CAF Bank, which provides banking services to around 14,000 charities, has suspended its online banking platform after discovering a security vulnerability in how third-party software connects to its portal. The shutdown has left some charities unable to access their accounts, causing difficulties for organisations trying to process time-sensitive payments such as payroll.

Online services have been unavailable since 24 July and will remain so until the bank is confident the issue has been safely resolved; it is working with a technology partner and external experts on a fix. The bank says the vulnerability was flagged after reports of suspicious activity on some customer accounts, but that core banking systems and customer funds are unaffected, and any attempted fraud has been reported to those involved. CEO Alison Taylor apologised for the disruption, said phone support remains available with payroll payments prioritised, and declined to say whether customers would be compensated. CAF Bank, part of the Charities Aid Foundation, held £1.45 billion in customer deposits at the end of its 2024/25 financial year, and previously faced criticism last year over problems following the launch of a new banking platform.