Windcave
Windcave is a New Zealand-founded global payment processor providing omni-channel card acceptance (in-store, online, unattended) across 40+ countries via REST APIs, certified hardware terminals, and a white-label merchant portal, serving retail, hospitality, government, and e-commerce merchants worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Windcave does
Windcave Limited is a New Zealand-based global payment processing company founded in 2000, providing omni-channel payment acceptance across in-store, online, and unattended environments for merchants in more than 40 countries. The platform combines a cloud-hosted REST API gateway with proprietary hardware terminals (CHU200S/T/TL/TP, MTM300, BRF210, LAN300, SCR200, SKP200F series) and software products including the Hosted Payment Page (HPP), Paylink, Payform, Payline merchant portal, Drop-In, Hosted Fields, Recurring Billing, Batch Processing, and IVR Payments. Underlying capabilities include Global Acquiring with local payment acceptance, omni-channel tokenization, Dynamic Currency Conversion, and 3D Secure v2 / AVS-based fraud prevention, certified to PCI DSS, SOC2 Type 2, and ISO 27001 standards.
The company generates revenue through transaction-based payment processing fees and merchant acquiring services spanning retail, hospitality, government, e-commerce, vending, parking, tourism, and entertainment verticals. It sells via a hybrid model: direct enterprise field sales across offices in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, the US, Lithuania, Malta, Canada, Hong Kong, and Singapore; API-first self-service for developers; and channel partnerships (notably POSApt in Australian hospitality). The customer base spans enterprise to SMB, with pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Supporting infrastructure includes over 200 e-commerce platform integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, Xero) and alternative payment methods (PayPal, Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay, ACH, Interac, Account2Account). The company is privately held with no external investor or parent ownership signals.
Windcave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Windcave
- Legal name
- Windcave Limited
- Website
- https://windcave.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Windcave is a New Zealand-founded global payment processor providing omni-channel card acceptance (in-store, online, unattended) across 40+ countries via REST APIs, certified hardware terminals, and a white-label merchant portal, serving retail, hospitality, government, and e-commerce merchants worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Windcave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Platform
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cross-Border FX, Multi-Currency & Treasury for Payments (FSAGABAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cross-Border Payment Orchestration & Routing (FSAGAKAJ), Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA)
Keywords
Where Windcave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices9 records
Markets served
Windcave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Services: Transaction-based payment processing fees charged to merchants for processing credit/debit card payments across online, in-store, and unattended environments. Revenue generated through merchant acquiring services with global processor network.
- Dynamic Currency Conversion Rebates: Merchants can earn rebates on transactions processed via Dynamic Currency Conversion when international customers pay in their local currency.
- Merchant Acquiring Services: Full merchant acquiring services providing payment terminal management, merchant facility setup, and settlement services for merchants transacting via Windcave.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Quote-based merchant pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Windcave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Windcave operates a cloud-hosted, API-first global payment platform that enables merchants to accept credit and debit card payments across in-store (EFTPOS terminals), online (payment gateway with Hosted Payment Page, REST API, Paylink, Payform), and unattended (weather-resistant self-service devices) environments. The platform provides global merchant acquiring across 40+ countries, omni-channel tokenization, fraud prevention (3D Secure v2), and unified reporting through the Payline merchant portal. It supports 200+ e-commerce platform integrations and alternative payment methods including PayPal, Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay, ACH, Interac, and Account2Account bank transfers.
Product overview
Windcave is a global payment platform providing omni-channel payment acceptance across in-store, online, and unattended environments. The platform combines multiple payment channels into a single platform, offering both a core product portfolio (In-Store Payments, Online Payments, Unattended Payments) and feature modules including Global Acquiring, Tokenization, Fraud Prevention, Cross Border Services, and Data Insights/Payline. The product suite includes specialized payment tools (Payline merchant portal, Paylink payment links, Payform static URL payments, HPP hosted checkout, Batch Processing, Recurring Billing, IVR Payments) and developer integrations (REST API, Drop-In, Hosted Fields). Hardware offerings include in-store terminals (CHU200S, CHU200T, CHU200TL, CHU200TP, MTM300, Tap to Pay on iPhone) and unattended devices (BRF210F, BRF210L, BRF210LI, LAN300-B, LAN300L, SCR200F, SCR200F-VM, SCR200VN, SKP200F). The platform supports 200+ e-commerce platform integrations, alternative payment methods (PayPal, Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay, ACH, Interac, Account2Account), and offers native Xero accounting integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Payline: Browser-based payment application for processing credit card transactions, refunds, recurring payments and generating reports
- Paylink
- Payform
- Payline
Products and services
- In-Store Payments
- Online Payments
- Unattended Payments
- Global Acquiring
- Cross Border Services
- Payline (Data Insights Portal)
- Paylink
- Payform
- Hosted Payment Page (HPP)
- Batch Processing
- Recurring Billing
- IVR Payment Services
- Windcave REST API
- SKP200F Unattended Keypad
- CHU200S / CHU200T / CHU200TL / CHU200TP In-Store Terminals
- MTM300 In-Store Terminal
- Tap to Pay on iPhone
- BRF210F / BRF210L / BRF210LI Unattended Card Readers
- LAN300-B / LAN300L Unattended Terminals
- SCR200F / SCR200F-VM / SCR200VN Unattended Card Readers
Quantifiable outcome
- PCI compliance cost reduction through SAQ Level A hosted payment page option
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Windcave
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Windcave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature9 records
Windcave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- POSAptcorePOSApt partners with Windcave as one of two payment providers (alongside mx51) to offer free POS system solutions for eligible Australian hospitality venues including cafés, restaurants, bars, and takeaway shops. Venues establish merchant facilities directly with Windcave while POSApt provides and supports the POS software and integration with payment terminals.
