As retailers across Europe prepare for the busiest trading period of the year, the checkout experience has emerged as a decisive factor in customer satisfaction and conversion. What was once a single day of discounts has evolved into a month‑long shopping marathon, with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Super Saturday creating intense pressure on retailers to deliver seamless journeys across every channel.

Donal McGuinness, CEO of Prommt, underscores that checkout optimisation and fraud prevention are now central to success. Logistics, inventory management, and customer service remain vital, but the payment stage has become the hidden star of retail performance. A smooth, branded, and secure checkout not only protects revenue but also builds trust and loyalty at the most critical moment of the customer journey.

Discover how SEPA Instant Payments and Open Banking are reshaping the future of transactions. In this interview, Donal McGuinness, CEO of Prommt, shares insights on payment speed, security, and guest satisfaction—plus what the EU’s Instant Payments Regulation means for businesses and consumers. Tune in for a forward-looking conversation on innovation, inclusion, and the evolving payments landscape.

At the Open Banking Expo in London this October, the message was clear: open banking has moved beyond experimentation to become a proven model delivering billions in value. What began as a regulatory initiative has evolved into a global movement reshaping how businesses and consumers interact with money. The strongest themes from the event were the rapid adoption of Pay by Bank across multiple sectors, its growing role in high‑value transactions, and the momentum building toward a broader open banking ecosystem. Together, these developments highlight a future where payments are faster, more secure, and more customer‑centric.

Pay by Bank stood out as a powerful example of this shift, moving from niche to mainstream in industries such as automotive, hospitality, luxury retail, insurance, and sports. Businesses are embracing it for its speed, security, and lower costs, while customers value the seamless experience. Case studies ranged from a UK car retailer collecting £33 million in its first month to hospitality clients processing high‑value bookings and memberships worth tens of thousands. These examples underscore how open banking is creating tangible value today, while the next frontier—open banking—promises even deeper integration across pensions, insurance, mortgages, and investments, paving the way for a fully connected financial ecosystem.