Best payment apps for small businesses appeared first on Small Business UK. #birmingham #webdesign https://lnkd.in/e2_paKxq

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#PaymentsWeek is alive and kicking, and it’s starting exactly where it should: with the people shaping the future of our financial system. This morning in partnership with City of London Corporation and hosted by James Thomson CBE, The Payments Association chaired a breakfast roundtable at Guildhall, bringing together infrastructure providers, banks, fintech leaders and advisers, not just to discuss the future of payments, but to shape the outcomes and priorities. The next generation of UK payments infrastructure is no longer theoretical. It is already underway, and the decisions we take now will determine how money moves for decades. This is not just a technology upgrade. It is a complex balancing act between governance, migration, resilience, competition and commercial sustainability, all at once. We are modernising critical national infrastructure while it continues to operate at full scale. If we get this right, the UK can build one of the most advanced and open payments ecosystems in the world. If we get it wrong, we risk another decade of slow progress. That is why #PaymentsWeek matters. It is about shaping outcomes, not just talking. More to come. See you at PAY360!

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Over the last few years, I’ve noticed a worrying trend in the UK lending space. Technology has made it easier than ever to approve loans — but not necessarily better or fairer. In regulated lending, speed should never come at the expense of understanding the customer. Automated decisioning is powerful, but when it becomes a black box, both lenders and borrowers lose. At scale, the real challenge isn’t approving more loans — it’s approving the right loans, for the right reasons, and being able to clearly explain those reasons to regulators and customers. In my view, the future of responsible lending isn’t “AI replaces humans” — it’s AI supporting better human judgement, stronger affordability checks, and clearer communication with customers. Especially in the poor-credit market, trust is everything. Long-term success comes from transparency, consistency, and decisions that stand up to scrutiny — not just approval rates. Curious to hear how others in fintech and lending are balancing automation with accountability. #Fintech #ResponsibleLending #CreditRisk #FCARegulation #AIinFinance

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InTick Secures £2 Million Funding for Transformative Growth James Goater, Co-Founder &CEO of InTick, said: “The InTick platform is already transforming the listed derivatives block trading landscape by improving efficiency, price discovery, and trading outcomes for all participants. As we advance our platform and move forward at speed to deliver a truly transformative offering for the industry, this financial backing is a strong validation of our mission to enhance and grow listed derivatives block trading.” https://lnkd.in/eD-uQSEr Ben Parker Sarah Timms Neil Burden Gwen Goater Stephen Plestis Roger Willmott #fintech #finance #banking #paytech #payments #fintechnews #paymentsnews

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Following a successful period of growth and transformation, Ben Agnew has decided to step down as CEO of The Payments Association, as the business enters its next phase after investment from Nineteen Group in 2025.

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🚀 Live: Manchester Credit Union x Doshi We’re proud to announce the launch of #TheMoneyHive — a fully embedded financial education platform now live for 30,000+ Manchester Credit Union members. Powered by Doshi and seamlessly integrated via API with CU Apps and incuto, this marks our first API-powered rollout with a UK credit union, bringing personalised, bite-sized financial coaching directly into members’ digital banking journey. 💡 Over 200 lessons on saving, borrowing, budgeting, and building money confidence 📲 Embedded directly in-app - no extra logins and taps 📈 Hundreds of users already onboarded within the first days ⚙️ Built for scale across credit unions and community banks in the UK, Ireland, and US “Partnering with Doshi enables us to bring accessible, digital-first financial education to our members when and where they need it.” – Ryan Young, CFO, Manchester Credit Union 👏 Huge credit to MCU for being a pioneer in digital member engagement and financial wellbeing. This is what innovation with purpose looks like. Mandy Wilcock Benji Fisher Declan McGallagly Andrew Rabbitt #FinancialWellbeing #CreditUnions #EmbeddedFinance #FintechForGood #APIPowered #FinancialEducation #Doshi #ManchesterCreditUnion #DigitalBanking

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Monzo Bank set out to demystify credit scores — and TransUnion® helped turn that vision into reality, delivering fully integrated, insights-driven experiences millions of customers now trust. From real-time alerts to score simulators, we powered the back-end of Monzo’s Credit Insights, helping it build deeper relationships and unlock app engagement at scale. Learn more: http://transu.co/6045AA1Fl

