Archie, a next generation payments and data platform, today launches with a promise to support the UK’s businesses, including underserved small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), whilst educating consumers on the vast potential of Open Banking.

Founded by Graham Nyman and Bhavesh Nayi, who have an extensive background in digital transformation and technology, Archie offers a more inherently human experience in a jargon-heavy market, helping business owners and their customers to realise the full benefits of Open Banking and data sharing.

Archie’s platform powers a user-friendly solution that enables its partners, including SMEs and larger corporations, to create consent-driven payment and data experiences. Partners can set up these journeys in minutes, without the need for any coding and personalised to their own branding.

Small business owners can now add faster and more cost-effective Open Banking payments to their existing payment methods using ‘pay by link’ and QR codes, whilst Archie’s end-to-end solution identifies the benefits of Open Banking data to their specific business. This includes real-time balances and KYC services, but also transactional categorisation and merchant identification data that enables businesses to offer products and services that help customers manage their money better.

Recent research by Mastercard revealed more than two-thirds (69%) of small business owners in the UK believe there is a ‘cost of doing business’ crisis running in tandem with the much-publicised cost of living crisis. Archie is therefore a timely entrant to the Open Banking sector, giving business owners the ability to streamline their payment journeys and save up to 70% in transaction fees as they battle tough economic conditions.

Archie is also committed to educating consumers about the possibilities prompted by Open Banking and data sharing. A white paper created by the company to support its launch, ‘The Elephant in the Room’, has highlighted that whilst 82% of consumers would share their financial data in return for the right incentive, 78% are still unsure about what Open Banking actually is, and what it can achieve. And this is where the opportunities lie, if the benefits are communicated clearly.

Graham Nyman, Co-Founder, Archie, said: “Archie was conceived when Bhavesh and I were sitting in my garden during the pandemic. We were exploring Open Banking, and were frankly confused and turned off by the jargon. People don’t trust what they don’t understand, and this is the elephant in the room. The underlying issue stems from a lack of education by the industry, and this is something we’re seeking to address.”

“Archie is all about education and accessibility, both for Britain’s businesses and their customers, for whom data unlocks a host of possibilities. With our platform, SMEs can plug in and just pay for what they use. We think of ourselves as a speedboat on the cusp of innovation, moving swiftly ahead of the game – developing, iterating and releasing smart data products.”

Bhavesh Nayi, Co-Founder, Archie, added: “We have a passion-led, problem-solving and innovation-driven team. We’re mentors at heart, and by background, and we’re striving to illuminate society on the many benefits of Open Banking.”

“Britain’s businesses are understandably worried about their P&L. We’re providing the right tools to reduce payment costs whilst also providing data-driven insights that will help them better understand, and serve, their customers, increasing lifetime value.”

“Think about a company like Nike or Adidas. They have apps that track how far people run, how much they exercise and so on. If they were to use Archie data, it would also provide usable insights into a user’s spending behaviours. For example, they may have a monthly gym membership and be signed up to Apple’s Fitness+. Tracking this activity via the app, and data trends and behaviour from Archie, the likes of Nike could then reward their customers and provide lifestyle information that would enrich the customer’s life.”