Access PaySuite buys Ordo Open Banking infrastructure

KAREN JOY BACUDO

Finance Editor

Access PaySuite has agreed to acquire Ordo’s Open Banking infrastructure, giving the payments arm of The Access Group ownership of its Open Banking payment rail.

The acquisition adds Open Banking to Access PaySuite’s existing card and Direct Debit services and gives it direct control of the payment acceptance layer across all three methods. Open Banking will be embedded across its platforms as a native feature, rather than offered through a third-party arrangement.

The move comes as Pay by Bank use continues to grow in the UK. Open Banking Limited said the system processed 351 million payments in 2025, up 57% year on year, with more than 16.5 million active users.

Access PaySuite said owning the infrastructure will allow it to combine payment initiation with real-time account data. It is positioning that combination as a way to expand beyond transaction processing into services tied to collections, affordability checks and financial support.

Broader use

In arrears management, live financial data can help housing associations identify hardship earlier, adjust recovery approaches and offer repayment plans during contact with tenants or customers. For affordability assessments, verified account data can replace self-reported figures at the point of application.

The same framework could also support hardship planning by enabling earlier intervention before accounts worsen. In each case, the model relies on linking payment activity with account information at the point a decision is made.

The transaction also paves the way for Variable Recurring Payments (VRP), a real-time alternative to Direct Debit. Access PaySuite said the method gives payers greater control over authorisation while allowing merchants and service providers to collect funds more quickly and with more flexibility.

Control of the infrastructure is also likely to have operational effects within the payments business. The rail can reduce acceptance costs, shorten settlement times and provide more detailed reconciliation data.

These changes matter because many software providers in payments still depend on external partners for parts of Open Banking connectivity. By bringing the infrastructure in-house, Access PaySuite is seeking tighter integration between payment collection and its customers’ software systems.

Regulatory step

The acquisition also sits alongside Access PaySuite’s pursuit of Financial Conduct Authority permissions for Payment Initiation Services and Account Information Services. Those permissions would allow it to provide regulated Open Banking functions directly rather than through another licensed provider.

“This acquisition isn’t about adding a payment method. It’s about what we build with it. We’re embedding Open Banking natively across our platforms, and the bigger opportunity is blending payments with financial intelligence to tackle genuinely hard problems. That’s where payments stop being a utility and start driving real outcomes – more revenue recovered, lower cost to serve, and better financial lives for the people on the other end of every transaction,” said Giulio Montemagno, Managing Director, Access PaySuite.

“Underpinning this is Access PaySuite’s pursuit of FCA permissions for Payment Initiation and Account Information Services. These are not just regulatory milestones, but what makes the next generation of outcomes possible. Together, they open an entirely new class of solution: intelligence embedded directly at the point of need. The UK’s National Payments Vision puts Open Banking at the centre of how payments should evolve. Access PaySuite intends to be at the front of that wave.”

Access PaySuite is the payments division of The Access Group. This business software provider says it serves more than 160,000 small and mid-sized organisations across Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific. The group’s software is used in both commercial and non-profit sectors, giving the payments arm a large installed base into which Open Banking services can be introduced.

For the wider market, the deal reflects a continuing shift in Open Banking from a standalone payment option to a component within sector-specific software. Rather than competing only on checkout conversion, providers are increasingly using bank payment tools and account data to support credit decisions, debt collection and customer support processes.

The trend is particularly visible in sectors where recurring payments, arrears and affordability checks are closely linked, including housing, utilities and other service-heavy industries. Access PaySuite said the combination of payment initiation and account information can be used directly at the point where a customer needs to pay, seek support or be assessed for repayment terms.

Open Banking will sit alongside cards and Direct Debit within a single platform.