Updated Mar 25, 2026

Open Banking for iGaming

The fastest-growing payment method in iGaming. 50% of Nordic deposits. 40% UK growth year-over-year. Cheaper than cards, zero chargebacks, instant payouts. Trustly vs Brite: the independent comparison.

Open Banking is the fastest-growing payment method in iGaming. In the Nordics it handles 50% of deposits. In the UK it's growing 40% year-over-year. The SEPA Instant mandate (2025) is about to accelerate adoption across all of the EU. For operators: cheaper than cards, zero chargebacks, higher approval rates, instant payouts.

Two providers dominate: Trustly (12,000+ banks, 30+ markets) and Brite (3,800+ banks, 20+ markets, challenger pricing). Every page about Open Banking in iGaming is written by one of them. This is the independent comparison.

50%

Nordic deposit share

0.5-2%

Transaction cost

0

Chargebacks

<6 sec

Deposit speed

Why Open Banking Is Beating Cards

MetricCardsOpen BankingAdvantage
Operator cost3-7%0.5-2%Save 2-5% per tx
Chargeback risk2-4% ratio0%. irrevocableEliminates chargebacks
Decline rate20-40%5-8%2-5x more deposits
Deposit speedInstant (auth)Instant (actual transfer)Tie
Payout speed1-5 days or $1-3 pushInstant-1 hourDramatically faster
SettlementT+2-7T+0-1Faster cash flow
Compliance dataLimitedRich (income, spending)Enables affordability checks
Regulatory trendCredit bans expandingMandated (PSD2, SEPA)OB is the direction

Before: Card-Heavy ($1M/mo)

70% cards, 30% e-wallets

Cards: $700K × 5% = $35,000

E-wallets: $300K × 2% = $6,000

Chargeback losses: ~$7,000

Total: $48,000/mo

After: OB-Optimized ($1M/mo)

40% cards, 30% OB, 30% e-wallets

Cards: $400K × 5% = $20,000

Open Banking: $300K × 1% = $3,000

E-wallets: $300K × 2% = $6,000

OB chargebacks: $0

Total: $29,000/mo

Savings: $19,000/mo = $228,000/year

Why Cards Still Matter (Honest Take)

Global coverage. OB works in EU/UK. Cards work everywhere.
Player habit. some prefer cards, especially Southern EU, US.
Credit use cases. where allowed, high-rollers prefer credit.
Fallback: if OB provider has downtime, cards as backup.

Optimal: OB as primary for EU/UK, cards as secondary + global coverage.

Trustly vs Brite: Head-to-Head

TrustlyTrustlyBriteBrite
Founded20082019
Markets30+ European20+ European
Bank Connections12,000+3,800+
Users Processed112M+Growing
Deposit SpeedInstantInstant
Payout SpeedInstant (most markets)Instant (most markets)
Data EngineAzura. 1.2B data pointsStandard OB data
Pay N Play✓ Pioneer⚠ Supports similar
Affordability (UK)✓ Income/spending data✓ Available
API QualityMature, documentedModern, lean
Integration2-4 weeks1-3 weeks
PricingPremiumCompetitive
ClientsBetsson, Kindred, LeoVegasGrowing (newer operators)
Score
7.2
6.6
Trustly

Trustly

Top Pick
7.2
Market leader. #1 OB for iGaming (GamblingIQ). 15+ years. Betsson, Kindred, LeoVegas.
Azura data engine: 1.2B data points, personalizes payment flow per player.
Pay N Play: deposit + register simultaneously. Massive conversion uplift.
12,000+ banks across 30+ markets. Deepest EU/UK coverage.
UK affordability data via OB (income, spending patterns).
Premium pricing. market leader charges accordingly.
Prefers medium-to-large operators. Small startups may get less attention.
Deep integration (Pay N Play, Azura) = harder to switch later.

Best for: Medium-to-large EU operators, Nordics-focused, UK affordability needs

Full Review
Brite

Brite

Recommended
6.6
Challenger speed. built 2019, modern tech, lean API.
Competitive pricing to win market share.
Instant deposits AND withdrawals in supported markets.
Clean, developer-friendly documentation. 1-3 week integration.
iGaming core vertical, understands gambling requirements.
Smaller network: 3,800 vs 12,000 banks. Less coverage in some markets.
No Azura equivalent. no advanced personalization engine.
Pay N Play less mature than Trustly's version.
6 years vs 17 years. less battle-tested at scale.

