Glossary
A
Account API
The API that enables a user or client to execute specific card related function.
Account Number
Eight digit account number in the bank or Solaris.
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256
A symmetric, 128-bit block data encryption technique that works on multiple network layers simultaneously.
Agency
A person, group or a company empowered to act on behalf of its customers or clients.
AgencyAccountNumber
The agency's main or primary account number. An agency account may have many secondary accounts for its clients.
Agency Banking
A third-party retail banking agent authorised by the bank to provide selected banking products and service on the behalf of bank.
Agreement
A set of agreed financial terms between Solaris and client.
AgreementCode
Unique identifier of an agreement. An agreement code is same for primary and secondary account(s).
Authentication
The process that confirms a user's identity.
Authorization
The process of allowing user to access resources based in the user's identity.
Application Programming Interface (API)
A set of code specifications and rules that software programs follow to communicate with each other on different devices.
B
BACS
Banker's Automated Clearing Services. It is used to make a direct payment from one bank account to the other for high value transactions.
Bank Account
The external bank account linked to the consumer's account in Solaris.
Bank Identifier Code (BIC)
Alphanumerical string that identifies the name, country and branch of bank. Used for quick, accurate and automated money transfer.
Bank Identification Number (BIN)
The four to six-digits on the card that uniquely identifies the card's issuing bank.
Beneficiary Account
The third-party or external bank account that receives payment.
BankSortCode
The sort code of the consumer's bank account.
Building Society
A financial institution that provides banking and financial services to its members.
BuildingSocietyNumber
A unique number made up of numbers and letter that identifies a specific Building Society.
C
Card
The plastic payment card used in place of cash to make payment.
Card Activation Code
Three-digit code for card activation.
Card API
The API that enables user or client to execute a specific card related function.
Consumer
The consumer who owns a Visa debit card.
ConsumerID
Unique identifier of the consumer who owns a payment card.
CardID
Unique identifier of the payment card.
Card Issuer
A bank, credit union or a financial institution that issues a debit or credit card, processes payment, maintains transaction history and issues statements to the Consumer. The issuer is responsible for the relationship between a Consumer and their accounts.
CanUseFundFromAccount
A Boolean that identifies whether funds can be debited from the account if there is insufficient funds available during execution of a Direct Debit or Standing Order via an envelope.
CredEcard
A personal account with Visa debit card offered by Solaris to consumer as alternative to a bank account
Credit Union
A type of financial co-operative institution that is structured to serve the financial needs of its participants from a specific industry, region or group.
Consumer
A person who uses Solaris products, payment service or APIs.
Clearing House Automated Payment System (CHAPS)
Money transfer method to send money from one bank to other on the same day.
Client Scheme Account
The main or buffer account for the client with multiple sub-accounts. The buffer account and sub-accounts have same scheme agreement settings.
Client
The customer of an agency.
ClientRequestReference
Customer provided reference number for tracking/auditing.
ClientSSOReferenceNumber
The client's Single Sign On (SSO) registration number, provided by the client to Solaris.
CardActivationCode
Three-digit code for activation of the card.
Consumer
A person who uses Solaris products, payment service or APIs.
Culture ID
Unique identifier of the response language. UK English is the default language.
CVV2
Three-digit number printed on the back of the VISA card.
D
Debit Card
A payment card that debits a specified amount from an account to pay for a purchase.
DepartmentCode
Look up value that identifies the department within a company.
DepartmentHeadConsumerID
Unique identifier of the Head of Department (HOD).
DepartmentID
Unique identifier of a department within a company.
DeviceToken
A unique string that individually identifies each mobile device.
DirectDebitInstructionID
Unique identifier of a Direct Debit instruction.
Direct Debit
An instruction from you to your bank or building society. It authorises the organisation you want to pay to collect varying amounts from your account – but only if you've been given advanced notice of the amounts and dates of collection. Once you have agreed those, the money is deducted automatically. If the organisation you are paying wants to change an amount or date of collection, they must tell you about it first.
Driving Licence Number
The driving license number of the Consumer used for identity verification during the Know Your Customer (KYC) process.
E
Envelope
A virtual envelope in the account, where funds are reserved for payment of rent, utilities and grocery bills.
F
Faster Payment
The same day money transfer service.
FriendlyName
The name of the account that usually identifies the type or purpose of the account.
H
Hash
A method of encrypting confidential data, for example card numbers, sent across networks.
Hash Card Number
An encrypted (hashed) version of a 16-digit card number.
