Paytently, Mastercard partner on open banking payments
Adoption of account-to-account (A2A) payments in iGaming is becoming more realistic, but uptake differs across jurisdictions, according to Paytently’s CEO and Co-Founder, Samuel Barrett. Speaking with SiGMA News, Barrett explained that each country has its own preferences and user experiences, so it is important not to treat them as one market
“Finland has the highest penetration because A2A and open banking were already part of the culture, while the Netherlands shows similar behaviour. In the UK, open banking has been growing strongly and is gaining particular traction in gaming, both for deposits and for compliant, seamless payouts,” Barrett highlighted.
Cards, however, remain the default for frequent, low-value deposits. “Wallets remain important where they are culturally strong,” Barrett noted. “A2A is best seen as a complement that operators can use for first-time deposits, high-value transactions, and instant withdrawals, which build player trust and loyalty.”
Regulatory and operational hurdles in iGaming
Barrett stated that while open banking offers compliance advantages, its rollout presents operational challenges in the gaming sector.
“Open banking actually brings some compliance advantages. Unlike 3DS, where strong authentication was retrofitted onto cards, open banking was built with two-factor and multi-factor authentication from the start,” he explained.
He added that the model also supports closed-loop payouts and affordability checks. “It also allows operators to verify account holder names and run affordability checks, while supporting closed-loop payouts.”
Still, scaling remains difficult across markets. “The challenge comes from the uneven quality of bank APIs across markets, and from the lack of a chargeback model. That makes it essential for operators to build clear refund processes and very strong reconciliation,” Barrett said. “At Paytently, we have learnt that getting this operational layer right is critical when working across multiple jurisdictions, especially in a regulated industry like iGaming.”
Cost, fraud risk, and player experience
When weighing A2A against cards and wallets, Barrett emphasised that each payment option must be treated as complementary rather than competitive.
“It should always be complementary. A2A is usually cheaper than cards for higher-value deposits and provides stronger fraud protection because the player authenticates directly with their bank,” he said. “Cards are still the most efficient for repeat, low-value deposits, while wallets remain strong in certain countries and player segments. With no chargebacks, A2A reduces operator losses, but adoption is still uneven, and some banks’ APIs are stronger than others.”
He advised operators to avoid a uniform approach. “The best approach is not one-size-fits-all, not even at the country level.”
Orchestration platforms as essential infrastructure
Barrett also underscored the role of orchestration in iGaming payments, describing it as a requirement rather than an added extra.
“In iGaming, orchestration is not a nice-to-have; it is essential. The sector is highly regulated, and every market has its own requirements,” Barrett said. He explained that orchestration provides a single management layer. “Orchestration platforms give operators a single layer to manage complexity, optimising routing, providing failover resilience, centralising reconciliation and refunds, and applying the right compliance controls for each jurisdiction.”
Partnership with Mastercard
On Thursday, Paytently announced its partnership with Mastercard to launch Paytently Open Banking, a new solution powered by Mastercard Open Finance. The service provides account-to-account payment functionality at checkout, allowing customers to pay directly from their bank while helping merchants improve conversion rates and cash flow.
The launch comes as Mastercard research shows that more than three-quarters of consumers in leading markets already use open banking, with rising demand for instant, account-to-account payments.
Leveraging Mastercard’s open banking network and Paytently’s orchestration technology, the companies said that the solution integrates secure bank authentication, payment initiation, and enhanced reconciliation.
“This collaboration with Mastercard marks a significant step forward in our mission to deliver robust, scalable payment solutions for sectors that demand more from their payments partner,” Barrett said.
Valerie Nowak, EVP, Head of Open Finance APEMEA at Mastercard, said the partnership would expand access to open banking for businesses. “Our collaboration with Paytently brings the benefits of open banking payments to more merchants who value speed, transparency, and flexibility in their transactions,” Nowak stated.
