Getting Started with Visa Direct Connect

About Visa Direct Connect

Visa Direct Connect is an enablement service consolidating access to select Visa Direct money movement offerings to simplify client integration and maintenance of our products. It is a money movement solution to simplify integrations with Visa Direct.

Vision

By focusing on a cohesive and adaptable approach to our product, processing, and network infrastructure, we aim to provide a client experience that is both seamless and highly integrated.

Transaction flow

Visa Direct Connect facilitates connection to Visa Direct, which enables transfers to accounts, wallets, and cards through a comprehensive suite of APIs. These APIs provide a comprehensive toolkit for payment processing and management. Balance APIs offer currency balances across accounts and wallets, while Get Requirement and Validation APIs help automate data entry and ensure correct payment information. Foreign Exchange and Manage Liquidity APIs deliver FX quotes and allow clients to lock in rates. Verify and Eligibility APIs check recipient details and transaction eligibility to boost payout success. Payout and Payin APIs initiate fund transfers to accounts, wallets, or cards, and Transaction Management APIs give detailed payout tracking. Exception Management APIs handle cancellations, reversals, and adjustments, while Notifications APIs deliver fast updates on transactions, balances, and required data changes, ensuring efficient and secure global payments.

Visa Direct for Account and Visa Direct for Wallet are designed to support cross-border transactions only. Both domestic and cross-border transactions are supported using Visa Direct for Card.  

Visa Direct Connect APIs also support high value business to business transfers, enabling a bank-to-bank messaging and settlement platform for financial institutions, and enabling commercial customers to make secure, predictable, and cost-effective cross-border payments. Transactions are funded directly from the sending commercial customer’s cash account at their commercial bank to the recipient’s cash account at their commercial bank. Visa B2B Connect supports both cross-border and domestic transfers, and domestic transfers may be supported for the countries you want to enable it in. Contact your Visa Representative for more information on the availability of domestic B2B transfers.

 

 

1

Sender (individual or entity) initiates payment to recipient or beneficiary.  

2

Payment request captured, verified and submitted by the client through the APIs available via Visa Direct Connect.

3

Visa Direct Connect sends payment instructions to either Visa Direct for Account, Visa Direct for Wallet, Visa Direct for Card, or Visa B2B Connect based on the client's choice of payment network. 

4a

Network Partner submits the payment request through local clearing scheme. Speed of deposit depends on the scheme. Recipient’s bank receives inward amount and credits to recipient account.  

Actual fund availability for all Visa Direct transactions may depend on receiving financial institution, account type, region, compliance processes, along with other factors, as applicable

4b

Wallet Aggregator / Operator credits the recipient’s wallet with the payment.

4c

VisaNet routes the payment to the recipient issuer. Recipient issuer credits the recipient's card.

4d Network partner processes the payment and directs it to the receiving financial institution or receiving participant, who credits the beneficiary’s corporate account.

 

How Visa Direct Connect works

Visa Direct Connect allows for simpler API integrations to access Visa Direct Connect use cases as compared with connecting to Visa Direct products or services individually.

Visa Direct Connect helps enhance developers’ experience by providing the following:

  • Designated APIs that are tailored for specific URL endpoints, reducing maintenance
  • Consistent terminology using standardized terms which help understanding and reduce the burden to adopt new products and services

Clients can now streamline their payout processes by using dedicated APIs to send payments directly to Visa Direct for Account, Visa Direct for Wallet, Visa Direct for Card , rather than relying on multiple separate APIs for each product. This unified approach simplifies integration, reduces complexity, and enhances efficiency. However, clients are only able to initiate payouts to the specific products and services for which they have received prior approval and access authorization. A client may only send payouts to those products to which it has approved access. 

Visa Direct Connect APIs can be found on the API Reference page. Visa Direct Clients can create their own “Go-Live” process for the API connections found in the Visa Developer Center through their dashboard.

See “Quick Start Guide for Developers” for a guide to implement projects.