SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

GoCardless has joined banks, building societies and fintechs in launching the UK Payments Initiative scheme, opening the way for Recurring Pay by Bank in the UK.

The industry-backed scheme is intended to expand account-to-account payments and give businesses another way to collect regular payments directly from bank accounts. GoCardless said its new service is designed for recurring, flexible and automated payments using open banking infrastructure.

UK retail payments remain dominated by cards, accounting for 84% of spending by turnover, according to GoCardless. Businesses pay GBP £1.5 billion in fees because of the market position of Visa and Mastercard, it added.

Scheme operator UK Payments Initiative has been funded by banks, building societies and fintechs. Its launch creates a framework for recurring open banking payments across sectors including public services, utilities, charities and financial services.

Market opening

GoCardless is positioning the service as a lower-cost option for merchants that rely on repeat billing. Instant authorisation and the ability to automate regular collections could appeal to firms seeking an alternative to card payments and existing bank debit arrangements.

Research commissioned by GoCardless suggested strong interest among businesses that take recurring payments. It found that 89% of recurring revenue businesses believe the technology would significantly improve cash flow, while 91% expect it to reduce operational costs.

The same survey found that 49% of businesses intend to be early adopters. Among consumers, 38% said they would be open to trying recurring Pay by Bank, rising to 60% among Gen Z respondents.

The launch also reflects a broader policy push to build more competition and resilience into UK payments. Account-to-account methods have long been seen by parts of the industry as a way to reduce dependence on card networks and create more domestic control over payment rails.

Early rollout

Earlier this year, GoCardless processed its first recurring open banking transaction for Jellyfish Energy during the sector’s live testing phase. The transaction provided an early operational example of how recurring bank payments could work in practice before broader adoption.

GoCardless said it has built features to address some of the practical limits of an early-stage rollout. These include routing a customer to Direct Debit when open banking is unavailable, auto-filling payment details based on existing payer data, and maintaining service uptime for merchants adopting the system.

That approach suggests providers still expect patchy coverage across some institutions and user journeys in the near term. Hybrid models that fall back on established payment methods may help firms trial recurring open banking payments without disrupting collections.

For businesses, the economics could be a major factor if adoption grows. Card processing fees are a persistent cost for merchants with subscription or instalment models, while failed or delayed payments can disrupt cash flow and add administrative work.

Open banking payments have so far had more success in one-off transactions than in repeat billing. A workable recurring model would address a major gap in the market, especially for sectors that need regular customer authorisation without repeated manual input.

UKPI Managing Director Richard Koch said GoCardless brought practical experience from years of account-to-account payments. “The launch of this scheme is a significant step forward as we build a faster, fairer payment ecosystem that unlocks genuine choice for businesses and consumers. Having GoCardless at the table brings 15 years of account-to-account expertise right into the heart of this initiative. Their experience is vital as we move forward, helping us turn open banking payments into a practical tool that people will trust and use every single day,” Koch said.

Shaun Puckrin, Chief Product Officer at GoCardless, linked the launch to longstanding concerns over concentration in the payments market. “For a long time, the UK has been waiting for a genuine alternative to traditional card payments. By launching an industry-wide scheme for recurring Pay by Bank, we will bring real competition to a market that’s been dominated for decades by a costly card duopoly. This milestone establishes the UK as a country that owns its financial future. We’re creating payments infrastructure that is modern, competitive, and free from over-reliance on external networks. Built on APIs for easy instruction and real-time execution, it is ideally placed to become the foundation of agentic commerce — where AI agents, automated systems, and instant payments converge. It’s a response to enormous market demand, and a shift that will change the way money moves for everyone,” Puckrin said.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Cloudsmith has appointed Mark O’Connor as Chief Financial Officer and Dan Lascell as General Counsel, expanding the Belfast software supply chain security company’s executive team after its USD $72 million Series C funding round.

Both are moving into full-time roles after advising the company for several years. O’Connor worked with Cloudsmith’s finance organisation through its last three venture financings, while Lascell served as fractional General Counsel and helped shape its legal and governance structures.

The appointments come as Cloudsmith seeks to deepen ties with large corporate customers, including Fortune 500 and Global 2000 groups. More enterprises now rely on its software supply chain tools to secure and govern software artifacts used in development and distribution.

