Banked Ltd (“Banked”), provider of a new payment method enabling consumers to pay from their existing mobile banking app, today announced the completion of a $20 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by Bank of America and Edenred Capital Partners. Existing investors Acrew, Force Over Mass, Firestartr, OM2, Love Ventures Kuvi Capital and Paul Forster (founder of Indeed.com) have participated again. New investors include Sidekick Partners, 9Yards and Huey Lin (ex-PayPal). This brings the total investment raised to date to over $30 million and the participation of new U.S. based investors supports the company’s plans for U.S. expansion. 

Founded in 2018, Banked is aiming to become the leading provider of alternative card payment methods.  Unlike other mainstream global payment methods, users do not need to create an account or pass any login information to Banked – they simply choose their existing bank at checkout and are securely connected to their mobile banking app to biometrically authenticate the purchase. Total checkout time for a first-time user is under 30 seconds and no financial details are shared with Banked which boosts security. For merchants, costs are significantly lower, transactions take place in real time and settle instantly. The market for Pay by Bank payments is growing rapidly. Recent research by Allied Market Research predicts the market will reach $43 billion by 2026 in Europe alone.  

Kickstarted by regulatory changes across Europe with Open Banking, Banked has focused on developing a unique solution for enterprise clients including Acquirors, Gateways and Payment Providers known as Pay by Bank. The product sits alongside existing payment methods and operates inside existing delivery infrastructure. Banked has established consumer appeal by building a brand, a best-in-class user experience and instant refunds. It has also added incentives including a reward programme with British Airways. 

 “Banked has built a product that can operate inside tier 1 banks, payment providers, gateways and technology platforms to allow them to offer Pay by Bank to their merchants. We have had a maniacal focus on infrastructure, security, and end consumer experience. Our clients only need to focus on integration. We really want to work inside the existing ecosystem and are building out very strong partnerships to deliver Pay by Bank globally. 2022 will see some really big brands go live with Pay by Bank, driving at the heart of delivering innovation at point of purchase to both the merchant and consumer”  

• BRAD GOODALL BANKED CEO

“We are pleased to be a lead investor for Banked and they have already demonstrated a proven ability to develop unique e-Commerce solutions with Pay by Bank. We look forward to seeing the benefits that this investment round will bring to Banked’s fast growing client base.”

• FAIZ AHMAD, HEAD OF GLOBAL TRANSACTION SERVICES, BANK OF AMERICA