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📩 Was delighted to contribute to this report - lots of noise around the recent Amazon and eBay implementations of by TrueLayer and whether it will be the Transport for London moment. It got me thinking that, if it is the TfL moment, then we may have defaulted into 'PayByBank' as the brand so I should tag that too into this post (PayByBank) - but that's a Greek business that's been operating since 1991! The website domain paybybank.com is owned by Banked :. 🤦‍♂️ If we are serious about Open Banking as a mainstream payment alternative to cards like Visa and Mastercard then we have to quickly nail the brand / Trustmark / nomenclature and get them trademarked. It's highlighted in the industry guiding principles in the Financial Conduct Authority's update on cVRP delivery published in December 2025 but who's actually make that happen???? ❓ On a completely unrelated note, I am delighted to announce I am now the proud owner of a few "pay-by-bank" domains. 🤣 #speculative If you're interested in this topic then get along to #Pay360 at the end of the month - you can also discuss buying some of my domains! 🎟️ Grab your spot now 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4eqwVxP 💰 Use code MarkO'Keefe20 for 20% off. Andrew Churchill Andrew Doukanaris FCMI David Parker Jane Jee Joanne Dewar John Schratz Mark McMurtrie Masha Cilliers Matt Simester Nilixa Devlukia Teresa Connors Nathalie Oestmann Tony Craddock Emma Banymandhub Ben Agnew Kate McKenzie Natasha Healy Bethany Whymark James Hurren Matt Jones Jack Wilson Francesco Simoneschi Kieron James

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Welcome Kriya! This is a strong statement of intent to keep innovating for Britain’s established SMEs. The acquisition of Kriya strengthens Allica’s ability to provide faster, more flexible working-capital finance - exactly what so many growing businesses need right now. Huge credit to the Allica Bank and Kriya teams for getting this over the line and delivering on such a clear strategic vision. 👏 #SMEFinance #Fintech #BusinessBanking

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PayPoint plc Launches Open Banking Payments into the Housing Sector with Thirteen Group Read more: https://lnkd.in/eAbgWgVq #PayPoint #OpenBanking #ThirteenGroup #HousingFinance #finance #fintech #FinancialIT

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🚨 Elavon Merchant Fees to Watch Out For Elavon is a leading payment processor, but certain fees can quietly drive up costs. Here are the charges merchants should monitor—and negotiate—for maximum savings: International Card Handling Fee (~0.60%) – Often a negotiable processor markup, not a true Visa/Mastercard network cost. Non‑Qualified Volume Fee (~0.40%) – Charged when transactions are classified as “non‑qualified.” This is sometimes arbitrary and can often be reduced with negotiation. Monthly Discount Adjustment Fee (~0.08%) – A small percentage of total monthly volume, usually billed automatically. Reviewing daily vs. monthly billing can reveal savings. 📌 One merchant’s statement included these fees, totaling $5,520 in a single month. By negotiating reductions, they saved over $60,000 in a year. Regularly reviewing statements and challenging negotiable fees can unlock significant savings without switching providers. #MerchantCostConsulting #PaymentProcessing #MerchantServices #BusinessSavings #CreditCardFees #CostReduction #Elavon

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Some positive movement today with regards to Retail Payments infrastructure in the UK. The Bank of England's announcement (https://lnkd.in/eMfqDUyQ) sets out the next steps: The creation of a Retail Payments Infrastructure Board (chaired by the Bank) under which sits an industry led Delivery Company whose role will be "focused on procuring and funding next-generation infrastructure". Pay.UK retains its role as operator of the existing systems.

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Today's news brings the Bank's together with CDFI's & Government to co-operate with & refer SME's needing finance . . . to those who can lend to them, unlocking £1b to grow the economy

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Clover UK is affected by the issues that caused Fiserv's market value to plunge, as Clover is Fiserv's flagship point-of-sale system and its performance issues were the primary cause of the stock drop. The $30 billion market value drop was a direct result of Fiserv slashing its full-year earnings and revenue forecasts, which the company attributed largely to slowing growth in the Clover segment and a "client revolt" over superfluous fees. Key points regarding the impact on Clover UK: Integral Part of Fiserv: Clover is a crucial asset for Fiserv, and expanding its international footprint (including nascent operations in the UK and Ireland) has been a key part of Fiserv's growth strategy. The performance of Clover globally, including in the UK market, contributes to Fiserv's overall financial results. Operational & Pricing Issues: The market plunge was caused by "management discipline issues, including pricing missteps and overpromised growth" related to Clover. Fiserv's new CEO has vowed to reverse some of the controversial pricing changes for Clover clients and outlined a new technology strategy to address competitive gaps, which will impact UK operations as well. Competitive Market: The UK market for point-of-sale systems is highly competitive, with rivals like Square and Toast also vying for small to medium-sized businesses. The issues at Fiserv could make Clover more vulnerable to losing customers to these competitors in the UK if not addressed effectively. Business Continuity: While the financial impact on Fiserv's stock is significant, there is no indication of an immediate threat to the operational continuity of Clover services for existing UK merchants. The company is implementing an action plan and leadership changes to stabilize and improve performance. In essence, the operational and strategic challenges with the Clover platform that led to Fiserv's financial difficulties are global in nature and directly involve the services offered in the UK market. https://lnkd.in/ePwdiGaX

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PaymentsJournal and Elavon break down why ISVs that embed payments and focus on vertical markets are better positioned for long‑term growth and differentiation. https://lnkd.in/eAnnjyfG

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