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Interview with Johan Tjärnberg, CEO of Trustly: Navigating the Future of Open Banking

About Trustly

Trustly is a Swedish fintech company offering secure and seamless open banking payment solutions. Under the leadership of Johan Tjärnberg, Trustly has scaled operations globally, connecting with thousands of banks and enabling direct payments without cards.

Company and Leadership

Q1: Can you provide a brief overview of Trustly?

Trustly simplifies online payments by enabling direct bank transfers, removing the need for cards or separate apps. Our core mission is frictionless, secure financial interaction between consumers and merchants.

Q2: How has Trustly evolved since 2008?

We started in Sweden and now operate across Europe, North America, and Australia. Our platform connects with 12,000+ banks and reaches over 650 million users.

Q3: What industries does Trustly serve?

We work with e-commerce, travel, financial services, and gaming businesses that prioritize real-time and secure payments.

Q4: What sets your product apart?

Unlike card networks, our open banking model allows for lower fees, faster settlement, and minimal fraud risk.

Technology and Security

Q5: What is your approach to open banking?

Our platform is fully API-based, ensuring PSD2-compliance and real-time payments through direct bank access.

Q6: How does Trustly secure transactions?

We use encryption, bank-level security, two-factor authentication, and ongoing transaction monitoring.

Q7: Who are your competitors, and what makes Trustly different?

We compete with Klarna, Adyen, and PayPal. However, our focus on direct-to-bank payments without intermediaries sets us apart.

Market Insights and Strategy

Q8: What is Trustly’s market positioning in Europe?

We hold a strong position within the European open banking ecosystem due to our extensive network and performance reliability.

Q9: How are you approaching global expansion?

Our expansion focuses on North America and emerging open banking markets in Latin America and Asia-Pacific.

Q10: What are your most important strategic priorities?

Innovation, reliability, and merchant experience remain top priorities. We aim to offer a complete A2A (Account-to-Account) payment experience globally.

Johan Tjärnberg’s Perspective

Q11: What drew you to the fintech industry?

The transformation potential of payments and my background in digital financial services made fintech a natural fit.

Q12: What’s your leadership style?

I believe in empowering teams, listening to our users, and fostering a culture of adaptability and innovation.

Q13: What is your proudest achievement at Trustly?

Building scalable operations across continents and forming partnerships with global platforms like PayPal has been a major highlight.

Q14: What advice do you give to fintech founders?

Focus on real user problems, be ready to pivot, and always prioritize compliance and user trust.

Future of Fintech

Q15: What trends do you foresee in fintech?

Embedded finance, AI-driven personalization, and cross-border open banking will redefine the ecosystem in the next 3–5 years.

Q16: How are you preparing for these changes?

We’re heavily investing in AI, fraud prevention tools, and expanding our bank integrations globally.

Q17: Are there new products on the roadmap?

Yes. We’re developing tools for recurring payments, refund automation, and enhanced analytics for merchants.

Q18: How do you view regulation’s impact?

While challenging, regulation like PSD2 has been a growth driver by building trust and encouraging innovation.

Q19: Will Trustly remain focused on B2B or expand to B2C?

We’ll remain B2B-centric but are exploring tools that directly enhance end-user experiences through our partners.

Q20: What’s your vision for Trustly in 2030?

Becoming the world’s most trusted and used bank payment platform—ubiquitous, secure, and instant.

FAQ

What is Trustly?

Trustly is a fintech company providing account-to-account payment services using open banking across multiple global markets.

Is Trustly safe?

Yes, Trustly uses secure connections, banking infrastructure, and complies with strict financial regulations.

Where is Trustly available?

Trustly operates in Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia, with ongoing expansion plans.

Related Searches

  • Open banking payment providers
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  • Trustly competitors
 

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