GoCardless & Sequence launch Direct Debit integration

GoCardless has partnered with Sequence to launch a native Direct Debit integration for businesses using Sequence in the UK, Europe and the US.

The integration brings GoCardless bank payment services into Sequence's billing platform, allowing companies to collect payments for one-off invoices and recurring billing schedules without switching to a separate system. Customers authorise a mandate through the Sequence portal, and later payments are collected automatically.

Both companies are targeting businesses that manage recurring contracts or more complex billing arrangements and want to reduce manual collection work. The integration also updates the invoice payment status in Sequence once a payment is completed.

For billing schedules, users must select a customer and add a product before the system checks whether GoCardless is available for that contract. When the schedule starts, draft invoices automatically inherit GoCardless as the payment method.

The product supports Direct Debit schemes in more than 30 countries through GoCardless, including Bacs in the UK, SEPA in the eurozone, and ACH pull in the US. It also automatically checks country and currency eligibility and disables the option when a customer or invoice does not meet the criteria.

The move reflects a broader effort by software providers to consolidate billing and payments into a single workflow for finance teams. For business-to-business sellers, Direct Debit can offer an alternative to card payments, particularly for repeat invoices where expired cards and percentage-based processing fees create extra work and cost.

GoCardless says more than 100,000 businesses use its payment network and that it processes more than USD $130 billion in payments a year across more than 30 countries. The UK-based company also has offices in Australia, France, Ireland, Latvia and the United States.

Sequence, which describes itself as an AI billing and quote-to-cash platform, says it works with customers in more than 15 countries. It has raised USD $40 million from investors, including a16z and Salesforce.

The integration also allows companies already using GoCardless to link existing customer records to Sequence, so existing mandates can carry over without requiring customers to authorise payments again.

The system supports variable payment amounts, which is relevant for usage-based billing or contracts where invoice values change month by month. Under that model, Sequence calculates the invoice based on usage data, while GoCardless collects the amount under the authorised mandate.

Tom Metcalfe outlined the partnership's focus in a statement at the launch.

"Chasing late payments and dealing with failed card transactions is a huge headache for growing businesses. By embedding our bank payment network directly into Sequence, we are integrating Direct Debit straight into the billing process. This ensures merchants can collect payments automatically, improve their cash flow, and offer their customers a secure, hassle-free way to pay," said Metcalfe, Director, Global Partnerships, GoCardless.

Riya Grover said the aim was to remove another point of friction for finance teams handling complicated contracts.

"Billing for complex contracts is a massive issue for fast-growing teams and payment collection shouldn't be another problem on top of it. Embedding GoCardless in Sequence means you can now handle the full revenue workflow from signed contract to cash in one place, with Direct Debit built in so finance teams aren't chasing payments or wiring up separate tools once an invoice goes out," said Grover, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Sequence.