Root – Programmable bank account for software developers • Hacker News Board

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#121

Post by sjtgraham » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:48 PM UTC

jsudhams wrote: post #117

bjackman wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you integrated this directly with the banks or do you take user's login details and scrape the online banking sites (like MoneyDashboard does)? I would be more than willing to switch banks just to get a read-only API for this kind of thing, if only it was properly integrated (read: I don't have to give my login details to a third party)

I think you can use yodlee and it good for read only purpose.

Yodlee isn't read-only. They only expose a read-only API. Ordinarily you're giving them the credentials you use to login to online banking, therefore they notionally have the same access you do.

Yodlee is also beyond broken and is made available on very unfriendly terms, e.g. Pricing covered by NDAs complete with very significant setup fees, and minimum commitments.

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#122

Post by hoschicz » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:50 PM UTC

I've sent them an email asking them if they are planning to be SAR-only, here's the reply:

Hi Ondřej,

We're launching in South Africa, but have plans to expand to the EU/US in the near future.

Be sure to sign up to our waiting list, as we'll keep everyone there posted on new events :)

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#123

Post by fazkan » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:50 PM UTC

Finally, have been waiting for this for a long time now.

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#124

Post by louwhopley » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:51 PM UTC

hoschicz wrote: post #122

I've sent them an email asking them if they are planning to be SAR-only, here's the reply: Hi Ondřej, We're launching in South Africa, but have plans to expand to the EU/US in the near future. Be sure to sign up to our waiting list, as we'll keep everyone there posted on new events :)

Haha :)

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#125

Post by davidpelaez » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:51 PM UTC

louwhopley wrote: post #25

baconomatic wrote: post #3

This will be interesting to watch. I'm hoping they have sandbox accounts!

Hey @baconomatic, founder here - we do have a sandbox built in so that you can test your scripts/programs first before running letting it touch your real money :)

Would it be possible to get an account for playing in the sandbox without living in South Africa?

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#126

Post by dharma1 » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:52 PM UTC

thesimon wrote: post #16

egeozcan wrote: post #9

I'd like to have something like this for Germany. I am willing to pay 10€/month for a simple API access to my bank account. I need neither hosted code nor push. Just give me remote access for my scripts. Probably I'm asking for the impossible because of the heavy regulation in Germany but just wanted to put it out there.

N26 has got a quite decent REST API if you are willing to use your dev tools for a bit :) Edit: Most banks also seem to support FinTS [0], but it seems a bit of a PITA. Edit 2: figo might be worth a try as well, though I don't know their pricing. Edit 3: bunq is quite nice as well. I implemented a few basic calls in node when they launched the API. Not the easiest API to work with, but acceptable. [0]: https://www.hb…

Thanks, nice list. Do you know of any aggregators in Germany that can provide a (read only) API for popular German online stock brokerage or pension fund accounts?

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#127

Post by colecut » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:54 PM UTC

instakill wrote: post #99

louwhopley wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One beta user built a script that sells bitcoin in real-time as he swipes his card and tops up his fiat account, effectively making his card "spend bitcoin" :)

that's so cool. have they open sourced this yet?

There is also this BTC debit card available, which could probably be used in conjunction with your service. https://www.shiftpayments.com/card

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#128

Post by fastball » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:55 PM UTC

sjtgraham wrote: post #41

djm_ wrote: post #33

If anyone's looking for API access to UK high street banks: https://teller.io

Thanks! Founder here. Currently in private beta, but if you're with Santander, Nationwide, RBS, Natwest, Ulster Bank NI, or IOM Bank I can give you access - sg@teller.io.

Is support for Barclays in the pipeline?

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#129

Post by Rmilb » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:56 PM UTC

louwhopley wrote: post #72

louwhopley wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're currently playing in the fiat currency space, but we are keeping an eye out for ways to merge the two

One beta user built a script that sells bitcoin in real-time as he swipes his card and tops up his fiat account, effectively making his card "spend bitcoin" :)

As far as the US IRS is concerned, every time he makes a purchase with bitcoin, it is a taxable event where he must declare any gains/loss from the time he purchased the bitcoin. This type of regulation is hindering BTC adoption in the US. BTC also doesn't solve any problems the average person has in a developed country, but that is another story..

Re: Root – Programmable bank account for software developers

#130

Post by graedus » Wed, May 03, 2017, 4:56 PM UTC

hasbroslasher wrote: post #102

jsudhams wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the issue with cashless is that banks/financial service provided making money of of the money i.e. $100 making more than $100 with out adding any real value in fees (100 time circulation). I know time is money in most western countries but my place we do one crop a year and sit idle for 9 months. So time is not a money and we would rather give cash to a person get that much worth of a product. E.g. My sons sch…

The example of your son's school is fine, but imagine that your son lives in another country. Cash has other problems beside being slow. It's insecure - a person could steal your $20 bill from your mailbox or his, or from the Post Office. It's untraceable - if your son's school says "We never got your payment" but your son swears he gave them the cash, you're stuck in a situation where either your son or the school i…

> It's untraceable

Feature of cash, not a bug. It's not the best choice for every situation, but neither is digital, which is why it's important that people have both options available.