What's bLink

bLink is the Swiss Open Banking platform developed by SIX Group. It provides a secure and straightforward path for financial institutions (FI) and third-party providers (TPP) to connect to each other via a central platform and exchange data-based services, such as portfolio management for example. They can share various types of financial data, such as account details and transaction information, in order to offer their customers innovative solutions in different areas and segments.

With its overall standardized package, bLink creates all the prerequisites for FIs and TPPs to form successful partnerships and comprehensive ecosystems:

• Uniform, modular contracts for more efficiency rather than individual agreements
• Standardized admission tests for participants ensure maximum security
• Digital consent management ensures complete transparency for end-customers
• Modern, standardized interfaces to ensure the highest reliability

In addition to taking advantage of bLink's complete technology infrastructure with testing and simulation, TPPs and FIs can also benefit from full partner management in which SIX ensures the onboarding and support of all participants. In addition, bLink provides access to a trusted and innovative community focused on evolving the financial world.

Participants

Three main roles compose the bLink ecosystem: end customers, Service Providers and Service Users.

Service Users

Service Users are typically third-party providers that have developed a software to enable customers to exchange data related to their economic matters with financial institutions. In order to get the most out of the system, the software should be connected directly to multiple counterparties to enable comprehensive services, for example, multiple accounts with different financial institutions.

Service Providers

Service Providers are typically financial institutions, such as retail banks, that allow customers to connect their bank accounts to the software developed by the Service User. Service Providers can also act as Service Users when consuming data to offer their own solutions on bLink.

End Customers

The Service Provider and Service User always act in the interest of a mutual end customer. For the bLink ecosystem, the end customer is a person or corporation that uses software that provides them with financial matters, such as portfolio management. From the standpoint of simplified user experience, customers expect that their bank information can be easily accessed and managed with the software.

Currently, the primary target audience of bLink is small and medium enterprises.

Admission Process

There is no restriction on which participants can join bLink, but every new participant must meet the admission process presented below.