What is Open Banking?

Open Banking is a UK regulatory framework that allows FCA-authorised software to read your bank transaction data — with your explicit permission. It uses a secure, token-based connection: Margin never sees your online banking password.

Margin uses TrueLayer, an FCA-regulated Open Banking provider, to connect to your bank. The connection is read-only — Margin cannot move money or make payments.

Supported banks

Margin supports all major UK personal and business bank accounts, including:

Barclays

HSBC

Lloyds

NatWest

Santander

Halifax

TSB

Monzo

Starling

Revolut

Metro Bank

Virgin Money

If your bank isn't listed in the connection flow, you can still import transactions manually via CSV. See our CSV import guide.

Step-by-step: connecting your bank

1

Open the Banking section in Margin

Click Banking in the left sidebar. Click Add bank account, or go to Settings → Integrations → Open Banking and click Connect a bank.
2

Choose your bank

Search for your bank in the list. Select it to continue. If you have multiple accounts at the same bank, you can connect them all in one flow.
3

Authorise with your bank

Your browser opens on your bank's official website or app. Sign in using your bank credentials. Margin never receives or stores your banking password.
4

Select accounts to share

Your bank shows a list of accounts. Select the accounts you want Margin to read — typically your business current account. Click Approve or Confirm.
5

Transactions sync automatically

You're redirected back to Margin. Transactions from the past 90 days appear immediately. New transactions will sync throughout the day automatically.

Business vs personal bank accounts

If you run your business from a personal bank account, you can still connect it to Margin. Simply connect the account and use Margin's categorisation tools to separate business and personal transactions.

Reconnecting after 90 days

Open Banking connections expire after 90 days as required by FCA regulations. Margin will notify you in advance when a connection is about to expire. Renewing takes under a minute — click Reconnect in the Banking section and re-authorise with your bank.

Security and privacy

Read-only access — Margin can only read transactions, not make payments
No password sharing — authentication happens directly between you and your bank
FCA-regulated — TrueLayer is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
You can revoke at any time — disconnect from Settings → Integrations → Open Banking, and from your bank's app directly

Common questions

My bank isn't in the list — what can I do?

If your bank doesn't support Open Banking yet, you can export a CSV of your transactions from your online banking and import it into Margin. See the CSV import guide for step-by-step instructions.

Will Margin be able to see all my bank transactions, including personal ones?

You choose which accounts to share during the authorisation step. Margin only receives transactions from accounts you explicitly select. You can connect multiple accounts or just one.

Can I connect more than one bank account?

Yes. Repeat the connection flow for each bank. Margin handles multiple accounts simultaneously and shows them all in the Banking section.

How far back does the transaction history go?

Open Banking typically provides up to 90 days of history. For older transactions, use the CSV import feature to bring in historical data.

How to connect your bank account to Margin via Open Banking