- WorldlineminorInland Revenue (New Zealand government) switched its card payment processor from Windcave to Worldline, as noted in a Deloitte snapshot of New Zealand tax developments.
- XerocoreNative integration allowing Windcave Hosted Payment Page (HPP) to be added as a payment option on Xero invoices. Customers can pay Xero invoices using Windcave's full range of supported payment methods through the Pay Now button functionality.
Scale indicators3 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Windcave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stripe: Global API-first payment gateway and merchant acquiring platform serving online, in-person, and recurring payment use cases. Directly comparable to Windcave's hosted checkout, REST API, and merchant acquiring services, though Stripe operates at vastly greater scale and has stronger PLG onboarding.
- Adyen: Omni-channel global payment platform offering unified online, in-store, and unattended processing through a single integration. Closest direct competitor to Windcave on the omni-channel + global acquiring model, though Adyen focuses on enterprise while Windcave spans enterprise to SMB.
- Checkout.com: Cloud-based payment gateway with global acquiring across multiple regions, focused on enterprise merchants. Comparable to Windcave's global acquiring and multi-currency cross-border offering, with a more concentrated enterprise go-to-market.
- Block (Square): Omni-channel payments company providing in-store, online, and unattended payment solutions for SMB through enterprise merchants. Comparable to Windcave's in-store and online payment products, with a stronger consumer/SMB brand.
- PaymentExpress (PX Group): New Zealand-based payment gateway and EFTPOS provider offering online, in-store, and unattended payment solutions across ANZ. Closest geographic and product-line competitor to Windcave in the New Zealand and Australian markets.
- Airwallex: Cross-border payment platform offering multi-currency acquiring, FX, and merchant accounts with strong APAC roots. Comparable to Windcave's Global Acquiring and Cross Border Services modules, particularly for APAC merchants expanding internationally.
Broad incumbents
- Worldpay: Large global merchant acquirer and payment processor with broad omnichannel capabilities. Directly comparable to Windcave's acquiring business and explicitly identified in Windcave's data as a competitor (NZ Inland Revenue moved to Worldline).
- PayPal: Global digital payments incumbent offering online checkout, in-store QR, and merchant acquiring. Windcave's HPP supports PayPal as an alternative payment method; both compete for online checkout share.
- Fiserv: Large incumbent payment processor and merchant acquirer (Clover, First Data) offering in-store, online, and unattended solutions globally. Comparable as an omni-channel incumbent, especially for enterprise and large SMB merchants.
- Global Payments: Global merchant acquiring and payment technology company serving in-store, online, and unattended environments across dozens of markets. Comparable to Windcave's Global Acquiring footprint and omni-channel product set, at materially greater scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Windcave social profiles
Digital presenceWindcave compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Windcave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Windcave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Windcave subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Windcave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Windcave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Windcave
What does Windcave do?
Windcave operates a cloud-hosted, API-first global payment platform that enables merchants to accept credit and debit card payments across in-store (EFTPOS terminals), online (payment gateway with Hosted Payment Page, REST API, Paylink, Payform), and unattended (weather-resistant self-service devices) environments. The platform provides global merchant acquiring across 40+ countries, omni-channel tokenization, fraud prevention (3D Secure v2), and unified reporting through the Payline merchant portal. It supports 200+ e-commerce platform integrations and alternative payment methods including PayPal, Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay, ACH, Interac, and Account2Account bank transfers.
Is Windcave a public or private company?
Windcave is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Windcave founded?
Windcave was founded in 2000. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Windcave based?
Windcave is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Windcave make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Services are the primary driver. The others are dynamic Currency Conversion Rebates and merchant Acquiring Services.
Who are Windcave's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com, Block (Square), PaymentExpress (PX Group) and Airwallex. Broad incumbents are Worldpay, PayPal, Fiserv and Global Payments.
Does Windcave have an API?
Yes. Windcave offers a REST API for payment processing integration. The API supports multiple integration methods including Hosted Payment Page (HPP), Form Post, AJAX Post, and Server Side Post. Features include 3D Secure v2, Fail Proof Result Notification (FPRN), Stored Card functionality, Subscription Invoices, Address Verification Service (AVS), and Rebilling. API supports create session, query session endpoints with authentication via API username and API Key (Basic Auth). Sessions have a 72-hour timeout by default. Supports PCI SAQ levels A, A-EP, and D depending on integration method chosen. Developer documentation is at px5.docs.apiary.io/#introduction.
What industry is Windcave in?
Windcave's product category is Payment Processing Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGABAK, Cross-Border FX, Multi-Currency & Treasury for Payments, with a secondary code of FSAGAKAJ, Cross-Border Payment Orchestration & Routing. Its NAICS code is 52232.