Episode Six and Trustly have announced a partnership that will allow US retailers to accept Pay by Bank transactions through existing card networks.
The arrangement is intended to reduce costs for merchants and simplify adoption of the payment method, which has grown internationally but remains limited in the US market. Trustly’s Pay by Bank service enables consumers to pay directly from their bank accounts, bypassing traditional card schemes. By integrating Episode Six’s issuer processing technology, the companies aim to create what they describe as a ‘card rail plugin integration.’ This means merchants can offer Pay by Bank without major technical adjustments or new infrastructure.
Addressing US adoption barriers
According to the official press release, although Pay by Bank is widely used across Europe and other regions, uptake in the United States has been slower. The companies argue that their approach lowers barriers by using the infrastructure that merchants already rely on. They say the model can speed up settlement, reduce fraud, and cut operational complexity.
Officials from Episode Six noted that the collaboration demonstrates how new payment models can scale on top of existing systems without sacrificing speed or efficiency. Representatives from Trustly added that the arrangement allows retailers to integrate Pay by Bank more quickly, shorten time to market, and lower overall costs by making use of existing card rails.
For Episode Six, the partnership highlights its focus on supporting alternative payments through its cloud-native processing platform. Trustly, meanwhile, positions the initiative as part of its effort to expand Pay by Bank in North America, following its growth in Europe.
Both companies view the project as a proof of concept for embedding alternative payments into current networks, with the potential to influence adoption strategies across the wider fintech sector.