O’Connor is expected to oversee the company’s financial infrastructure as it works towards public market readiness. His remit includes establishing financial and procurement controls suited to a business operating at greater scale.

Before joining full time, he held senior finance roles at Bugcrowd, Tenfold, Appirio, Nuance Communications and BeVocal. His background spans venture-backed software businesses, acquisitions and listed companies.

Lascell will lead legal, compliance and commercial contracting. His work will focus on enterprise procurement requirements and internal governance as Cloudsmith expands among larger customers with more complex regulatory demands.

He previously held legal leadership roles at Appirio, Bugcrowd, Tercera, AmberPoint and webMethods. His experience in corporate development and international expansion, combined with his prior advisory work, gives him detailed knowledge of Cloudsmith’s commercial and compliance arrangements.

Growth push

The leadership changes follow Cloudsmith’s latest financing from TCV and Insight Partners. The USD $72 million Series C round provided fresh capital as the company scales operations around software artifact management and supply chain security.

Cloudsmith’s platform is used to store, secure and distribute software packages and other development assets across different environments. It says it supports more than 30 artifact formats and serves customers across sectors including banking, financial technology, telecoms, software and artificial intelligence.

In recent years, software supply chain security has become a growing priority for large organisations after attacks and compliance pressures exposed weaknesses in how code and software components move through development pipelines. Vendors in this market have sought to position themselves not just as infrastructure providers, but as trusted partners for governance, traceability and procurement oversight.

That backdrop helps explain the emphasis on finance, legal and internal controls in Cloudsmith’s latest hires. Both roles are central to reassuring larger customers that the company’s internal processes can withstand the same scrutiny applied to the software services it sells.

O’Connor highlighted that focus in comments on his appointment. “Our focus is on building Cloudsmith’s infrastructure for longevity,” said Mark O’Connor, Chief Financial Officer at Cloudsmith. “That means ensuring our financial controls and commercial rigor are up to audit-ready standards, while enabling our customer-facing teams to move fast and lead the market. That combination means customers can trust Cloudsmith as a mission-critical infrastructure partner.”

Lascell also linked his role to customer expectations around security, compliance and long-term dependability. “Cloudsmith’s platform is built on trust, providing secure artifacts, provable provenance, and policy-driven governance. Our internal legal and compliance posture reflect that same commitment,” said Dan Lascell, General Counsel at Cloudsmith. “Our job is to scale the legal and risk frameworks to ensure Cloudsmith is a dependable long-term partner for large enterprise customers with complex regulatory and legal obligations.”

Executive build-out

The additions mark a further expansion of the senior team under Chief Executive Officer Glenn Weinstein. As software companies move beyond the early venture stage, hiring permanent finance and legal leaders often signals a shift towards tighter operating discipline, more formal governance and preparation for broader capital markets options.

Weinstein said the appointments are part of meeting customer expectations across the business. “Mark and Dan are important additions to our leadership team,” said Glenn Weinstein, Chief Executive Officer at Cloudsmith. “Enterprise customers rely on Cloudsmith as a dependable partner they can trust at every level, including the platform, their commercial relationship with Cloudsmith, and our internal governance. Mark and Dan will help ensure we meet the highest standards for financial rigor and legal credibility.”

The owners of the 13th century coaching inn in Fifield, The Cotswold Merrymouth Inn, is looking for new buyers to take over part of the business.

It currently offers accommodation, from self-catering cottages, apartments and studios to traditional en-suite rooms, as well as a bar and restaurant.

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But the current business, which has been welcoming guests since April 2021, is set to be split in two if a sale on the open market can be secured.

A listing on commercial sales site businessesforsale.com reveals the ‘freehouse’ part of the inn, the bar and restaurant, is being offered to new owners.

The Merrymouth Inn in Fifield (Image: Rightmove)

It advertises a section of the large building as a ‘character bar and two section restaurant’ which sits between 70 and 80 covers, with an asking price for the leasehold of £18,500.

It also includes a large trading patio, parking for guests and owners accommodation.

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The sale comes after the full business, including the guest accommodation, was put on the market for a whopping £1.4million after a renovation in April 2024.

Free from listed building status and not in a conservation area, the 13th century building was free for owners to upgrade and refurbish, leading to revamped guest and owner’s accommodation, a refreshed bar area and enhanced kitchen facilities.

It is unknown if the pub and inn was sold on that occasion.