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Product
Visa launches A2A 'pay by bank' platform with card-like protections in the UK
What happened
On 2 June 2025 Visa announced Visa A2A, a UK pay-by-bank platform bringing card-like consumer protections, a common rulebook, API standard, commercial model and disputes framework to account-to-account payments for bills, subscriptions and, later, e-commerce. Launch partners include Nationwide, TSB, Checkout.com, Plaid, Tink, Kroo, Utilita and others; Visa cited potential to unlock significant value for UK fintech. Kroo, Utilita and Tink later completed the first commercial VRP via Visa A2A.
Why it matters
Visa entering A2A acknowledges open banking as a structural payments rail and positions the network to monetise pay-by-bank and VRP rather than be disintermediated — a notable move as UK open-banking and EU instant payments scale.
What to watch
Visa A2A live volumes and bank coverage, cVRP rollout, how Visa prices A2A versus card interchange, and whether it extends the model beyond the UK.
Sources
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