Payments UK


Payments UK predicts debit cards to overtake cash in 2018

Rapid growth in the use of contactless cards means cash will be overtaken as Britain’s most frequently used payment method by the end of 2018, according to trade association Payments UK (soon to become UK Finance). Despite this surge, its latest forecast still does not herald the demise of cash – even in ten years’ […]

Six into one with new UK financial services trade association

Bob Wigley, the former chairman of the collapsed Yellow Pages, will be the chair of a new financial services trade association, which will bring together six member organisations across the UK. It hasn’t got a name yet, but the new moniker and brand “will be decided in due course” and launched in the summer. The […]

Cheques: the age of dinosaurs

There is little doubt that there is some very innovative work being carried out in the payments world. Digital technologies, including distributed ledger and artificial intelligence, are beginning to be applied to retail and corporate payments. But in the age of digital finance, a dinosaur of payments – cheques – persist.

Open banking APIs will require a rulebook to ensure “good outcome”

Efforts to develop standards for banks to provide third-party access to customer account information are at risk of fragmentation under pressure from tight deadlines, a lack of clarity about the technical requirements and competing domestic proposals. At a conference in London last week arranged by industry body Payments UK, delegates heard that this will lead […]

BBA to merge with three trade associations to create major industry body

British Bankers Association (BBA) has secured the go-ahead from its members to merge with three other UK-based trade associations: Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), Payments UK and UK Cards Association. The new trade association will be have a broader representation of the financial services industry. Anthony Browne, CEO of BBA, comments that it is only […]

UK debit cards to overtake cash payments by 2021

Debit cards are on track to topple cash in 2021, when they will take over as the UK’s most frequently used payment method, according to trade association Payments UK. In its report, “UK Payment Markets 2016”, which looks at current and future payment behaviour in the UK, it reveals over 72,000 payments were made every […]

Payments UK launches new support service, signs Faster Payments as the first taker

Payments UK’s new service – Standards Collaboration Framework – offers institutions support in the implementation of industry standards. The first taker has already been onboarded. This is Faster Payments Scheme Limited (FPSL). Payments UK says the customer “will use the central, well-maintained ‘library’ to simplify how its industry stakeholders access and receive notifications about updated […]

ISO 20022 message guidelines approved and published

ISO 20022 Registration Management Group, the senior global registration body, has approved the ISO 20022 message guidelines – they have now been published. The new guidelines were developed by the ISO Real-Time Payments Group (RTPG) and facilitated by Payments UK, the representative of the country’s payments industry. Payments UK describes this development as “an important […]

Why the ‘World Class Payments in the UK’ report is of global significance

The UK’s payments system infrastructure is widely recognised as market-leading. However, evolving customer expectations and innovation in the fintech sector dictate that now is no time to rest on laurels. Work must begin today to develop the payments experience that will be taken for granted in 20 years.

Mobile to take lead in payments over the next five years

Mobile phones will take an increasingly leading role in the payments space over the next five years as a result of technologies that allow safe storage of payment details in smartphones, according to a report prepared by the Consult Hyperion on behalf of Payments UK.

World Class Payments take shape in the UK

advances in technology, and particularly consumer demand, are driving change and making the payments environment an interesting place to be in the years ahead

Harmonisation of ISO 20022 is crucial – but who should be in charge?

It seems not a day goes by without seeing those three little letters and five numbers – ISO 20022 – appearing in headlines or articles. But hang on a minute, what’s all the commotion about? It’s just another message format that I need to make sure my systems can handle, right?

Payments infrastructures must support innovation says regulator

New payments options are springing up all over the place – except for the underlying infrastructure where current arrangement for access and governance may be a hinderance to innovation, according to the head of the UK’s Payment Systems Regulator.