CASA uses Akahu to securely connect to your bank accounts. Akahu is New Zealand’s leading open banking platform. They’ve been around since 2020 (growing out of a project that started back in 2013), and they’re the go-to solution for connecting banks to apps in Aotearoa.
What is Akahu?
Think of Akahu as the trusted middleman between your bank and CASA—they handle all the technical stuff so we can focus on helping you predict your expenses.
They’re used by over 100 government, corporate, and fintech organisations across New Zealand—including major players like Westpac (who actually part-owns them), Xero, MYOB, Simplicity and Sharesies. If you’ve ever connected your bank to a financial app in NZ, chances are you’ve already used Akahu.
Is it safe?
Yes. Here’s why:
- Officially accredited: In December 2025, Akahu became one of the first organisations to receive official accreditation under New Zealand’s Consumer Data Right legislation. This means they’re a regulated participant in NZ’s official open banking system, held to strict security and privacy standards.
- Direct bank authentication: For the big four banks (ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac), you authenticate directly with your bank—not through a third party. Your bank creates a secure access token, so your password is never stored.
- Bank-grade security: They use 256-bit encryption (the same level banks use) and are ISO 27001 certified for information security.
- Westpac-backed: Westpac New Zealand invested in Akahu, which is a pretty solid vote of confidence.
- You’re in control: You can revoke CASA’s access to your accounts at any time from within CASA settings or through http://my.akahu.nz.
How does it actually work?
When you connect your bank to CASA, Akahu uses New Zealand’s official open banking system. This means:
- You’re redirected to Akahu’s secure connection flow
- You log in directly with your bank (CASA never sees your credentials)
- Your bank verifies your identity and asks which accounts you want to share
- You choose which accounts to connect to CASA
- Your bank creates a secure token for ongoing access—no password storage needed
- Akahu sends your transaction data to us, encrypted and categorised
Because Akahu connects through the official open banking APIs (available from ANZ, ASB, BNZ, and Westpac), your bank handles the authentication directly. It’s the same secure process your bank uses for their own mobile apps.
What data does CASA use?
We only receive:
- Transaction history from the last 12 months for the accounts you’ve selected to connect
- Account balances
- Account names and numbers
We don’t get:
- Your bank login credentials
- The ability to move money (we don’t currently request payment capabilities, though we may add this in future—if we do, we’ll update our terms and conditions and let you know)
- Access to anything you haven’t explicitly shared
Can CASA admins see my transactions?
Technically, yes—like any app that stores your data, we have database access. But here’s what actually happens:
- We don’t look at individual user transactions. Your transactions are used to predict your expenses, this is done programatically. We’re focused on building and improving CASA, not snooping on your spending.
- Your data is stored securely and encrypted.
- Transaction storage in CASA is temporary: The moment you disconnect Akahu from CASA, your transaction data is completely cleared from our database. We don’t keep it.
We built CASA to help make your life better.
Your trust matters to us, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Still have questions?
You can learn more about Akahu’s security at akahu.nz/safety, or check your connected apps anytime at my.akahu.nz.
Or, drop us a line at support@casamoney.io