Every startup founder dreams of control. Building a sleek payment system in-house feels bold, innovative and even empowering. After all, Stripe began as a small project - why not follow the same path? The idea of owning every detail of the payment experience can be intoxicating. But behind that dream lies a reality few anticipate: endless complexity, hidden expenses and a dangerous distraction from the core product.
Scroll through any UK-regulated Forex broker's website and you will spot two payment options anchoring the deposit screen: "Instant Bank Transfer (Open Banking)" and "Skrill Wallet." They may look like interchangeable buttons, yet each represents a different philosophy of moving money. Open banking pulls sterling straight from a user's bank account via the Faster Payments rail; Skrill stores multiple currencies inside a private wallet that can be topped up with cards, other wallets, or even crypto.
Despite the digital nature of our industry, the way we handle invoices is still largely manual and outdated. This effort reflects our commitment to modernizing digital advertising infrastructure, which will enable scalable, tech-forward solutions that work across platforms and stakeholders.
Finding a partner to support us in transforming our payment acceptance business... demonstrates clear execution of our three-year plan to become a simpler, better and more balanced bank.
"I think the approach we've taken is to, instead of kind of make AI the end goal... we kind of ask ourselves, okay, what is really our end goal as a business, right?"