Trailblazers revealed as Open Banking Expo Awards 2025 shortlist announced

Open Banking Expo has unveiled the organisations, individuals, teams, initiatives and partnerships shortlisted in the Open Banking Expo Awards 2025, which celebrate excellence and innovation.

This year, more than 100 entries were submitted across 16 categories, with the final shortlist recognising both emerging talent and established names leading the charge in Open Banking, Open Finance and payments.

Overall, 53 companies and 16 individuals made it onto the shortlist, which can be viewed in full here.

Shortlisted entries span categories such as Best Industry Partnership, Best Use of Data, Best Open Banking Payments Project and the return of Open Banking for Good. And new for 2025 is the Champion for Change Award, rewarding those who have actively supported and championed the advancement of women in Open Banking and Open Finance.

Among those shortlisted are:

• Bank of Montreal (BMO), Ozone API, D•One by ClearScore and Contiant for Best Team
• Armalytix, DashDevs, DigitalAPI, Flagright, Ozone API and Yaspa for Best Regulatory Open Banking Initiative
• Acquired.com, Millennium bcp and Payit by NatWest for Best Customer Experience
• Allica Bank & Yapily, MoneySuite, APPsolute & InfoVision and DigitalAPI for Best Open Banking Payments Project – Commercial
• Jane Barratt of MX, Lisa Scott of TrueLayer, Nihal Abughattas of Ozone API, Saba Shariff of Symcor and Shweta Shetty of Deloitte, were all shortlisted in the Women in Open Banking – Woman of the Year award.

And of course, the Ted Sidgwick Pioneer Award will be awarded at the judges’ discretion on the night.

Joris Hensen of Deutsche Bank and a member of the Open Banking Expo Awards 2025 judging panel

From this year’s judging panel, Joris Hensen, Co-Founder, Deutsche Bank API Program, Deutsche Bank, said: “I’m delighted to be part of this year’s judging panel, no doubt making the final selection will prove quite a task. Every year the bar gets higher, and this year is no exception.

“The variety and quality of entries reflect a sector that is not only growing in complexity but maturing with confidence and purpose. Judging day is fast approaching, and we’re looking forward to selecting this year’s winners.”

Winners of the Open Banking Expo Awards 2025 will be announced on 21 October, following Day One of Open Banking Expo UK & Europe, held at the Business Design Centre in London.

Kelly Stanley, Co-founder and Director of Open Banking Expo, added: “The calibre of this year’s entries is a true reflection of the evolution and maturity of Open Banking. We’re delighted to see organisations from a broad spectrum of sectors – from fintechs and banks to startups and social impact initiatives – recognised for their contribution to building a more open, inclusive and data-driven financial ecosystem.”

For more information about the awards and judging panel, visit www.openbankingexpo.com/awards.