Open Banking Excellence
Open Banking Excellence is a London-based community, media, and advisory platform serving Open Banking and Open Finance professionals globally. It monetizes through corporate sponsorships, bespoke PR services, proprietary research (Global Open Finance Index, Transatlantic Index USA), and a strategic consultancy arm (Ignite) advising governments, banks, and businesses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Open Banking Excellence does
Open Banking Excellence (OBE), operated as Helvellyn Ltd, is a London-based, private community, media, and advisory platform focused exclusively on the Open Banking and Open Finance sector. Founded in 2018 by Helen Child, the company has built what it describes as the world's largest global community of Open Banking professionals, growing from 38 founding members to 20,000+ individuals across 40+ countries. Its core asset is the OBE Community Platform, anchored by Campfires (free-to-attend virtual events featuring expert speakers), the OBE Blog, and an Open Banking & Finance Glossary, supplemented by an annual Appathon startup competition and proprietary research products including the Global Open Finance Index (covering 23 markets with 400+ experts surveyed) and the Transatlantic Index USA (in partnership with Fidelity, Oxford, and FDX).
OBE monetizes primarily through B2B sponsorships (headline and community tiers with named sponsors including Salesforce, Accenture, Plaid, GoCardless, and Moneyhub), bespoke PR and thought leadership services, and — most recently — the Ignite strategic consultancy arm and 'Open Banking in a Box' regulatory advisory product targeting governments, banks, and businesses. Community membership itself is free, functioning as a top-of-funnel engagement layer rather than a revenue stream. The company also operates OBE Brasil, a Mastercard- and Accenture-sponsored regional initiative for the Latin American market, and has expanded to serve markets including the US, Mexico, UAE, Australia, and Armenia.
The business model is a hybrid of community-led media, event sponsorship, and professional services. With 11-50 employees, OBE relies heavily on its 40,000+ expert network (rather than large in-house headcount) to staff Ignite consulting engagements. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company has not raised institutional funding, operating as a bootstrapped, founder-led entity. Customer concentration on a small number of headline sponsors and bespoke consulting clients is a notable structural risk despite the breadth of named logos.
Open Banking Excellence firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Open Banking Excellence
- Legal name
- Helvellyn Ltd
- Website
- https://openbankingexcellence.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Open Banking Excellence is a London-based community, media, and advisory platform serving Open Banking and Open Finance professionals globally. It monetizes through corporate sponsorships, bespoke PR services, proprietary research (Global Open Finance Index, Transatlantic Index USA), and a strategic consultancy arm (Ignite) advising governments, banks, and businesses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Open Banking Excellence industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Banking Community and Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open Finance Expansion (investments, pensions, insurance, utilities data) (FSAGACAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Open Banking, Account Aggregation & Payment Initiation APIs (BPAMAFAJ), Open Banking APIs & Connectivity (FSAMAFAA), Transaction Analytics & Cash-Flow Insights (risk signals, forecasting) (FSAGACAG), Data Quality, Monitoring & Observability (uptime, latency, reconciliation) (FSAGACAL)
Keywords
Where Open Banking Excellence is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Open Banking Excellence business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership/Subscription: Free community membership with registration required to access content and events
- Headline Sponsorships: Year-round brand promotion across multiple global touchpoints including Campfires, Blogs, Appathon and press
- Community Sponsorships: Brand promotion across several global touchpoints including Campfires and Blogs
- PR Services: Bespoke PR packages including earned media, thought leadership, press releases, Op-Eds, and media relations
- Consultancy Services: Strategic advisory services for governments, banks, and businesses on policy, strategy, and delivery (Ignite)
- Bespoke Services: Custom events including Masterclasses and Roundtables, event placement, content creation
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Community Membership |
| Other | Annual | Headline Sponsorship |
| Other | Annual | Community Sponsorship |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Bespoke Packages |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels11 records
Open Banking Excellence product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open Banking Excellence operates a global community platform and knowledge center for Open Banking and Open Finance professionals, offering free registration-based membership across 40+ countries. Its sellable offerings include the Campfires virtual events series, the Ignite strategic consultancy arm (advising governments, banks and businesses), bespoke PR Services for thought leadership positioning, a Subject Matter Expert Consultancy network, and research publications including the Global Open Finance Index and Transatlantic Index USA. Revenue is generated primarily through sponsorship packages, paid consultancy, and PR retainers.
Product overview
Open Banking Excellence (OBE) is a community-first platform offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services for Open Banking and Open Finance stakeholders. The core offering is the OBE Community Platform supporting collaboration across 40+ countries, anchored by Campfires (virtual events) and complemented by content through the OBE Blog and Glossary. The Ignite consultancy arm provides strategic advisory to governments, banks, and businesses on Open Banking implementation and strategy. OBE publishes research through the Global Open Finance Index and the Transatlantic Index USA. Additional services include PR Services for thought leadership positioning, Consultancy Services connecting clients with subject matter experts, and initiatives like Open Banking for Good (charity donations via QR code). Regional offerings include OBE Brasil. The Appathon competition engages fintech startups. No unified software product is sold; the portfolio is platform-plus-services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ignite: Strategic consultancy arm of Open Banking Excellence providing advisory services to governments, banks, and businesses on policy, strategy, and delivery of Open Banking and Open Finance
- OBE Brasil
- Transatlantic Index
- Global Open Finance Index
- Campfires
- Appathon
Products and services
- Campfires Free-to-attend virtual event series featuring debates, sessions, and insights from Open Banking experts, designed to inspire and educate the community.
