Payments NZ API

Payments NZ Open Banking Standards

ActiveOpen BankingOceania
๐ŸŒ
Jurisdiction
New Zealand
๐Ÿ“…
Effective Date
2019
May 1, 2019
โœ…
Full Compliance
TBD
๐Ÿ›๏ธ
Regulator
Payments NZ

Overview

Payments NZ's API Centre is the hub for open banking standards in New Zealand, co-designed by banks and third parties. It defines three core standards: the payment initiation API (payments from accounts via apps or third parties), the account information API (third-party access to specific account data with consent), and the event notification API (notifications when customers change or revoke consent). Standards use OAuth 2.0 and the Financial-grade API (FAPI) profile; all major banks implement the same specs. The API Centre provides a shared sandbox, centralised onboarding and due-diligence sharing across banks, and governance via the API Council (banks, fintechs, and independent experts). From 2025, banks must meet published service-level benchmarks for API availability and error rates. Open banking is now formalised under the New Zealand CDR (December 2025).

Scope & Coverage

AISPIS

Key Requirements

1
OAuth 2.0 and FAPI security profile
2
API Centre registration and accreditation
3
Consumer consent first; third parties receive tokens only
4
RESTful APIs (ISO 20022 data elements, JSON)
5
Service-level benchmarks for banks from 2025
6
Only vetted, accredited third-party providers

Implementation Timeline

Mar 1, 2018
Payments NZ API standards consultation
May 1, 2019
API Centre launched with first standards
Jun 1, 2020
Payment initiation standards released
Jan 1, 2021
BNZ and Westpac ran live pilots
Jan 1, 2022
Government announced CDR to formalise open banking
Dec 1, 2025
Four major banks required to support data sharing under CDR; Kiwibank phased to 2026
Jun 1, 2026
Kiwibank payment initiation required

API Specifications

Technical standards and API specifications for implementing Payments NZ API:

Official Documents & Resources

Key Notes

Market-driven first (2019 API Centre launch, 2021 live pilots with BNZ and Westpac); government followed with CDR. In one month in 2025, 100,000+ customers made 180,000+ payments via open banking. Examples: Volley (including Givealittle), BNZ Payap, Dosh, Revolut, SortMe, BudgetBuddie.

Official Resources

Related Regulations

Other open banking frameworks in Oceania:

Need to comply with Payments NZ API?

Explore API aggregators that support New Zealand compliance.

Want to integrate Accounting & ERP data?

Connect to 30+ accounting platforms and ERPs through a single unified API with Apideck.