This confirms we will not, at this stage, prioritise a Competition Act 1998 (CA98) investigation into the centralised ‘access fee’ pricing model being developed by the UK Payments Initiative (UKPI) for commercial Variable Recurring Payments (cVRPs).  

cVRPs are an emerging open banking technology that allow consumers to give trusted third parties secure, recurring access to manage payments on their behalf. They have the potential to offer consumers and businesses control and convenience, while enabling lower-cost, more flexible payment options for businesses.

After engaging with the funders of the UKPI, we and the PSR worked at pace to clarify our enforcement position on the UKPI’s proposal for a commercial model and consulted with the CMA about our planned non-prioritisation statement given concurrency arrangements. The statement will give UKPI certainty to continue developing its cVRP product – including for certain regulated financial services, utilities and public sector payments – without delay.  

This supports our strategy to make cVRPs a reality, giving people more control over their payments and lower processing fees for businesses.  

On 15 January 2026, we and the PSR wrote to the CMA (PDF) to set out our position.  

On 16 January 2026, the CMA confirmed to us and the PSRLink is external that, based on the information available to it, it does not intend to take a different position on CA98 prioritisation to that of us and the PSR.  The CMA is keen to ensure that businesses are not deterred from collaborating in ways that may be beneficial to consumers or the wider economy because of uncertainty about how competition law applies.  

Bridge to a long-term framework

This is a temporary measure ahead of the government’s anticipated legislative framework, expected by the end of 2026. It applies until that framework is in place or until July 2027, whichever comes first.

During this period, we and the PSR will continue to:

• Monitor market developments

• Review any changes to the pricing methodology.

• Expect UKPI to submit its finalised governance documents.  

All 3 competition authorities – the FCA, PSR and CMA – may revise their prioritisation approach if new information emerges or if the expected legislative framework is not implemented by July 2027.