- Ignite Strategic consultancy service advising governments, banks, and businesses on Open Banking policy, strategy, and implementation, with access to a 40,000+ expert network.
- PR Services Bespoke public relations packages including earned media, paid media, thought leadership, press release writing and distribution, Op-Ed placement, news jacking, and global press coverage.
- Consultancy Services (Subject Matter Expert Network) Global network of Open Banking Subject Matter Experts available for consulting engagements covering strategy, innovation delivery, networking, and commercialization support.
- Global Open Finance Index Annual research publication benchmarking the global state of Open Banking and Open Finance across 23 markets, built on insights from 400+ experts and 150+ secondary data points.
- Transatlantic Index USA Data-driven research report on the evolving U.S. Open Banking landscape, developed with Fidelity Investments, Oxford University, and FDX, designed to guide strategy around Dodd-Frank Section 1033.
- Open Banking in a Box Comprehensive regulatory advisory package providing world-class expertise to support governments and regulators through Open Banking strategy, policy design, and implementation delivery.
Quantifiable outcome
- Community grew from 30 founding members to 20,000+ experts and enthusiasts
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Open Banking Excellence
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Open Banking Excellence technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Open Banking Excellence partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
38 partnerships are on record, tiered headline sponsor, community sponsor, strategic partner, regional partner, key research partner, research partner and regional sponsor.
- Salesforceheadline sponsorHeadline sponsor providing resources portal for Open Banking community. Salesforce offers a resources portal for OBE community members focused on Open Banking applications.
- Accentureheadline sponsorHeadline sponsor and strategic partner. Accenture provides expertise and resources for the Open Banking community through a dedicated resources portal.
- Moneyhubcommunity sponsorCommunity sponsor and active participant in OBE events and content. CEO Samantha Seaton provides thought leadership content.
- Konsentuscommunity sponsorCommunity sponsor offering open banking expertise and research, including the TPP Tracker publication.
- Plaidcommunity sponsorCommunity sponsor and prominent U.S. data aggregator serving as Campfire speaker sponsor.
- GoCardlesscommunity sponsorCommunity sponsor focused on payment initiation and Open Banking payment solutions.
- Nuapaycommunity sponsorCommunity sponsor providing open banking payment services expertise.
- Finexoscommunity sponsorCommunity sponsor focused on financial data and analytics.
- Guiidecommunity sponsorCommunity sponsor providing mortgage and lending technology expertise.
- Clear.Bankcommunity sponsorCommunity sponsor and digital banking provider serving as Campfire speaker sponsor.
- TOKENcommunity sponsorCommunity sponsor and Open Banking payment technology provider. CEO Todd Clyde is an active thought leader contributor.
- Money 20/20strategic partnerStrategic partnership with leading fintech events brand, co-promoting Open Banking content and events.
- Innovate Financestrategic partnerStrategic partnership with UK fintech industry body for joint events and content initiatives.
- Fintech Northregional partnerRegional fintech partnership for Northern England, joint events and community building.
- Fintech Westregional partnerRegional fintech partnership for Western UK, joint events and community building.
- Fintech WM & Supertechregional partnerRegional fintech partnership for West Midlands region.
- Fintech Northern Irelandregional partnerRegional fintech partnership for Northern Ireland.
- London and Partnersstrategic partnerPartnership with London's official business promotion agency for fintech ecosystem development.
- Rise by Barclaysstrategic partnerPartnership with Barclays' fintech innovation hub for events and content collaboration.
- Fintech Scotlandregional partnerRegional fintech partnership for Scotland.
- Fintech Walesregional partnerRegional fintech partnership for Wales.
- Payments Associationstrategic partnerPartnership with UK Payments Association for industry collaboration.
- UK Financestrategic partnerPartnership with UK Finance for industry events and content.
- Women In Paymentsstrategic partnerPartnership supporting women in the payments and fintech industry.
- Fintech Alliancestrategic partnerStrategic partnership with Fintech Alliance for community and events.
- Tech Nationstrategic partnerPartnership with UK tech growth organization for fintech ecosystem support.
- Plug & Playstrategic partnerPartnership with global innovation platform for fintech events and startup engagement.
- OBIE (Open Banking Implementation Entity)strategic partnerPartnership with UK Open Banking implementation entity for standards and content.
- Fidelity Investmentskey research partnerPartnership with Fidelity Investments to produce the Transatlantic Index USA report on U.S. Open Banking landscape.
- Oxford Universitykey research partnerAssociation with Oxford University's Future of Finance and Technology Research Initiative for Transatlantic Index USA research.
