🔍 DataBlast UK Intelligence

Axiom GRC Acquires The DPO Centre - Major UK Data Protection Consolidation

Breaking Acquisition News

Axiom GRC has announced a strategic acquisition that significantly expands its data protection capabilities:

[cite author="TechDay United Kingdom" source="Twitter, Sept 5 2025"]Axiom GRC has acquired The DPO Centre, enhancing its data protection offerings and expanding its global governance, risk, and compliance capabilities.[/cite]

Acquisition Details and Scale

The DPO Centre brings substantial scale and expertise to Axiom's platform:

[cite author="Catherine Knowles, IT Brief" source="Sept 4 2025"]The DPO Centre, established in 2017, is among the largest providers of outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) services in the UK. The company has a team of around 100 employees and has delivered data privacy and DPO services to more than 1,000 clients.[/cite]

This represents Axiom's aggressive expansion strategy:

[cite author="IT Brief" source="Sept 4 2025"]This acquisition is part of Axiom GRC's ongoing strategy to broaden its governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) solutions globally. The group now offers over 50 compliance products to a client base exceeding 40,000, with more than 2 million users worldwide. The DPO Centre is the group's fourth acquisition since joining with Inflexion in May 2024.[/cite]

Strategic Importance for UK Data Governance

The acquisition comes at a critical time for UK data protection:

[cite author="Alex Dacre, CEO of Axiom GRC" source="IT Brief, Sept 4 2025"]Data protection is a priority for every organisation and is set to be reshaped by upcoming legislation, such as the UK's Data Use and Access Act, alongside the rapid adoption of AI, which introduces new privacy risks. Clients across the Axiom GRC platform can now benefit from The DPO Centre's unrivalled expertise in this critical area.[/cite]

The DPO Centre has shown impressive growth metrics:

[cite author="IT Brief" source="Sept 4 2025"]The DPO Centre brings significant expertise in GDPR services and has achieved an average annual growth rate of 30% over the past three years.[/cite]

Market Positioning and Client Base

The combined entity creates a formidable presence in the GRC market:

[cite author="IT Brief" source="Sept 4 2025"]The client base served by Axiom GRC includes large corporations such as Bentley, Shell Energy, and Tesco, as well as public sector bodies like NHS England, in addition to a wide range of SMEs operating across multiple sectors.[/cite]

The acquisition expands sector coverage:

[cite author="IT Brief" source="Sept 4 2025"]The DPO Centre's experience serving clients in industries such as finance, insurance, life sciences, medical technology, software, retail, and the non-profit sector complements Axiom GRC's broad offering.[/cite]

UK Open Banking Reaches Mass Adoption Milestone

Growth Metrics Show Mainstream Acceptance

Open banking has reached a significant adoption milestone in the UK:

[cite author="Computer Weekly" source="Sept 3 2025"]There were over 15 million users of open banking services in July, which was 34% higher than the same month last year. These users made almost 30 million open banking-based payments in July, which was over 8% higher than last year.[/cite]

The transaction volume demonstrates regular usage:

[cite author="Computer Weekly" source="Sept 3 2025"]Open banking services as a whole were used over two billion times during the month.[/cite]

Variable Recurring Payments Gaining Traction

A key innovation in payment control is seeing adoption:

[cite author="Computer Weekly" source="Sept 3 2025"]In July, VRPs accounted for over 4% of all open banking transactions, totalling 4.26 million.[/cite]

The functionality offers significant advantages:

[cite author="Computer Weekly" source="Sept 3 2025"]VRPs not only allow people to vary payment amounts, which direct debits already do, but also let them cap how much is pushed out for any given payment and cap the total amount that is paid out over a certain period.[/cite]

Enterprise and Government Adoption

Major organizations are embracing open banking:

[cite author="Computer Weekly" source="Sept 3 2025"]Open Banking Limited said uptake of open banking is spreading across sectors, from HM Revenue & Customs tax payments, to retailers such as Just Eat and Tesco, and airlines such as Ryanair.[/cite]

Industry leadership confirms mainstream status:

[cite author="Henk Van Hulle, CEO of Open Banking Limited" source="Computer Weekly, Sept 3 2025"]This data shows how open banking is now part of everyday life for millions of people and businesses across the UK – from paying taxes to shopping online. It's fast, secure, and built on trust.[/cite]

Government Platform Integration

The UK government is actively integrating open banking:

[cite author="Computer Weekly" source="Sept 3 2025"]In February, the UK government began its search for an IT supplier to support its plan to build open banking capabilities into its payment platform. The Government Digital Service (GDS) said it wanted a payment service provider to underpin the Gov.uk Pay platform, specifically for processing credit and debit card payments and pay by bank (open banking) payments.[/cite]

CDAO FSI UK Conference - AI Governance Focus

Upcoming London Conference

The CDAO FSI UK conference next week will address critical governance challenges:

[cite author="Corinium" source="Twitter, Sept 5 2025"]We have Sheetal Bakshi, Data Strategy & Management Lead from Capco speaking at CDAO FSI UK, about 'Building Trustworthy AI & Data Governance in a Regulated Environment'! Register for 9th September in London[/cite]

This conference timing aligns with increased focus on AI governance in UK financial services following recent regulatory developments and the upcoming UK Data Act implementation.