Is open banking mandatory for banks?
Summary
In the UK and EU/EEA, yes—regulated banks must provide API access to licensed TPPs. In the US and some other markets, it is not yet mandatory.
Direct answer
In the UK and in the EU/EEA, open banking is mandatory for in-scope banks. In the UK, the CMA order requires the nine largest banks and building societies to implement the UK Open Banking Standard; many others have joined voluntarily. In the EU, PSD2 requires banks to offer dedicated access to licensed AISPs and PISPs. In the US, there is no single PSD2-style mandate yet; many banks participate via data aggregators and standards like FDX voluntarily or under emerging rules.
The Open Banking Tracker lists which countries have open banking regulations and links to regulators and implementation bodies.