Currensea bolsters Open Banking expertise with two new hires

UK-based payments technology platform for co-branded debit cards Currensea has strengthened its Open Banking credentials with the appointment of James Hickman and George Head from Ecospend.

Open Banking is the technology that underpins Currensea’s multi-bank debit card platform.

Hickman joins as commercial director, while Head has been hired as head of business development, as Currensea looks to accelerate its global brand partnerships.

As chief commercial officer at Ecospend, Hickman played a role in securing contracts across the public sector, financial services and digital commerce, including Ecospend’s contract with HM Revenue & Customs, which enabled UK taxpayers to make direct account-to-account bank transfers.

He was also involved in the 2023 acquisition of Ecospend by Trustly and its subsequent integration.

George Head, Currensea’s head of business development

Head also led business development at Ecospend, leading on key commercial wins, including Hargreaves Lansdown and NS&I, and supported its integration into Trustly.

James Lynn, co-founder and chief executive officer of Currensea, said: “Their experience in scaling Ecospend – a true Open Banking pioneer – will be instrumental to the next phase of our growth.

“The application of Open Banking technology is critical to our unique multi-bank debit card model, allowing co-brand partners to put their brand top of wallet without requiring customers to go through the arduous process of switching bank accounts.”

Lynn added: “As we continue to expand our co-brand portfolio, James and George’s experience of leveraging Open Banking technology to create a more rewarding experience for consumers will be a major asset for Currensea.”

James Hickman, commercial director at Currensea

Currensea recently formed a partnership with Marriott Bonvoy and Mastercard to offer two co-branded multi-bank debit cards to Marriott’s UK customers.

“I have long admired how Currensea had found the most commercially viable application of Open Banking in the market, and see it as an exemplary application of the technology, while the potential for the multi-bank debit co-brand market is vast,” said Hickman.

“Allowing consumers to link a reward-earning payment product to an existing bank account, like a co-branded debit card that earns loyalty points with a blue-chip hotel brand on all your day-to-day spend, is a brilliant and innovative application.

“I’m excited to join a company using Open Banking to disrupt the European payments and loyalty landscape, and looking forward to working with James and the team on the next stage in its impressive growth trajectory.”

Further reading: Ecospend reports ‘substantial’ rise in tax payments to HMRC using Pay by Bank