Easily integrate into the Plaid data network with Plaid Direct

Today, we’re excited to deliver broader access to the financial system through Plaid Direct, our lightweight integration specification that allows banks and fintech applications to quickly and easily become a data source in the Plaid network. By doing so, businesses can enable their customers to enjoy open banking-style connectivity across their toolkit of financial services providers.

The proliferation of fintech apps in recent years means that consumers now hold balances at more and more applications and institutions, including digital wallets, neobanks, and fintech brokerages. Coinciding with this expansion of financial services tools is the growing consumer expectation of seamless data portability across apps. This expectation makes account connectivity an important capability for providers seeking to deepen engagement and stickiness with their customers.

Once you have integrated via Plaid Direct, end users can select your institution or app in Plaid Link and connect their accounts with personal financial management apps, such as Drop and Qapital. Your customers can also use their accounts as a funding source for other services, such as Acorns and Coinbase.

Why integrate with Plaid Direct?

• Deepen engagement by enabling users to connect their accounts to the apps they love

• Easier, more efficient integration builds than offered by other standardized API specs—get up and running in as little as two weeks

• Protect consumer data with robust security controls including customer authentication and tokenization

• Pursue partnerships with other Plaid-powered apps and institutions

Some of our existing customers have already begun integrating with Plaid.

“Varo's goal is to help our customers make smart financial decisions by ensuring they can see their full financial picture, ideally across all their money apps. The Plaid Direct specification enabled us to easily build into the Plaid network and enable our customers to do just that.”

James Pelham Burn, Product Manager at Varo

If you’re interested in becoming a supported institution via Plaid Direct, reach out to plaid-direct@plaid.com to learn more.