Income verification is no longer simple. Employer arrangements have changed, income streams are fragmented, and manual document reviews take too long. In fact, organisations today report spending up to 15–20 hours a week validating payslips and bank statements, with error rates consistently creeping above 40%.
This is why so many lenders, insurers, payroll firms, rental platforms, and financial service operators are turning to an AIS Provider in 2025.
By using Account Information Services (AIS), financial teams can access bank-verified income data in real time, reducing processing time by up to 80% (based on recent industry averages). But with so many options available, choosing the right AIS Provider can be overwhelming.
This guide breaks down the steps to selecting a solution that suits your verification needs.
What an AIS Provider Means for Income Verification
What is an AIS Provider?
An AIS Provider is licensed under open banking regulations to securely access read-only bank account data, and supply that information to authorised businesses for assessment purposes.
Rather than reviewing uploaded documents, an AIS Provider retrieves verified transaction data directly from the bank through secure APIs.
This allows businesses to understand:
- where income comes from
- how stable it is
- how frequently it arrives
- how it trends over time
This is essential for affordability and eligibility analysis.
AIS vs traditional document-based verification
| Traditional Method | AIS-Based Method |
|---|---|
| Uploading statements & payslips | Direct account connectivity |
| High manual workload | Instant automated analysis |
| Easy to manipulate | Bank-verified & trusted |
| Slow to confirm | Under 60 seconds in most cases |
| Snapshot only | Ongoing visibility |
AIS brings real-time certainty and drastically reduces staff time spent reviewing documents manually.
📚 Guide to Income verification
Why AIS Adoption Is Accelerating in 2025
Three core trends are driving rapid adoption of AIS for income verification:
1. Growth in freelance & gig earnings
Income is more fragmented than ever. An AIS Provider gives access to real transaction data, making it easier to verify irregular or multi-source income accurately.
2. Digital onboarding expectations
Businesses need fast, low-friction onboarding. AIS enables instant bank connections and reduces manual document handling, cutting verification delays.
3. Regulatory pressure
Compliance standards now demand stronger data validation and affordability checks. AIS supports this with verified, audit-ready financial information.
Together, these forces reflect two priorities organisations have today:
- quicker decisions
- reduced verification risk
AIS helps achieve both.
Identify Your Verification Requirements
Before selecting an AIS Provider, clarify what you need the system to achieve. Different businesses require different capabilities.
Focus on three core areas:
1. Income profile types
Are you verifying:
- salaried employees,
- freelancers,
- gig workers,
- or mixed income?
The more complex the income profile, the more advanced the provider must be.
2. Verification speed required
Do you need:
- instant decisions,
- or periodic checks?
This determines whether real-time AIS access is necessary.
3. Expected volume
High-volume verifications require:
- automation,
- reliable APIs,
- predictable scalability.
Low-volume needs may prioritise simplicity over scale.
Clarifying these upfront ensures you choose an AIS Provider aligned to your operational realities.
Evaluate Key Capabilities in an AIS Provider
Once your requirements are clear, assess each AIS Provider based on their core capabilities.
Focus on:
1. Open Banking Coverage
Look for strong access to the banks and account types relevant to your market, especially if income sources are diverse.
2. API Quality
Good developer documentation, reliable uptime, and seamless integration reduce engineering effort.
3. Speed & Accuracy
Income validation should be fast, consistent, and based on verified data — not assumptions.
4. Support for Complex Income
Your provider should identify recurring patterns, categorise multiple income streams, and handle variable frequencies.
5. Data Enrichment
The strongest AIS systems go beyond raw data, providing clarity through categorisation and insight.
These capabilities directly influence how effective the income verification process will be in real operations.
Check Compliance, Security & Support
Trust is essential when selecting an AIS Provider for income verification. Ensure your provider meets the right standards from day one.
Prioritise:
1. Regulatory compliance
They should be FCA-authorised and aligned with PSD2 and GDPR requirements.
2. Data protection & consent
Look for:
- encrypted data transmission,
- clear consent flows,
- secure revocation options.
3. Onboarding support
Efficient integration and responsive technical assistance reduce deployment timelines and prevent disruption.
Strong compliance and support reduce operational risk and protect both your business and your customers.
| AIS Provider | Key Strengths | Best For / Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Finexer | Strong UK bank coverage (~99 %), real-time transaction access, developer-friendly API. | UK-based verification (income, freelance, gig) where fast deployment and local bank connectivity matter. |
| Plaid | Global reach, broad data sources, strong tooling for income and cashflow verification. | Organizations needing cross-border income verification or multi-region workflows. |
| Tink | Automatic classification of income streams, European/UK open banking focus, good for multiple income types. | Lenders/insurers dealing with varied income sources (salaried + freelance + benefits) in Europe/UK. |
| Equifax | Strong at complex income verification, credit data + payroll integration for risk modelling. | Enterprise risk workflows, underwriting multiple income streams, long histories. |
| Konfir | Employer-data + open banking verification, fast turnaround in the UK environment. | UK lenders requiring employer-backed verification with minimal manual overhead. |
| TrueLayer | Strong UK open banking presence, name-matching logic, good for bank-connect & identity. | Fintechs or verification flows where bank identity linkage and high-quality bank access matter. |
Why Finexer Is the Best AIS Provider Choice for Income Verification
For UK businesses, Finexer stands out as the most specialised AIS Provider for income verification. Unlike generic global platforms, Finexer is built specifically around UK banking infrastructure and compliance requirements, which makes it more accurate, faster to integrate, and significantly easier to operationalise.
| Finexer USP | Why It Matters for Income Verification |
|---|---|
| 99% UK Bank Coverage | Ensures consistent access to the accounts customers actually use, without gaps. |
| Real-Time AIS Data Access | Removes delays and manual handling during onboarding and eligibility checks. |
| 7 Years of Transaction History | Allows deeper assessment of financial stability and long-term behaviour trends. |
| Transparent, Usage-Based Pricing | Helps teams scale income verification cost-effectively without commitment traps. |
| Hands-On Onboarding (3–5 Weeks) | Simplifies implementation and reduces time to go live with AIS. |
| Full White-Label UX Option | Lets businesses keep customer flows branded and experience controlled. |
For businesses that want to improve approval speed, reduce document handling, and eliminate uncertainty in income reviews, Finexer delivers a future-ready solution designed around real UK market needs.
What is an AIS Provider in income verification?
An AIS Provider securely accesses read-only bank data to verify income directly from the customer’s account, without documents.
How does AIS improve income verification accuracy?
Income data comes straight from the bank, reducing manual errors and preventing falsified statements.
Is AIS income verification compliant with UK regulations?
Yes. FCA-authorised AIS Providers operate under PSD2 and GDPR with strict consent-based access.
How long does AIS-based income verification take?
Usually under one minute from bank login to verified income data.
Book a short demo and see how Finexer simplifies AIS-based income verification for UK Businesses!