Goodbye Kiwipay :'(

Republishing closing down letter from www.kiwipay.co.nz.

It is with great sadness and regret that I write to let you know Kiwipay will be closing down on November 16th, 2015.

I started Kiwipay in 2004 when the only way to process credit cards online was with a bank.

My goal over the 11 years since was to create a simple, inexpensive, elegant online payment platform for New Zealand organisations.

Sadly, with the changes in banking requirements, and the recent increase in large payment companies coming to New Zealand, we simply do not have the resources to compete.

It has been a hugely challenging time and I apologise sincerely to all our merchants for the uncertainty and hassles you have been put through over the past 6–8 weeks.

We have worked tirelessly over the past months to try to come up with an ideal solution to enable Kiwipay to continue and the BNZ has been extremely supportive and helpful in their attempts to deliver a solution that would ensure the future of Kiwipay.

Unfortunately, however, the requirements are too much and we simply don’t see a way forward for Kiwipay. Our point-of-difference is no longer strong and we feel you will be better served by our competitors.

We will do everything we can over the coming weeks to help your transition be as smooth as possible and to avoid downtime in your payment process.

We have negotiated a great package with Payment Express, one of New Zealand’s longest-standing payment facilities with 16 years in the industry.

Payment Express is a New Zealand-owned company. They are internationally recognised leaders in the payment space and are certified by over 50 banks worldwide. In 2014 alone, they processed US$42 billion and 820 million transactions and offer a one-stop solution for virtually any payment requirement. We are thrilled and grateful they have offered to work with us to look after our merchants.

Payment Express can handle every aspect of your payment needs without the need for a merchant account with a bank. They are basically everything we one day hoped to be and offer many advantages over Kiwipay—including most of our top-requested features such as full Shopify and Xero integration, customisable payment forms, full developer API and more.

Regretfully, the bank has imposed a firm cut-off date of November 16th on which day Kiwipay’s merchant facility will cease to function.

We apologise unreservedly for the short notice but have been doing everything in our power to find an alternative.

Thank you to all our merchants for your business and support over the past 11 years.

We wish you all the best,

Galen King  
Founder
Kiwipay