Bidali
Bidali is a Calgary-based, remote-first digital commerce and payments company that operates a consumer mobile app and gift card storefront across 15+ countries, enabling free peer-to-peer money transfers, gift card purchases from 1,000+ brands, and Bidali Cash rewards secured on a distributed ledger.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersCalgary, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Bidali does
Bidali Inc. is a privately held Canadian digital commerce and payments company founded in April 2018 in Calgary and operated as a remote-first team of 1–10 employees. The company runs a consumer-facing mobile application (iOS/Android) and an e-commerce storefront (spend.bidali.com) that together allow individuals to send and receive money for free, purchase electronic gift cards from more than 1,000 brands worldwide, and earn instant "Bidali Cash" cash back rewards; the platform is available in at least 15 countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, South Africa, and the Philippines.
The underlying technology is built around a closed-loop, prepaid stored-value instrument called Bidali Cash, denominated in fiat currency (CAD, USD, etc.) and represented on a distributed ledger as a cryptographically secured rewards token to reduce fraud, loss, and theft across the consumer and merchant flows. All communications occur over HTTPS/WebSocket with TLS encryption, data is encrypted at rest, and access to Bidali infrastructure is gated by multi-factor authentication and need-to-know role-based controls. Bidali also exposes APIs, SDKs, and e-commerce plugins that allow third-party platforms to integrate payment acceptance and stored-value credit up to defined thresholds.
The company operates a hybrid go-to-market combining product-led growth on the consumer side (free mobile app with app store-led acquisition) and enterprise field sales on the business side (Contact Sales for merchant payment processing and developer tools). Revenue is generated through multiple streams: a percentage of reseller/affiliate discounts captured on consumer gift card purchases (the primary stream), payment processing fees charged to business customers, currency exchange spreads on multi-currency conversions, network and mining fees absorbed as part of crypto-asset payments, funding/deposit and withdrawal fees, and refund processing fees. The company has a leadership team of co-founders Eric Kryski (CEO) and Cory Smith (CTO), along with engineering and design leads, who also created FeathersJS, an open-source real-time Node.js web framework used by 15k+ developers. Compliance covers PCMLTFA, PIPEDA, CASL, GDPR, CCPA, and EU-U.S. Privacy Shield frameworks.
Bidali firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bidali
- Legal name
- Bidali Inc.
- Website
- https://bidali.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Bidali is a Calgary-based, remote-first digital commerce and payments company that operates a consumer mobile app and gift card storefront across 15+ countries, enabling free peer-to-peer money transfers, gift card purchases from 1,000+ brands, and Bidali Cash rewards secured on a distributed ledger.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bidali industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Payments and Gift Card Marketplace
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Gift Cards, Vouchers & Stored-Value (Crypto) (FSADAIAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)
Keywords
Where Bidali is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Calgary
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bidali business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations
Revenue model
- Gift Card Reseller Discounts: Bidali captures a percentage of the reseller/affiliate discounts negotiated with individual brands. This is the primary revenue stream for consumer-facing gift card purchases.
- Payment Processing Fees: Bidali charges payment processing fees to business customers who use their services to accept electronic payments.
- Currency Exchange Spread: Bidali captures a percentage of the spread between currency exchange rates when purchases are made or Account Balances are converted from one currency to another. Spread varies by currency pairing, volatility, and liquidity.
- Network and Mining Fees: Fees incurred to detect incoming crypto-asset payments and fees paid to miners/validators to confirm transaction validity on the distributed ledger.
- Funding/Deposit and Withdrawal Fees: Fees charged for adding funds to Bidali Account Balance and for withdrawing funds, based on choice of payment method.
- Refund Fees: Fees charged for full or partial refunds to cover network fees and additional processing costs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer App - Free to Use |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Business Payment Processing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Bidali product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bidali operates a digital commerce and payments platform with two main surfaces: (1) a consumer-facing mobile app (iOS/Android) and gift card e-commerce store that let individuals send and receive money for free and buy gift cards from 1,000+ brands with instant cash back, and (2) a business-facing payment processing service with APIs, SDKs, and e-commerce plugins that enables merchants to accept electronic payments, distribute digital coupons, and reduce fraud. The proprietary Bidali Cash closed-loop stored value instrument, represented as a cryptographically secured token on a distributed ledger, underpins reward distribution and fraud prevention across both audiences.
Product overview
Bidali operates as a digital commerce platform comprising the Bidali App (consumer-facing mobile application) and the Gift Card Store (e-commerce store at spend.bidali.com). The platform enables individuals to send and receive money, purchase gift cards from 1,000+ brands, and earn instant cash back rewards. For businesses, Bidali provides tools to accept electronic payments, distribute digital coupons, and reduce fraud through blockchain-based stored value instruments. The company also offers developer tools (APIs, SDKs, plugins) for third-party platform integration. Bidali Cash serves as the proprietary closed-loop prepaid stored-value currency within the ecosystem, represented as a cryptographically secured rewards token on a distributed ledger.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bidali App: Mobile application for sending money, earning instant cash back, and buying gift cards.
