Challenger banking partnership between Advanced Payment Solutions and MasterCard - Global Banking & Finance Review
Image illustrating the partnership between Advanced Payment Solutions and MasterCard, highlighting their commitment to digital banking solutions for consumers and SMEs. This collaboration enhances financial accessibility.
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CHALLENGER BANKING PROVIDER ADVANCED PAYMENT SOLUTIONS EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP DEAL WITH MASTERCARD FOR 5 MORE YEARS

Published by Gbaf News

Posted on March 20, 2015

2 min read
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Continued collaboration set to focus on providing digital current accounts to consumers SMEs and public sector

APS and MasterCard Extend Partnership

Leading financial services challenger Advanced Payment Solutions (APS) and MasterCard have signed a new deal that extends their successful brand partnership to over 15 years.

Support for Consumers, SMEs, and Public Sector

Working with MasterCard to provide simple, transparent pre-paid card solutions, APS supports nearly 1 million consumers, over 30,000 SMEs and 1 in 5 local authorities.

APS was the first non-bank issuer to become a direct issuer with MasterCard back in 2007. This extended relationship will enable the pair to continue focusing on their core commitment of providing fair and transparent access to banking and payment services.

Digital Account Solutions for Fast Access

Using APS and MasterCard’s solutions, small businesses and consumers – who are typically short on time to secure a traditional bank account – are able to set up a digital account within minutes and start making and receiving payments.

Meanwhile, APS’ public sector clients rely heavily on the service to support the distribution of social care allowances to thousands of benefit recipients. APS is the fastest growing provider of payment solutions to local government, handling over £180 million worth of benefit payments annually.

Industry Firsts and Recent Developments

APS has a long history of ‘firsts’. The news comes as APS signed a deal to collaborate with the Post Office, becoming the first non-bank financial services challenger to offer banking services over Post Office counters throughout the UK..

Leadership Views on the Extended Partnership

Rich Wagner, CEO and founder of APS commented: “Working together over the last decade, APS and MasterCard have committed to providing cutting-edge digital and electronic payment solutions to under-served sectors of the market.

“Extending this successful relationship will enable us to continue innovating our digitally enabled payment offerings and developing ground-breaking account and card solutions that support SMEs, consumers and the public sector.”

Tamer El-Emary, Group Head, Growth Markets at MasterCard UK and Ireland said: “Since collaborating with APS, we have been committed to innovation in the prepaid and current account market, offering simple, transparent online services to SMEs, consumers and local councils.

“We are looking forward to the next phase of our relationship – leveraging the success to-date to continue developing new technologies that provide fair and simple solutions to current account customers.”

Key Takeaways

  • Advanced Payment Solutions (APS) and Mastercard have extended their brand partnership for an additional five years.
  • APS, a non‑bank issuer since 2007, supports digital current accounts for nearly 1 million consumers, 30 000 SMEs, and 20% of local authorities.
  • The extended deal will continue prioritising simple, transparent prepaid card and digital account services, especially for underserved consumers, SMEs, and public sector use cases.
  • APS handles over £180 million annually in benefit payments to local government and recently partnered with the Post Office to offer banking services through branches.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is APS?
Advanced Payment Solutions (APS) is a UK‑based challenger payments provider that became the first non‑bank direct issuer with Mastercard in 2007 and serves consumers, SMEs, and public sector clients.
What does the extended partnership cover?
The five‑year extension continues their collaboration on digital current accounts and prepaid card solutions, with a focus on fair, transparent access to banking for underserved sectors.
How many clients does APS serve?
APS supports nearly 1 million consumers, over 30 000 SMEs, and serves 1 in 5 local authorities in the UK.
What role does APS play in public sector payments?
APS handles more than £180 million annually in benefit payments to local authorities and enables fast setup of digital accounts to distribute social care allowances.
Has APS expanded access beyond digital channels?
Yes, APS recently partnered with the UK Post Office to enable banking services over Post Office counters across the UK.

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