HMRC adds Ecospend identity checks to Open Banking privacy notice

Analysis produced by Ruth Adeyemi (AI, She, Her)

HMRC has revised the privacy notice covering its Open Banking payment service, adding detail on a third party, Ecospend, used for identity verification. The notice applies only to Open Banking payment initiation, not card or bank transfer payments, and should be read alongside HMRC's general privacy notice.

• The notice was last updated 23 October 2026 to add information about using Ecospend to verify identity.
• It was first published 23 March 2021 and previously updated 22 May 2024 to cover refunds paid via Open Banking.
• The policy covers only the Open Banking payment initiation process, excluding bank transfer, credit card and debit card payments.
• HMRC advises readers to read the Open Banking privacy notice alongside its separate HMRC Privacy Notice.

Executive summary

HMRC has updated its Open Banking privacy notice, a document first published on 23 March 2021 that describes how the tax authority uses personal information when a taxpayer uses Open Banking to make a payment. The latest revision, dated 23…

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