- Gift Card Store
- Bidali Cash
Products and services
- Bidali App Consumer-facing iOS and Android mobile application that enables individuals to send and receive money for free, buy gift cards from 1,000+ global brands, and earn instant Bidali Cash rewards on purchases.
- Gift Card Store E-commerce store (spend.bidali.com) selling electronic gift cards from over 1,000 local and international brands, offering cash back rewards on purchases.
- Bidali Cash Closed-loop, prepaid, stored-value currency issued solely by Bidali, denominated in fiat and represented as a crypto asset on a distributed ledger; redeemable for goods and services on the Bidali platform, no cash value, used for fraud-resistant rewards and merchant settlement.
- Bidali Commerce (merchant payment processing with APIs, SDKs, and plugins) Business-facing payment processing service with APIs, SDKs, and e-commerce plugins that enables merchants and brands to accept electronic payments, distribute digital coupons and stored-value credit, and reduce credit/debit/gift card fraud using blockchain-secured Bidali Cash.
Companies that use Bidali
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bidali technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Bidali partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bidali competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bitrefill: Bitrefill lets users buy gift cards and top up mobile airtime using bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It is the closest direct peer to Bidali given the combination of digital gift cards, crypto rails, and global emerging-market reach.
- eGifter: eGifter operates a digital gift card marketplace and enterprise gifting/rewards platform with a similar reseller/affiliate business model. Comparable on consumer gift card catalog and B2B rewards distribution.
- Paxful: Paxful is a P2P crypto marketplace where users can buy, sell, and trade digital assets, including for gift cards. Comparable to Bidali in combining crypto-asset transactions with gift card inventory and a global, financial-inclusion audience.
- Tremendous: Tremendous provides a global payout platform with digital gift cards as a primary reward instrument for businesses, marketplaces, and platforms. Comparable on catalog breadth and API-first B2B distribution.
- Giftbit: Giftbit is a digital gift card delivery platform serving businesses with rewards, incentives, and bulk gift card sending via API. Highly comparable to Bidali's B2B gift card distribution motion and developer-tools/API offering.
Emerging players
- Rybbon: Rybbon is a digital gift card and rewards platform for market research, employee recognition, and incentives. Comparable to Bidali on the B2B digital gift card delivery motion, though with a narrower feature set.
- Fold: Fold offers bitcoin rewards on everyday purchases via a debit card and gift card purchases. Comparable to Bidali's instant cash-back model but anchored to bitcoin rather than a fiat-denominated closed-loop token.
Broad incumbents
- Cash App: Cash App is Block's P2P payments and bitcoin-enabled consumer app with broad retail and gift card integration. Comparable to Bidali's free P2P transfers and bitcoin/crypto overlay, but at vastly larger scale and with much deeper regulatory and capital resources.
- InComm Payments: InComm Payments provides prepaid card and gift card distribution, processing, and technology solutions to retailers and brands globally. Comparable to Bidali on stored-value and gift card infrastructure but as a much larger, established incumbent.
- Blackhawk Network: Blackhawk Network is a major gift card network and payments company operating at scale across retail and B2B. Comparable to Bidali's gift card aggregation and distribution but operates at vastly larger scale with established retail relationships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bidali social profiles
Digital presenceBidali compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Bidali financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bidali leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Bidali funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bidali 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 Bidali
What does Bidali do?
Bidali operates a digital commerce and payments platform with two main surfaces: (1) a consumer-facing mobile app (iOS/Android) and gift card e-commerce store that let individuals send and receive money for free and buy gift cards from 1,000+ brands with instant cash back, and (2) a business-facing payment processing service with APIs, SDKs, and e-commerce plugins that enables merchants to accept electronic payments, distribute digital coupons, and reduce fraud. The proprietary Bidali Cash closed-loop stored value instrument, represented as a cryptographically secured token on a distributed ledger, underpins reward distribution and fraud prevention across both audiences.
Is Bidali a public or private company?
Bidali is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bidali founded?
Bidali was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Bidali based?
Bidali is headquartered in Calgary, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Bidali make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Gift Card Reseller Discounts are the primary driver. The others are payment Processing Fees, currency Exchange Spread, network and Mining Fees, funding/Deposit and Withdrawal Fees and refund Fees.
Who are Bidali's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bitrefill, eGifter, Paxful, Tremendous and Giftbit. Emerging players are Rybbon and Fold. Broad incumbents are Cash App, InComm Payments and Blackhawk Network.
Does Bidali have an API?
Yes. Bidali provides APIs, SDKs, e-commerce plugins, and developer tools that enable third-party applications and platforms to integrate with Bidali's payment services. The developer tools include application programming interfaces (APIs), software development kits (SDKs), e-commerce plugins (Plugins), developer tools, technical documentation. Developer tools are subject to a Developer Agreement as referenced in Appendix B of the Terms of Use. Access to Bidali Services may occur through supported electronic devices with internet connection, and third-party platforms can integrate via SDKs, APIs and/or Plugins below certain transaction thresholds without requiring a Bidali Account.
What industry is Bidali in?
Bidali's product category is Digital Payments and Gift Card Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSADAIAN, Digital Gift Cards, Vouchers & Stored-Value (Crypto), with a secondary code of FSAGABAE, Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure. Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6200.