Deutsche Bank and Mastercard have announced a partnership aimed at accelerating the development of open banking and enhancing account-to-account (A2A) payment services across Europe.

The collaboration will strengthen Deutsche Bank’s Merchant Solutions offering, particularly its Request to Pay (R2P) service.

By integrating Mastercard’s open banking technology, the bank aims to provide merchants and consumers with improved payment options that offer greater flexibility and efficiency through A2A payments.

The agreement will allow merchants using Deutsche Bank’s platform to offer a “Pay by Bank” option, enabling consumers to authorise payments directly from their bank accounts.

The process will support real-time payment execution and confirmation, along with improved settlement speeds, reconciliation, and transparency.

Killian Thalhammer, Global Head of Merchant Solutions at Deutsche Bank, said:

“This partnership with Mastercard marks a pivotal moment in the growth of open banking. Together, we are delivering innovative merchant solutions that reflect the needs of a digital-first economy, secure, instant, and built for scale.”

Valerie Nowak, EVP and Head of Open Banking at Mastercard Europe, added:

“With the further expansion of our partnership, we combine our open banking payments technology with Deutsche Bank’s payments expertise and big merchant base across Europe, and together we’re shaping a future where account-based payments are becoming the new norm.”

As demand grows in Europe for faster, more cost-effective, and secure payment methods, the partnership is positioned to make A2A payments a viable alternative to traditional card-based transactions.

The announcement was made during Money 20/20 in Amsterdam in 2025.

Deutsche Bank confirmed that existing R2P customers will be transitioned to the new platform.

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