Definition
The ASPSP (Account Servicing Payment Service Provider) is the bank: the institution that holds the PSU's account.
Since PSD2, it is obliged to expose this data and certain payment functions to the authorised TPPs that the customer authorises.
ASPSP vs TPP: who does what
- ASPSP — holds the account and the money. It is the one that provides the data and executes the payments.
- TPP — connects to the account via API to read it (AISP) or initiate a payment (PISP). It holds nothing.
The ASPSP remains responsible for the account; the TPP is just a service intermediary on top.
Its PSD2 obligations
- Expose a dedicated API (or a fallback) allowing TPPs to consult accounts and initiate payments.
- Guarantee access of equal quality to that of its own channels (mobile, web).
- Authenticate the PSU through SCA to authorise TPP access.
- Recognise the eIDAS certificates (QWAC / QSealC) of authorised TPPs.
- Not charge TPPs for this regulated access.
What an ASPSP cannot do
- Refuse a properly authorised and technically compliant TPP.
- Discriminate by imposing on TPPs heavier constraints than on its own equivalent services.
- Require a commercial contract for the PSD2 AIS / PIS / CBPII scope.
- Block access without a documented reason (proven fraud, unauthorised access), under penalty of ACPR sanction.
In the PSD2 ecosystem
The ASPSP is the foundation: without its API, no TPP can operate. The PSU gives it a mandate, the TPP connects to it, the ASPSP executes.
Concrete examples
- Traditional banks: BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, LCL and BPCE all expose their PSD2 APIs (often via STET in France, Berlin Group elsewhere).
- Neobanks and online banks: Boursorama, Revolut, N26 and Hello Bank are also ASPSPs, with an API quality often above average.
- Business banks / banking fintechs: Qonto, Shine and Memo Bank expose their APIs so that Pennylane or Indy can retrieve their customers' entries.
- API quality: the ACPR and the Open Banking Implementation Entity (UK) publish availability indicators — useful for choosing a bank when building a fintech product.