Adyen and Starling Bank have partnered to bring contactless payment acceptance directly into the Starling app for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers in the UK. The collaboration launches with Tap-to-Pay, a feature that allows SME merchants to accept card and digital wallet payments on eligible smartphones without additional hardware, with payment links for the app's invoicing tool to follow later this year.
Embedded payments for SME cash flow
The Tap-to-Pay feature uses near-field communication (NFC) technology to process contactless payments, with support for PIN entry on-device and accessibility options built in. Transaction data and card details are not stored on the device or on external servers, with security managed through the device's own infrastructure. Once a business owner completes onboarding within the Starling app, the feature can be activated and is ready to process payments within minutes. Funds settle into the merchant's Starling account the following business day.
A notable aspect of the integration is that SME customers interact with the payment process entirely within the Starling app, without being redirected to Adyen's platform. Adyen's technology is embedded directly into the banking app, meaning onboarding, settlement, and refunds are all managed within the same ecosystem. This positions the offering as a more unified alternative to traditional merchant acquiring arrangements, where businesses typically manage separate relationships with their bank and their payment processor.
The partnership reflects a broader trend in the SME banking segment, where digital banks are expanding beyond basic account services to offer embedded commerce tools. For Starling, which has built its customer base among UK small businesses, adding payment acceptance to its existing free invoicing tool extends its value proposition as an operational platform rather than a standalone current account provider.
Later in 2026, Starling plans to add payment links to its in-app invoicing feature, enabling SME customers to collect card and mobile wallet payments from their clients directly through the invoicing workflow. The timeline for that rollout has not been specified.
Sami Kade, Director of Customer Solutions at Starling, described the intent as helping small businesses get paid more quickly and easily, adding that reducing friction in payment collection allows business owners to focus on running and growing their operations. An Adyen representative framed the collaboration as bridging the gap between payment processing and daily financial management for UK SMEs, supported by the banking infrastructure of both companies.
