What Yaspa does

Yaspa is a UK-headquartered, FCA-regulated payment institution (reference 826720) that provides open banking-powered instant payment infrastructure combined with a proprietary AI intelligence layer, primarily serving the regulated gambling and iGaming ecosystem. Founded in 2017 by former Worldpay CTO James Neville (rebranded from Citizen in 2023), the company operates across the UK, Continental Europe, and the United States (via Atlanta-incorporated Yaspa Inc., NMLS ID 2771164). Its Intelligent Payments platform unifies Pay by Bank rails — Faster Payments Service and SEPA Instant in UK/EU, Same-Day ACH in the US — with an AI categorisation engine that performs real-time income verification, affordability checks, cross-operator transaction intelligence, and fraud detection inside a single payment consent flow. The product suite comprises Intelligent Payments (flagship), Guaranteed Payments (US Guaranteed ACH with live balance checks), Instant Payouts, Account Verification (KYC), and Virtual Accounts (VIBANs), with reported performance of 70% affordability check conversion (vs. 12% industry baseline) and 90%+ US deposit acceptance rates.

Yaspa generates revenue through transaction-based take rates on Pay by Bank deposits and payouts (the primary stream), complemented by subscription and platform fees under multi-year commercial contracts. Pricing is custom and negotiated per operator; no public rate card is published. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting regulated gambling operators, sportsbooks, casinos, and adjacent verticals (skill-based gaming, prediction markets, lotteries, ePOS, eCommerce), reinforced by embedded distribution through payment orchestration platforms (PayAdmit, Paysecure) and a heavy event-marketing presence (G2E, ICE, Money 20/20, SBC Awards, EGR). Named customers include Playbook Engineering, ASK Global Solutions, ISX Financial, Casino Lugano, and Sterling Lotteries (which serves 800+ UK charities). The US is the primary forward growth bet, funded by a $12 million July 2025 growth equity round led by Discerning Capital with TechStars Ventures participation.

The leadership team includes CEO and founder James Neville, CTO Toby Sucharov, CMO Kate Marsden, CFO Christopher Lowe, CRO Justin Fraser (ex-Paysafe), and a US-based commercial team led by US Director of Enterprise Sales Justin Fears. Headcount scaled from 15 to approximately 75 in roughly 18 months, with offices in London (headquarters and FCA-regulated entity), Leeds (engineering hub opened August 2025), and Atlanta (US regional headquarters). Yaspa is a founding member of UNLV's International Gaming Institute AiR Hub alongside Aristocrat, Evoke, Playtech, and the Responsible Online Gaming Association, and has accumulated multiple 2025-2026 industry recognitions including European iGaming Awards Best Payment Solution Provider 2026, EGR B2B AI Solutions Provider and Safer Gambling Supplier 2026, CB Insights Top 100 Fintechs 2025, and Sifted's 4th-fastest-growing UK & Ireland startup 2026.

Name

Yaspa

Legal name

Yaspa Ltd

Website

https://yaspa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Yaspa is an FCA-regulated fintech providing AI-powered open banking instant payments and player affordability intelligence for the regulated gambling ecosystem. It operates Pay by Bank across UK/EU and Guaranteed ACH in the US, serving iGaming operators, sportsbooks, casinos, and lotteries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing Software

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

A2A Payment Initiation Service Providers (PISPs) (FSAMAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

ACH/Bank Transfer & Open Banking Payments (MPAEALAC), A2A Checkout & Merchant Acceptance Solutions (FSAMAFAF)

Keywords

• Open banking payments
• IGaming payment processing
• Instant bank payments
• Account verification KYC
• Responsible gambling compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Transaction-based payment processing: Yaspa charges operators a transaction fee for each Pay by Bank payment, payout, and deposit processed through its platform. Payment is settled in real time and Yaspa takes a take rate per transaction. This is the primary revenue driver.
2. Subscription / platform licensing: Operators and merchants subscribe to Yaspa's Intelligent Payments platform, Guaranteed ACH, Account Verification, and Virtual Accounts services on a commercial contract basis, likely with recurring platform or per-service fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Yaspa sells an Intelligent Payments platform that combines open banking Pay by Bank deposits and instant payouts with an AI-powered identity, affordability and fraud intelligence layer for regulated operators. Its product suite spans Guaranteed ACH pay-ins in the US, real-time Pay by Bank in the UK and EU, Instant Payouts, biometric Account Verification and on-demand Virtual Accounts (VIBANs). The platform is delivered to iGaming operators, sportsbooks, skill-based gaming and lottery merchants under commercial B2B contracts with transaction-based and subscription pricing.

