iban.link

What It Is

iban.link is not a traditional payment gateway or acquiring institution. Instead, it is a tool that turns a long IBAN into a short link. Users choose an alias such as iban.link/lisa, enter the recipient name and IBAN, and the page displays the IBAN together with a scannable QR code. The payer then initiates a SEPA transfer through their own banking app. It does not provide accounts, wallets, fund custody, or actual clearing and settlement capabilities.

Core Features and Payment Methods

The core of the service is “IBAN as a link + EPC-standard QR code.” Its description says it works with any European IBAN bank account, i.e. in SEPA scenarios. The payment flow remains a direct bank transfer; iban.link simply reduces the friction caused by IBANs being long, hard to remember, and easy to mistype. Pages can also be embedded on websites, making it suitable for personal homepages, freelancer profiles, or simple payment instruction pages.

Pricing, Settlement, Compliance, and Security

Pricing is very straightforward: no registration, no app, no fees, and it claims to be 100% free forever. No settlement cycle is disclosed, because the platform does not handle funds; arrival time depends on the user’s bank and the SEPA transfer mechanism. On security, the name and IBAN are encrypted in the browser using AES-GCM before being sent to the server; payment details such as amount and reference are handled via hash fragments and do not reach the server. It also states that there are no cookies or personal tracking, and that it uses the privacy-first Umami analytics tool. Licensing and operator information are not disclosed in the main text.

Pros and Cons

The advantages are a low barrier to entry, being completely free, a clear privacy-oriented design, and the use of QR codes to reduce manual input errors. For people who only want to receive bank transfers, it is more convenient than repeatedly copying a long IBAN. The limitations are also obvious: it only applies to the European SEPA/IBAN context, and does not support cards, wallets, local payment methods, multi-currency settlement, refunds, reconciliation, risk control review, or other merchant payment features. Editing pages relies on a private edit link, which cannot be recovered if lost.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is suitable for individuals in Europe, small merchants, freelancers, or website owners who want to display a receiving IBAN. It is not suitable for merchants that need full payment processing, cross-border acquiring, or enterprise-grade compliance reporting. Access from mainland China is not mentioned in the main text, so its status is unknown. If it cannot be accessed, alternatives include displaying an IBAN directly via email or invoice, or using PayPal, Wise, or the SEPA receiving details provided by a bank.