NatWest first UK bank accepted onto UK Open Banking DPS

OpenBankingExpo
09 Feb 2024

NatWest has become the first UK bank to be accepted onto the Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) new Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) as a supplier for Open Banking services.

This development allows all public sector entities in the UK, including central government, local authorities, NHS, police, education providers, devolved administrations and charities, to access NatWest’s Payit Open Banking solutions and Confirmation of Payee (CoP) API, which aids in fraud prevention.

The announcement marks a significant milestone for NatWest, which already has strong ties to the public sector. As the largest supplier of Commercial Cards under CCS’ Payment Solutions 2 framework and one of two ‘House Banks’ on the Government Banking contract, NatWest’s inclusion in the DPS further solidifies its position as a trusted partner.

With this new integration, public sector buyers can tap into a pool of pre-qualified suppliers and benefit from NatWest’s Open Banking solutions.

Mike Elliff, chief executive officer of Payit by NatWest

Mike Elliff, chief executive officer of Payit by NatWest, said: “After becoming the first country in the world to accept tax payments via Open Banking, this DPS will give the public sector access to a pool of pre-qualified suppliers. NatWest is delighted to be the first UK bank appointed to the DPS.

“Open Banking is a key part of the UK financial ecosystem, and seeing it integrated into the public sector is encouraging.”

He added: “Individuals and businesses rely on NatWest to pay and get paid, which is why as a group we’re entrusted with one in four UK transactions. Our proven and secure infrastructure enables billions of payments every day.

“We combine the scale and resilience of a bank with the speed and innovation of a fintech to bring new payment services to our customers quickly and safely.”

Ecospend, which is owned by Trustly, became the first Open Banking provider to be accepted onto the new Open Banking DPS last month.

The Crown Commercial Service, which supports the public sector in achieving maximum commercial value in procurement, has already delivered commercial benefits worth £2.8 billion in the past fiscal year.