Windcave

Payment Processing Platformwindcave.com

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

Payment processing platform
Payment gateway services
Global merchant acquiring
EFTPOS terminals
Omni-channel payments

Where Windcave is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

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 offering

Core 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 profile

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Windcave technology and API

Technology

Technology 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 signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

POSAptcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 January 2026POSApt 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.
WorldlineminorOthers · 7 March 2025Inland Revenue (New Zealand government) switched its card payment processor from Windcave to Worldline, as noted in a Deloitte snapshot of New Zealand tax developments.
XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationNative 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 assessment

Direct 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 compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance6 records

Windcave financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Windcave leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Windcave subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries6 records

Windcave funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Windcave M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&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?

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.