FDATA North America December Newsletter

by rebecca

FDATA North America Monthly Newsletter for December 2024

Welcome to FDATA North America’s monthly newsletter! These regular dispatches will share developments from our organization and our 30+ member companies, all of which are promoting financial access and inclusion with open finance use cases. We also include a list of upcoming industry events, and coverage of any market developments that impact fintech innovators. Know someone who’d like to receive these monthly updates? Send them here to sign up.

FDATA North America News

FDATA North America Statement on the CFPB’s Final Larger Participant Rule. On November 21, 2024, FDATA North America (FDATA) expressed disappointment with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) final rule defining larger participants in the digital payment application market, criticizing its failure to distinguish between digital wallet providers that hold consumer assets and platforms that merely store other payment methods. Steve Boms, FDATA’s Executive Director, stated that while FDATA supports the CFPB’s efforts to enhance consumer protection and financial transparency, the inclusion of payment facilitators under the rule introduces significant compliance costs for non-bank platforms without delivering additional consumer benefits. Boms warned that this approach could stifle innovation, limit competition, and reduce the availability of low-cost, efficient payment options, urging the CFPB to reconsider its framework to better balance regulation with market innovation. Read the full statement here.

Member News & Activity

Codat was featured in Fintech Futures during Money20/20 USA 2024, where Chief Revenue Officer Joey Rault joined Jesse Schwarz, Executive Director of Fintech Partnerships at JP Morgan Chase, to discuss innovations in B2B payments. Their conversation highlighted trends in the B2B payments space, emphasizing how businesses can leverage new technologies to enhance control over their payment systems. They explored the advantages of real-time payments (RTP) over traditional methods like checks and shared best practices for modernizing tech stacks, including the benefits of automation and virtual cards.

Envestnet and Pontera published a press release announcing the integration of Envestnet’s BillFin solution with Pontera’s platform to streamline 401(k) account billing for financial advisors. This collaboration enables advisors to efficiently calculate fees, create invoices, and manage payments while offering seamless billing for workplace retirement account management.

Flinks published a blog analyzing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) finalization of Section 1033, which mandates that financial institutions provide consumers with secure access to their financial data. The rule, finalized on October 22, 2024, aims to enhance competition, privacy, and innovation in financial services by empowering consumers to share their data with authorized third parties. Flinks emphasized that data providers must invest in compliance and technology to meet obligations such as secure API interfaces, adapt to increased competition, and leverage partnerships with fintechs to remain agile and customer-focused in this evolving financial landscape.

GoCardless published a press release announcing the expansion of its partnership with Aryza Group, a leading financial software provider, to integrate open banking-powered payment solutions into Aryza’s platform. As part of the agreement, Aryza will incorporate GoCardless’ Instant Bank Pay (IBP) feature into its Aryza Lend software in 2025, offering merchants an alternative to traditional card transactions and reducing associated costs.

MX‘s Chief Advocacy Officer and Head of Global Public Policy, Jane Barratt, critiqued the CFPB’s Section 1033 final rule in her Open Banker op-ed, highlighting potential disruptions from its annual reauthorization requirement for third-party financial data access. While acknowledging the intent to enhance security and control, she warned the rule risked breaking user experiences and stifling innovation. Barratt advocated for a risk-based, nuanced approach to reauthorization that balanced privacy protections with convenience to fulfill the promise of Open Banking.

Plaid partnered with Fintech Takes to break down key parts of the playbook for navigating the new landscape of open banking following the CFPB’s Section 1033 rule. The article highlights how the rule shifts open banking from a market-driven model to a regulated environment where all financial institutions must participate, fostering smoother consumer experiences and greater fairness in competition. Key takeaways include the mandate for APIs as the industry standard, requirements for data sharing and authorization, and the need for financial services companies to simultaneously act as data providers and recipients to thrive in this evolving ecosystem.

Trustly‘s Director of Regulatory and Public Affairs, Matt Janiga, critiqued government efforts to enhance competition in payments in his Open Banker op-ed, questioning whether actions like the CFPB’s Section 1033 rule and Visa antitrust suit will drive meaningful change. While acknowledging progress, Janiga argued that outdated regulations, entrenched gatekeeping by financial giants, and barriers to portability continue to stifle innovation and consumer choice. He called for modernizing outdated credit-debit distinctions, addressing antitrust issues in banking, improving data portability, and treating similar payment transactions consistently to truly promote a competitive and consumer-friendly payments ecosystem.

Events and Submission Deadlines

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