BlinkPay Overview

BlinkPay is New Zealand's first purpose-built open banking payment gateway, backed by Bank of New Zealand. We provide secure, direct account-to-account payment initiation and data access services through our comprehensive API platform.

What is Open Banking?

Open banking enables third-party financial service providers to access customer banking data and initiate payments with the customer's explicit consent. BlinkPay acts as a trusted intermediary between your business and New Zealand's major banks.

Key Principles

• Customer Consent - All access requires explicit customer authorisation
• Secure Access - Direct bank APIs with strong authentication
• No Credentials Storage - BlinkPay never stores customer banking credentials
• Transparent Control - Customers can view and revoke consent at any time

How BlinkPay Works

BlinkPay Products

Blink PayNow

Single payment initiation for one-off transactions.

Use Cases:

• E-commerce checkout payments
• Invoice payments
• Bill payments
• One-time donations

Features:

• Single consent, single payment
• Quick Payment option (one-step API call)
• Payment limits vary by bank — see Bank Coverage
• Bank transfer settlement typically within 2 hours
• Card payments via Gateway Flow — settlement depends on your acquirer

Learn more about Single Payments →

Blink AutoPay

Recurring payment capabilities with enduring consents.

Use Cases:

• Subscription billing
• Instalment payments
• Recurring donations
• Regular service fees

Features:

• Variable payment amounts within limits
• Multiple period types (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
• Indefinite or time-limited consents
• Customer-controlled revocation

Learn more about Recurring Payments →

Blink Data

Account information access for financial data retrieval.

Use Cases:

• Account verification
• Income verification
• Financial assessment
• Transaction analysis

Features:

• Read-only account access
• Balance inquiries
• Transaction history
• Multiple account types

Learn more about Blink Data →

Blink Gateway

Hosted payment gateway that simplifies integration.

Use Cases:

• Quick integration without building UI
• Consistent user experience
• Bank selection and flow management
• Mobile and web applications

Features:

• BlinkPay-hosted consent pages
• Automatic bank selection
• Flow type optimisation
• Responsive design
• Card payments alongside bank transfers

Learn more about Gateway →

Integration Benefits

For Merchants

• Lower Transaction Costs - Reduced payment processing fees compared to card payments
• Instant Payment Confirmation - Real-time payment status updates
• Reduced Fraud - Bank-authenticated payments with strong customer authentication
• No Chargebacks on Bank Payments - Account-to-account payments carry no card chargeback risk (card payments can still be charged back by the card issuer)
• Better Conversion - Streamlined checkout experience

For Customers

• Secure Payments - No need to share card details
• Bank-Level Security - Authenticate using familiar banking credentials
• Transparent Fees - No hidden payment processing fees
• Control & Visibility - View and manage all consents in one place
• Fast Checkout - Quick payment experience without manual data entry

Technical Architecture

Direct Bank Integration

BlinkPay maintains direct integrations with all major New Zealand banks:

• ANZ New Zealand
• ASB Bank
• Bank of New Zealand (BNZ)
• Kiwibank
• Westpac New Zealand

Payment Processing

Bank payments are processed through New Zealand's BECS (Bulk Electronic Clearing System) as Direct Credit transactions. Card payments are also supported through the Gateway flow — see Card Payments for details.

Payment Flow:

1. Customer authorises payment via their bank
2. BlinkPay receives authorisation confirmation
3. Bank processes payment instruction
4. Funds transferred via BECS network
5. Settlement typically completes within 2 hours

Important: The AcceptedSettlementCompleted status indicates the payer's bank has sent the funds, but does not guarantee the funds have been received by the merchant's bank. Always verify receipt in your bank account.

API-First Design

BlinkPay is built as an API-first platform:

• RESTful API architecture
• OAuth 2.0 authentication
• JSON request/response format
• Webhooks for Fixed Recurring Payment events
• Published OpenAPI specification

No Funds Holding

Standards & Compliance

ISO 27001:2022 Certified

BlinkPay maintains ISO 27001:2022 certification for information security management, ensuring:

• Secure development practices
• Risk management processes
• Security incident response
• Continuous monitoring and improvement

Open Banking Standards

Built on New Zealand's open banking framework (currently v2.3), with support for:

• Payment Initiation Services (PIS)
• Account Information Services (AIS)
• Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)
• Consent management

Data Protection

• Encryption - All data encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest
• Access Control - Role-based access with least privilege principle
• Audit Logging - Comprehensive audit trails for all operations
• Data Residency - Data stored in New Zealand

Limitations & Considerations

Current Limitations

Banking Scope:

• Open Banking v2.3 is tailored for retail/personal banking
• Business accounts with multi-authorisation requirements may have limitations
• Version 3 will address business banking needs

Technical Constraints:

• iFrames not supported due to bank content security policies
• Embedded WebViews are not supported in mobile apps; open the bank's pages in the system browser or an in-app browser tab (SFSafariViewController or ASWebAuthenticationSession on iOS, Chrome Custom Tabs on Android). See Mobile Integration
• Each bank has different payment limits and timeouts

Bank-Specific Differences

Different banks support different features and authentication methods:

• Login Methods - App deep linking, mobile number, customer ID
• Payment Limits - Vary by bank and account type
• Timeout Periods - Different session timeout durations
• Authentication - Different 2FA implementations

View detailed bank coverage →

Getting Started

Ready to integrate BlinkPay? Here's your roadmap:

1. Quick Start Guide - Get up and running quickly
2. Authentication - Learn about OAuth 2.0 tokens
3. Gateway Flow - Easiest integration path (recommended)
4. Going Live - Production checklist and production access