- Financial Data Exchange (FDX)key research partnerAssociation with FDX for Transatlantic Index USA, providing expertise on U.S. financial data standards.
- Accentureresearch partnerSupporting partner for the Global Open Finance Index research report.
- NatWestresearch partnerSupporting partner for the Global Open Finance Index research report.
- Department for International Traderesearch partnerSupporting partner for the Global Open Finance Index research report.
- World Bankresearch partnerSupporting partner providing data for the Global Open Finance Index.
- Mastercardregional sponsorSponsorship of OBE Brasil initiative for Latin American Open Banking market development.
- Accentureregional sponsorSponsorship of OBE Brasil initiative alongside Mastercard.
- Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Mexicostrategic partnerCollaborative partnership with UK DBT in Mexico for promoting Open Banking, including joint blog content and market briefings.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Open Banking Excellence competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- CB Insights: CB Insights is a fintech and financial services research, data, and media platform producing flagship reports and market intelligence. It is an adjacent peer in monetizing fintech research and insights to enterprise buyers, with a much larger data, research, and analyst footprint than OBE.
- Innovate Finance: Innovate Finance is the UK fintech industry body running events, policy advocacy, and member programs. It is a strategic partner of OBE and a thematically adjacent organization serving the same UK fintech audience through community, events, and policy work.
- Money 20/20: Money 20/20 is the largest global fintech events brand, producing flagship conferences and content programs. It is a strategic partner of OBE for co-promoted events and represents an adjacent player in Open Banking/fintech audience monetization, with a much larger events footprint.
Direct peers
- The Paypers: The Paypers is a global fintech media outlet covering Open Banking, payments, and digital finance, with sponsored research, webinars, and events. It is directly comparable to OBE in audience, content format, and sponsorship-driven revenue model.
- Tearsheet: Tearsheet is a financial services media and community platform serving fintechs, banks, and incumbents with research, events, and sponsored content. It mirrors OBE's mix of industry research, virtual events, and community-led content targeting financial services decision-makers.
- 11:FS: 11:FS is a financial services consultancy and content creator covering Open Banking, digital banking, and fintech, with podcasts, research, and a community arm. Its consulting-plus-media business model is closely aligned with OBE's Ignite advisory plus community platform combination.
- Finextra: Finextra is the longest-running Open Banking and fintech news, research, and events platform, with a global readership and a research arm. It is the most direct competitor to OBE in Open Banking/fintech media, community, and sponsored content, and serves a near-identical audience of banking and fintech professionals.
- Fintech Futures (formerly Bobsguide): Fintech Futures is a global B2B fintech media brand covering banking technology, Open Banking, and digital finance through news, research, and events. It directly competes with OBE for institutional fintech audience and sponsorship revenue, particularly in the UK and EMEA.
- The Fintech Times: The Fintech Times is a UK-based B2B fintech publication with news, features, events, and awards. It is a direct peer in terms of audience (UK fintech ecosystem), content format, and sponsorship-driven monetization.
Broad incumbents
- PYMNTS: PYMNTS is a large, established B2B media platform covering payments, banking, and fintech with proprietary research, newsletters, and events. It is a broad incumbent that competes with OBE for sponsor attention in Open Banking-adjacent content budgets, though at a much larger scale and wider topic footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Open Banking Excellence social profiles
Digital presenceOpen Banking Excellence financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Open Banking Excellence leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Open Banking Excellence subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Open Banking Excellence funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Open Banking Excellence M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Open Banking Excellence
What does Open Banking Excellence do?
Open Banking Excellence operates a global community platform and knowledge center for Open Banking and Open Finance professionals, offering free registration-based membership across 40+ countries. Its sellable offerings include the Campfires virtual events series, the Ignite strategic consultancy arm (advising governments, banks and businesses), bespoke PR Services for thought leadership positioning, a Subject Matter Expert Consultancy network, and research publications including the Global Open Finance Index and Transatlantic Index USA. Revenue is generated primarily through sponsorship packages, paid consultancy, and PR retainers.
Is Open Banking Excellence a public or private company?
Open Banking Excellence is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Open Banking Excellence founded?
Open Banking Excellence was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Open Banking Excellence based?
Open Banking Excellence is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Open Banking Excellence make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Membership/Subscription is the primary driver. The others are headline Sponsorships, community Sponsorships, PR Services, consultancy Services and bespoke Services.
Who are Open Banking Excellence's main competitors?
Others on record are CB Insights, Innovate Finance and Money 20/20. Direct peers are The Paypers, Tearsheet, 11:FS, Finextra, Fintech Futures (formerly Bobsguide) and The Fintech Times. PYMNTS is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Open Banking Excellence have an API?
No public API is recorded for Open Banking Excellence.
What industry is Open Banking Excellence in?
Open Banking Excellence's product category is Open Banking Community and Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGACAK, Open Finance Expansion (investments, pensions, insurance, utilities data), with a secondary code of BPAMAFAJ, Open Banking, Account Aggregation & Payment Initiation APIs. Its NAICS code is 541810.