Open banking enabler Salt Edge announced it has received the green light from the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Salt Edge’s registration as an Account Information Service Provider (AISP) will allow the company to access financial data in compliance with PSD2 across Europe.

“Receiving an AISP license will help us take better advantage of the Open Banking opportunities on the European landscape as we strive for excellence in everything we do. This process required some serious investment and preparation, but it was worth implementing,” commented Dmitrii Barbasura, Salt Edge CEO.

Salt Edge’s Open Banking API was updated at the beginning of this month to version five. Lenders using the recently updated API will be able to leverage Salt Edge’s AISP license to access consumers’ financial account data (with their consent) to enhance the underwriting process for credit decisioning.

Dmitry Tsap, Head of Infrastructure and Security Department at Salt Edge, said the company underwent “a very strict evaluation process” that assessed the company’s security and data protection measures. “Being approved by the FCA is proof of quality and recognition of our efforts in this direction,” Tsap added.

Salt Edge recently showcased its Open Banking platform at FinovateEurope 2019 in February. Early last month, the Canada-based company teamed up with money management app Emma for account aggregation. Salt Edge was founded in 2013 and connects to 3,100+ banks in 61 countries.

London-based money management app Emma is the latest company to partner with global data aggregator Salt Edge. The integration will enable Emma users to securely connect their accounts – whether for debit, credit, e-wallet, savings, mortgage, cryptocurrency, or insurance – from banks throughout the U.K.

“We started Emma on a mission to help millions of people improve and fix their finances, once (and) for all,” company CEO Edoardo Moreni said. Emma earned its AISP (account information services provider) approval from the FCA a little over a year ago, and its new relationship with Salt Edge is part of the company’s strategy to “expand to new countries, with them, as partners.”

Praising Emma for its rapid growth and development, Salt Edge CEO Dmitrii Barbasura said his company’s familiarity with the money management space was a significant advantage for the integration.

“Having great experience with PFMs, and being very familiar with the nuances, we believe our solution to be a great fit for Emma,” Barbasura said. “We truly believe that working together towards improving the way people manage their financials will bring fruitful results in our collaboration.”

Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Salt Edge demonstrated its Open Banking Platform at FinovateEurope 2019 earlier this year. With more than 3,100 connected banks representing 250,000+ daily active end users, Salt Edge’s technology brings thousands of bank APIs into a single gateway. The company adds value during the payment flow by providing data enrichment, financial categorization, financial health check and payee verification, and other services.

The first global data aggregator to join the Temenos Marketplace, Salt Edge announced a partnership with smart money app Yolt last fall. The company was founded in 2013.