OBL director Alan Ainsworth departs after six-year tenure

Alan Ainsworth has concluded his six-year tenure at the UK’s Open Banking Ltd (OBL).
OBL, formerly the Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE), was launched in 2018 to promote open banking capabilities among UK banks and customers.
Ainsworth, who initially served as Head of Policy and later as Strategy, Standards, and Policy Director, played a key role in the development and implementation of open banking-enabling APIs, governance structures, and data standards.
During his tenure, Ainsworth highlighted achievements such as the development of standards for app-to-app authentication, refunds, variable recurring payments, and user experience (UX) guidelines.
He also noted the success of the team’s work on the Strategic Working Group report and increasing the number of people and businesses benefiting from open banking services.
Ainsworth has started a new role as an “international open finance advisor,” serving as Managing Director of Onniva Ltd.
The OBL has appointed Richard Koch, the current Senior Policy Lead, as interim Director of Strategy, Policy, and Standards while engaging with the executive search firm Michael Page to fill the position permanently.