Tim Johnson

Tim Johnson is an accomplished strategy and product director with over twenty years’ experience shaping and delivering strategic initiatives across the financial services sector with a particular focus on payments, open banking, and smart data. He is a passionate advocate for secure, consent-driven data sharing, recognising its critical role in driving innovation and advancing financial inclusion.

Tim has an extensive track record of delivering complex payments and open banking projects, including international acquiring strategies, M&A, and partnerships for Barclays, US Bank and NatWest, as well as open banking initiatives for the UK’s Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE) and fintech start-up Raidiam. As one of the original pioneers at OBIE, Tim played a key role in shaping the UK’s open banking policy and strategy from inception through to implementation.

Over the past seven years, Tim has led efforts to extend and internationalise the UK’s open banking approach, supporting the adoption of these frameworks and technologies in new sectors and markets, including Brazil and Australia. As a recognised thought leader, he has published research on the cross-sector application of authentication, authorisation, identity, and access management—foundational elements for any digital ecosystem.

Tim joined NatWest in 2023 and is now leading the bank’s Digital Identity and Verification Strategy, investigating options for secure and scalable solutions to support the bank’s digital ambitions.