Best for: Smaller/newer operators, cost-sensitive, fast integration

Full Review

Choosing between Trustly and Brite comes down to two questions. First: do you need Pay N Play (deposit + register in one step)? If yes, Trustly is the only real option. They invented it, they have the deepest integration, and it delivers measurable conversion uplift in Nordics. Second: is budget a constraint? Brite undercuts Trustly on pricing because they're in market-capture mode. For a mid-size operator launching in Nordics, that pricing difference compounds. The smart move for larger operators: use both. Trustly for Nordics (Pay N Play, deepest bank coverage), Brite for expanding EU markets (competitive rates, modern API). If one has downtime, the other catches deposits. Dual-provider only makes sense above $500K/month in OB volume.

Market Coverage: Where OB Works

SEPA Instant mandate (2025) will push OB from 10-20% to 30-50% across most EU markets in 2-3 years. If you're not on OB by end 2026 in EU, you're leaving money on the table.

MarketOB AdoptionBank CoveragePayout SpeedStatus
Sweden50%+ExcellentInstantMature
Finland40-50%ExcellentInstantMature
Norway35-45%ExcellentInstantMature
Denmark30-40%GoodInstant-1hrMature
UK15-20%ExcellentInstant-minGrowing fast
Germany15-20%Good1-24hrGrowing
Netherlands10-15%Good1-24hrEmerging
Poland10-15%Good1-24hrGrowing
Baltics15-25%GoodInstant-1hrGrowing
Spain/Italy5-10%Medium1-24hrEarly
Brazil<5%EmergingInstant (PIX)PIX = de facto OB
US<3%Limited1-3 daysVery early
Asia/Africa<2%MinimalN/ANot viable

OB as a Compliance Tool

UK Affordability

UKGC requires affordability checks at £125/mo net loss. With OB: player consents → bank data pulled in seconds → automated assessment → instant decision. Without OB: manual document request → payslips → 24-48h delay.

Zero Chargebacks

Shift 30% from cards to OB → chargeback ratio drops 25-35%. Example: 0.9% ratio (danger zone) → 0.63% (safe). No fraud tool purchase needed for that portion.

KYC Enhancement

OB payment = bank-verified identity. Player logged into bank = confirmed identity holder. Some providers pass verified name, address, DOB. Strong first KYC layer.

Other Open Banking Providers

Trustly and Brite cover 90% of EU/UK use cases. These are niche or regional alternatives.

ProviderFocusMarketsiGamingNotable
VoltA2A paymentsEU, UK, BrazilPartialBrazil Open Banking: rare
NodaOB gatewayEU, UKPartialUK-focused, competitive
TrueLayerOB infrastructureUK, EUPartialStrong UK, compliance tools
YaspaPay by bankUKYes20% deposit share within 3 months at some operators
ZimplerOB + wallet hybridNordics, EUYesPopular in Sweden
AeropayPay by bankUSYes. US focusOnly in-house A2A for US iGaming

How to Add Open Banking

Integration Timeline (4-8 weeks)

1

Choose provider

1-2 weeks

Evaluate based on market coverage, pricing, features

2

Contract + onboarding

1-2 weeks

KYC on your company, compliance review

3

Deposit integration

1-2 weeks

Redirect flow → bank login → confirmation → webhook

4

Payout integration

1 week

Initiate payout → confirmation → webhook

5

Testing

3-5 days

Real bank accounts in sandbox/production

6

Cashier UX

1 week

"Pay by Bank" placement, bank logos, mobile optimization

7

Go live

Same day

Soft launch → monitor → full rollout

Cashier UX Best Practices

Name it "Pay by Bank". not "Open Banking" (players don't know the term)
Position in top 3 cashier options. Don't bury below 5 other methods.
Show "Instant deposit" badge. Players value speed.
Display logos of major banks in player's country. Builds trust.
Pre-select bank for returning players. one-click deposit.
Mobile-first: bank auth is often in-app. OB flow must be mobile-native.

FAQ

Compare Open Banking Providers

Read the full Trustly and Brite reviews with scoring across 6 criteria.