Sylvain Fourny, Head of Products, Digital & Fraud at Worldline, shares why A2A payments fit high-value billing and transactions.
Open Banking-enabled account-to-account (A2A) payments are increasingly considered a dedicated channel for high-value, cross-border, or recurring bill payments. Rather than replacing cards outright, the stance on A2A is of a complementary solution able to handle larger transactions and complex workflows more efficiently than traditional bill payment methods. The Bank Transfer by Worldline solution exemplifies this very approach, integrated into our broader payments suite.
How A2A payments fit high-value billing
A2A payments’ main appeal in the bill-pay space is the ability to directly initiate a payer’s funds transfer from their account to the acquirer or merchant’s collecting account, with settlement (typically a short window) aligned to contractual terms. For merchants, this can lead to more predictable cash flow, improved payment visibility, and less of the operational complexities typical of manual bill-processing workflows. A2A is particularly relevant for large, non-card-centric verticals with high-value or recurring payments.
Implementing A2A for bill-pay – most discussed benefits and features
- Open Banking payment initiation service (PIS) with funds collection and currency conversion for cross-border use cases;
- Integration within a payment suite, including branding options and a payer experience customisable to the merchant;
- End-to-end processing support, from fraud monitoring, reporting, and reconciliation, to both internal and external gateways compatibility;
- Real-time payments (RTPs) status notifications for either initiation or collection accounts;
- Coordination with account initiation services (AIS) to simplify new market entry, including country-specific licensing requirements;
- Operational efficiencies (e.g., multiple collecting accounts to reduce cross-border friction, mobile-, web-, or app-optimised flows).
A2A payments – billing target verticals, use cases, and market potential
For large billers, A2A is often attractive in sectors where cash and bank transfers are standard, and card acceptance is not the primary channel. Relevant verticals include government and public services, tax payments, educational institutions, insurance, civic and charitable organisations, and related large public bodies. In these contexts, A2A can align with known payment behaviours and support high-value transactions, with lower friction and better reconciliation than traditional bill payments.
Where cross-border bill payments are common, A2A has additional regulatory and licensing requirements. Cross-border flows may require complementary AIS alongside PIS in certain markets, particularly where local payment behaviours and tourism intersect. Regulations, like PSD2 and related framework elements, influence A2A payment initiation, processing, and reporting, including authentication and risk controls; merchants and providers must comply for A2A’s full cross-border potential.
A2A payments – regulation and compliance
PSD3 and the PSR framework will reshape Open Banking and A2A payments by tightening licensing, API standards, and risk controls. Implied upgrades include harmonised AIS/PIS access and governance across markets, stronger, more prescriptive Secure Customer Authentication (SCA) requirements for payment initiation and data access, and expanded reimbursement obligations for authorised push payment (APP) scams. Liability rules also tighten, making third-party providers more accountable for payments failures or fraud.
PSD3 also broadens data sharing with issuers, enabling signal monitoring (e.g., location, timing, devices, transaction history, session data, and IP) to support risk-based decisioning and potentially increase approval rates and data privacy. For merchants, regulatory readiness is a central milestone, affecting cross-border pilots, currency handling, and the ability to deploy A2A in multiple regions within a unified, Open Banking– driven payments ecosystem.
A2A and bill payments: implications for merchants and the payments ecosystem
Adopting A2A as a bill-pay channel implies changes to how high-value payments are initiated, tracked, and reconciled. While A2A benefits translate into better cash visibility and potentially less manual administrative overhead, merchants must assess regulatory readiness, licensing implications in cross-border contexts, and the integration required to harmonise A2A with existing card and other payment rails.
Conclusion
A2A payments, including Bank Transfer by Worldline, fit a merchant payments niche focused on large, high-value bill payments and cross-border settlement workflows. While cards remain dominant for most everyday spend and in-store transactions, A2A offers a channel-specific solution for bill-driven use cases where traditional methods lag in efficiency and cost. As regulatory environments evolve and cross-border capabilities mature, A2A payments’ relevance to merchants will be more defined, particularly in sectors where cash and direct bank transfers are the norm, and high-ATV transactions are essential.
This editorial piece was first published in The Paypers' Account-to-Account Payments Report 2026, which features insights into global trends, technologies, partnerships, and the next phase of the A2A evolution. Access the full report to understand where the A2A payments ecosystem stands today and what’s next.
About the author
Sylvain Fourny is Head of Products within Worldline's Digital & Fraud division, bringing more than 20 years of experience across banking, retail, data, mobile, AI, and payments. He specialises in emerging payment models, with a strong focus on how innovative channels such as A2A can reshape high-value, cross-border, and recurring payment flows. Combining deep industry expertise with a forward-looking product vision, Sylvain helps financial institutions cut through the complexity of the modern payments landscape.
About Worldline
Worldline is Europe's leading operator of critical infrastructure and payment services. With a presence across the entire value chain, the Group offers its customers unique expertise in processing and securing their payments, thereby promoting their growth. Worldline is leveraging its 2030 strategic plan and its technological innovation capabilities to build the European reference payment partner for merchants and financial institutions, with over 1.2 million customers.