Product overview

Yaspa is a B2B fintech payments platform delivering instant, identity-linked bank payments for regulated sectors, primarily the gambling/iGaming ecosystem. The platform operates on a unified architecture comprising a core product suite (Intelligent Payments, Guaranteed Payments, Instant Payouts, Instant Payments EU/UK) and supporting modules (Account Verification, Virtual Accounts). Intelligent Payments serves as the flagship platform, combining Pay by Bank (open banking account-to-account payments) with a layered AI intelligence engine that delivers guaranteed payment outcomes, real-time affordability checks, fraud detection, and responsible gambling safeguards. The US product line centres on Guaranteed ACH (Guaranteed Payments) providing same-day ACH with live balance verification and over 90% deposit acceptance rates. In the EU/UK, Instant Payments delivers open banking pay-ins via Faster Payments and SEPA Instant. Account Verification provides real-time KYC through open banking account ownership checks, while Virtual Accounts offer on-demand corporate holding accounts (VIBANs) for reconciliation. All products share a common open banking and AI infrastructure and are offered to regulated operators in gambling, skill-based gaming, prediction markets, lotteries, eCommerce, ePOS, and trading sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Intelligent Payments Flagship open banking payments and AI identity platform combining Pay by Bank deposits and payouts with player affordability checks, cross-operator spending analysis, fraud detection and responsible gambling safeguards for regulated iGaming, sportsbook, skill-based gaming, prediction market, lottery and ePOS merchants.
• Guaranteed Payments US-market ACH-guaranteed pay-in product powered by live balance checks and guaranteed deposit protection across Same-Day ACH from checking and savings accounts, with intelligent decisioning that delivers claimed 90%+ deposit acceptance rates and low return rates.
• Instant Payouts Instant withdrawal and refund product enabling real-time outbound payments to customers for withdrawals, refunds and other outbound flows that settle instantly, eliminating delays common with card or traditional ACH.
• Account Verification Real-time account ownership and biometric identity verification service enabling KYC checks at the payment layer by verifying who is behind a payment, using open banking data to confirm identity in seconds.
• Virtual Accounts On-demand corporate holding accounts (VIBANs) for funds management, instant payment outcome visibility, payment splitting and reconciliation for operators and merchants.
• Instant Payments (EU/UK) Pay by Bank product for the UK and European markets enabling real-time open banking payments straight into merchant accounts via the UK's Faster Payments Service and SEPA Instant, supporting GBP and EUR accounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% affordability check conversion rate in UK trials (vs. 12% industry average for document-based checks)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• PaysecurecoreTechnology or Integration · 6 April 2026Strategic partnership integrating Yaspa's Open Banking capabilities into Paysecure's payment orchestration platform. Enables merchants on Paysecure to access account-to-account payments and real-time financial insights through a unified system, enhancing transaction intelligence and risk management.
• PayAdmitcoreTechnology or Integration · 10 December 2025PayAdmit integrated Yaspa's Pay by Bank capabilities into its payments orchestration platform, enabling merchants across online retail, iGaming, and digital services to accept direct bank-to-bank payments with real-time deposit confirmation, reduced processing fees, and lower chargeback risk.
• UNLV International Gaming Institute (AiR Hub)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2025Yaspa became a founding member of the AI Research Hub (AiR Hub) at UNLV's International Gaming Institute. Max Collinge (VP Product) joins the Advisory Panel. The partnership focuses on advancing responsible AI adoption in gambling through the 'State of AI in Gaming' report and joint research. Founding members include Aristocrat, Evoke Plc, Playtech Plc, and the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Trustly: Stockholm-based open banking A2A payment network serving merchants across eCommerce, financial services, and iGaming — the most direct competitor to Yaspa's Pay by Bank offering in regulated gambling and European markets.
• TrueLayer: UK-based open banking A2A payments and financial data platform serving merchants and fintechs; competes head-to-head with Yaspa in UK/EU merchant acceptance and is a likely direct rival for enterprise gambling operators.
• Paysafe: Global payments platform with deep iGaming penetration via Skrill, Neteller, and Paysafecash; Yaspa's CRO Justin Fraser is a former Paysafe VP, indicating tight talent-market overlap and direct customer competition.
• MuchBetter: iGaming-focused e-wallet and instant payments provider; competes with Yaspa in regulated online gambling for deposit and withdrawal flows at sportsbook and casino operators.
• Skrill: Paysafe-owned e-wallet and instant payment method widely used in online gambling; competes directly with Yaspa's Instant Payouts and Pay by Bank deposits at sportsbook and casino operators globally.

Broad incumbents

• Yapily: Open banking API infrastructure provider connecting to UK/EU banks; Yaspa depends on Yapily Connect for connectivity in UK/EU, making Yapily both a critical partner and a structural threat if it moves up the stack into merchant acceptance.
• Tink: Visa-owned open banking platform offering A2A payments and account data across Europe; a broader incumbent that competes with Yaspa's data and payments layer, particularly as it leverages Visa's distribution and balance sheet.
• Plaid: US-led financial data connectivity and increasingly payments platform; overlaps with Yaspa's Account Verification and identity use cases and represents the most credible US open-finance incumbent Yaspa will compete against in the Atlanta expansion.
• Worldpay: Global merchant acquirer and payment processor where Yaspa's founder James Neville was previously CTO; while not a direct A2A competitor, it is a benchmark for payments scale and a potential strategic acquirer or competitor in iGaming.

Others

• Dwolla: US ACH payment infrastructure provider used by Yaspa for its Guaranteed ACH offering; classified as an infrastructure enabler/supplier relationship rather than a competitor, but a critical dependency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/yaspaHQ
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Yaspa_hq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yaspa
• Instagraminstagram.com/yaspahq

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yaspa