# Quick Start Guide
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-data/documentation/quick-start-guide/index.md

Note: While Mastercard Open Finance Data is in pilot mode, onboarding into our environments will be a manual process. [Contact us](mailto:openbankingeu_support@mastercard.com%3E) to get in contact with our sales team who can walk you through the process of getting onboarded so that you can start integrating with the Mastercard Open Finance Data API.

Mastercard Open Finance Data enables you to access bank-verified financial information with explicit user consent. Our platform provides secure, PSD2-compliant access to account and transaction data from Account Servicing Payment Service Providers (ASPSPs) across the European Union, making it possible to integrate real-time financial data into your services.

### Key use cases {#key-use-cases}

* **Account Opening** - Verify account ownership during customer onboarding. Confirm that bank account details provided by users match the bank-verified account holder information, reducing fraud and improving onboarding quality. Refer to the Account Opening Integration Guide to explore the integration process and learn how to verify account ownership.
* **Financial Management** - Enable personal finance management and budgeting tools by accessing transaction history, balances, and account details. Help users gain insights into their spending patterns and financial health. Refer to the Financial Management Integration Guide to explore the integration process and learn how to access financial data.
* **Lending** - Support credit decisioning and underwriting by accessing real-time account balances, transaction history, and income verification data. Accelerate loan approvals with bank-verified financial information. Refer to the Lending Integration Guide to explore the integration process and learn how to assess creditworthiness.
* **Direct Debit** - Verify account details before setting up recurring payments or direct debit mandates. Ensure payment details are accurate and reduce failed payment attempts. Refer to the Direct Debit Integration Guide to explore the integration process and learn how to validate payment accounts.

### Getting Started {#getting-started}

##### What you will need {#what-you-will-need}

Before you begin integration, ensure you have:

* **Mastercard Developers Account** - Register at the Mastercard Developers portal to access sandbox environments and API credentials
* **Technical Prerequisites** - Backend system capable of OAuth 2.0 authentication, JWT signing, and secure key management
* **Use Case Clarity** - Understanding of which data scopes (accounts, holders, balances, transactions) your application requires
* **Redirect URLs** - Configured callback endpoints to handle user returns after bank authentication

### Next steps {#next-steps}

1. Review the Overview - Understand how Open Finance Data works and the consent-based data access model
2. Explore Use Cases - Select the integration guide that matches your business needs (Account Opening, Lending, Financial Management, or Direct Debit)
3. Set Up Authentication - Review API Basics to configure OAuth 2.0 with JWT assertions
4. Test in Sandbox - Use test credentials and simulated banks to validate your integration
5. Go Live - Complete production onboarding and obtain production credentials

For detailed implementation guidance, refer to our comprehensive integration guides and API reference documentation.