The project overview
Startup Open Pay aims to make payments simple, secure, and personal. The platform is built around a transparent digital economy where convenience and privacy go hand in hand. To bring this ambitious vision to life, founder Witold Ferenc turned to his trusted partner, We Are North.
Payments should be the easiest step in the customer journey—the logical conclusion to a purchase. Yet, in reality, payment processes are often complex, lack transparency in how data is handled, and feel impersonal. This is in stark contrast to growing consumer demand for personalized and socially interactive experiences.
Witold Ferenc, founder of Frisco.pl, Poland’s first online supermarket, previously collaborated with We Are North on Open Routing, a delivery platform optimizing delivery routes. Now, he’s turning his attention to online payments: “It’s strange that you have to re-enter your details for every purchase. There’s a better, faster way.” Together with We Are North, he’s bringing that vision to life: a seamless online payment function enabling consumers to complete orders in less than 10 seconds—without sharing their personal details.
A payment system that serves the consumer
Most online purchases require customers to repeatedly enter delivery and payment details. With OpenApp Pay, consumers can pay effortlessly across all participating stores without filling out forms every time. Users retain control over the information they share, with all communication handled through a unique, one-time-use email address generated for each store. This prevents misuse and spam.
“OpenApp Pay acts entirely in the customer’s interest as a payment processor,” explains software architect Jochem van Dieten. “We also guarantee privacy. For instance, if you have your order delivered to a locker, the store doesn’t know who the customer is. They only access the unique email address and associated orders. This allows them to analyze data and offer personalized deals, all within the boundaries set by the user.”
A seamless experience without complexity
The user experience prioritizes simplicity and ease of use, even though the underlying technology is highly advanced. “OpenApp Pay goes beyond wallets like Google Wallet or Apple Pay by giving users full control over their personal data,” says Vincent de Winter, Managing Partner at We Are North. “This requires a highly advanced infrastructure that is scalable, flexible and secure—ISO-certified and fully PSD2-compliant. That’s why we developed OpenApp Pay entirely on AWS, leveraging a serverless infrastructure with AWS API Gateway and AWS Lambda, along with identity verification using Amazon Textract, Amazon Rekognition, and AWS Amplify. This ensures maximum scalability, reliability, and innovation—critical for a modern payment platform.”
For online stores, OpenApp Pay simplifies the payment process. Payments are fast and frictionless, reducing cart abandonment. Its privacy-friendly approach is a compelling selling point, while its competitive rates make it an attractive alternative to other systems.
A new way to shop
OpenApp Pay currently operates in Poland, home to founder Witold Ferenc. As a licensed payment institution, it is supervised by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority. European expansion is firmly on the agenda, especially in light of the European Payments Initiative (EPI) acquiring iDEAL. “iDEAL will become Wero, introducing profile-based shopping,” explains Jochem. “That approach limits itself to payment alone.” OpenApp Pay aims to enhance the entire online shopping experience. “Imagine reordering groceries or sharing a shopping list with friends—perhaps through a tasty recipe.”
An interesting target audience for OpenApp Pay is children under 13. “That might sound surprising, but this is a particularly vulnerable group,” says Vincent. “Parents can monitor the app and approve payments—yes for a cheese sandwich, no for chips. A logical next step could include savings features for specific goals.”
Simpler, more social, and more private
The possibilities are vast, inspired by platforms like China’s WeChat. “WeChat is a social shopping app where users actively involve others in purchases—like pooling for discounts,” Jochem explains. But there must be demand, Vincent emphasizes: “In countries like Poland and Germany, you can only claim a business lunch with an invoice—something OpenApp Pay makes simple. A future feature might even be splitting a bill with pictures: this dish was mine, pay up. That’s taking it beyond a simple payment request.”