Payment Expert’s Fintech Unwrapped delivers the latest and developing news that has shaped the sector over the course of the week.
This week, Visa has worked alongside three partners to help complete the first account-to-account (A2A) payment method via its Open Banking solution.
Also this week, Mastercard delves deeper into Agentic Commerce with a payment launch in the United Arab Emirates, Wero adds a new partner in Europe, and Zopa is now offering investment accounts with up to 9.3% on returns.
Visa hails ‘transformative’ first UK A2A payment
Visa announced it completed its first recurring payment via its account-to-account (A2A) solution in the UK alongside Kroo Bank, Utilita and Tink.
On November 19, Tink initiated the transaction on behalf of the payer, Kroo Bank acted as the payer financial institution to send in real-time, while Utilita created the commercial variable recurring payment method via its app.
Visa A2A orchestrated the transaction and the operating model.
Visa A2A is designed to work for all participants within the payment ecosystem, enabling them to make real-time, A2A bank transfer payments to pay for bills, subscriptions and other payments powered by Open Banking.
“This breakthrough demonstrates how industry collaboration is transforming the way consumers and businesses manage recurring payments,” said Mark Wilcocks, VP Head of Product and Solutions, Visa UK & Ireland. “For consumers, it means greater control, transparency, and security when paying bills – no more surprises or delays.”
Mastercard’s Agentic Commerce payment tool lands in UAE
Mastercard debuted its e-commerce AI payment service Agent Pay in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on November 19.
The pilot launch sees Mastercard work alongside UAE-based retailer Majid Al Futtaim to integrate Agent Pay, enabling cardholders to use their preferred AI agents to search and make payments in an automated manner.
“As AI becomes a trusted companion in people’s digital lives, payments must evolve to match its intelligence with integrity. Mastercard Agent Pay ensures that agentic commerce is built on transparency, consent and security, empowering consumers and businesses to engage confidently in this new era of commerce,” said Dimitrios Dosis, President of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mastercard.
SBS supports Wero’s growth across Europe
SBS confirmed it has integrated the European Payments Initiative’s (EPI) digital wallet Wero for its 1,5000 financial institution clients.
SBS will be fully compliant with the EPI roadmap for Wero in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany, achieved by embedding Wero into existing digital infrastructure to eliminate compliance friction.
“We’re helping banks turn regulatory change into opportunity. With Wero integration, expanded regulatory coverage, and new standards like FDX and Berlin Group V2, institutions can deliver innovative services faster, securely, and at scale, without the burden of ongoing compliance and updates,” said Nicolas de Genot, Open Banking Lead Product Manager at SBS.
Zopa launches investment accounts with 9.3% returns
Zopa entered into the investments market on November 20 by launching Zopa Investments to help 15 million British customers to hold and grow their cash.
Designed for first-time investors, Zopa will offer two funds, Balanced and Bold, with record of 4.5% and 9.3% average annual returns, respectively. Zopa will also introduce Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Funds are by Invesco and accounts can be connected to Zopa using Upvest’s API infrastructure.
Zopa Investments are being rolled out in beta to existing customers before becoming available to the wider public in early 2026.
Klarna on Apple Pay grows to three new countries
Klarna became available on Apple Pay in Denmark, Spain and its native Sweden on November 18.
The launch intends to bring greater flexibility and transparency to Apple Pay customers in these countries, with its Buy Now, Pay Later payment methods available to eligible users checking out online and in-app with an iPhone or iPad, and in-store on an iPhone.
“Our continued expansion into even more countries will give even more people the freedom and flexibility to choose how and when they pay — all with the seamless, secure Apple Pay experience they already love and use,” said Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Co-Founder and CEO of Klarna.
If you would like to read from Payment Expert this week, sign up to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter, ‘This Week In Payments’, featuring the biggest news stories and in-depth features from within fintech, payments, crypto and more.