Home Office Sanction Check (HOSC)
The Home Office Sanction database stores the names of persons blacklisted by the Home Office Treasury for their involvement in financial crimes, frauds and nefarious activities. Solaris downloads the updated file from Home office site on a regular basis. You or your client's name is screened against the database. The first and/or last name is checked in the HOSC database. If the name matches, it is kept in the suspected list and marked as “pending”. Once it verified with NBS, it is either given a new status – “Match” or “No Match”. If the status of the application is ” Match”, the application is rejected.
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
The World Wide Web protocol that governs how messages are transmitted between servers and browsers and what actions should be taken by them in response to various commands.
I
IBAN
A unique 34-alphanumeric characters code that identifies banks across national borders. It has a country code; two check digits; and a number that includes the domestic bank account number, branch identifier, and potential routing information.
Internet Key Exchange (IKE)
The key management protocol used to set up a security association in using IPsec.
IPSec
Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) is a framework of open standards for ensuring private, secure communications over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, using cryptographic security services.
IsFullBalanceTransfer
A Boolean that identifies whether the full balance in the account can be or cannot be transferred.
IsPrimaryConsumer
A boolean that identifies whether a consumer is the primary consumer.
IsSkipCardIssuance
A boolean that identifies whether a card is to be issued for a specific consumer or not.
IsSkipKYC
A Boolean that identifies whether to skip or execute the KYC process for the specified consumer.
K
Know Your Business (KYB)
The process of verifying the credentials of a company and its business.
Know Your Customer (KYC)
The process of verifying the identity and credentials of a customers.
L
Load Limit
The maximum, total amount that can be transferred into an account.
Land line number
The landline telephone number of a Consumer.
LocationID
Unique identifier of the area or address where a company or its department is located.
M
m-PIN
Four to six-digit Mobile Banking Personal Identification Number needed for mobile transactions.
N
NationalIDCard
The national ID card number of the account holder used for KYC verification during the account creation process.
NewHODConsumerID
Unique identifier of the consumer who is made the new Head of Department.
O
Obscured Card Number
The 16-digit card number with readable first and last four digits and obscured eight digits in the middle.
P
PCIDSS
An autonomous body set up by major card brands like VISA, American Express, MasterCard, Discover to encourage adoption of security standards and regulations by merchants, processors, acquirers, issuers and service providers for card data processing, transmission and storage.
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
The authentication method that uses digital certificates to prove a user's identity.
PUTTY
A free Telnet and SSH terminal software for Windows and Unix platforms that allows two remote users to securely exchange of data on top of unsecured network.
RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman)
An asymmetric cryptography method that uses a public and a private key to encrypt a data before it is transmitted and decrypt it on its reception at the receiving end point.
PIN
The four-digit, Personal Identification Number known only to the Consumer for ATM/POS transactions.
PIN Block
The block of data composed of PIN, PIN length and PAN data, used to retrieve the PIN.
PAN
16-digit Permanent Account Number for a card, used for e-commerce and online transactions.
Passport number
The passport number of the consumer used to verify their identity during the account creation process.
PayPoint
Over-the-counter bill payment service provided through a network outlet. Provides account top up and payment services to pay utility companies, local authorities and housing associations.
Pre-Shared Key (PSK)
A randomly generated new key shared between the client and server in a secret way before an operation is performed.
Pagesize
The number of rows to be accommodated in a single page for display of the list or statement of transactions.
ParentConsumerID
Unique identifier of the primary consumer.
PromotionalCode
Series of letters and numbers that enable a consumer to get discount.
Payer
A consumer who sends money to another consumer in Solaris or an accountholder in an external bank.
Payee
The recipient consumer or an accountholder in an external bank who receives the money from the payer.
Prepaid Card
A card pre-loaded with funds but not linked to an account.
Preissued Cards
Agency-branded payment cards issued to the clients of any agency.
R
RequestID
Unique identifier of the consumer's request.
RecipientReferenceID
Unique identifier of a recipient or payee who receives money.
RecipientBankReferenceID
Unique identifier of a recipient bank which receives funds via Standing Order.
Reference Number
Unique number that identifies a specific transaction.
Representational State Transfer (REST)
An architectural style of client-server communication that is stateless and cacheable.
ResponseCode
The look up value that identifies the type of response. It can also be an error message.
S
Sandbox
An API development testing environment.
Secure Shell (SSH)
A cryptographic protocol and interface for secure exchange of data between two remote users connected by an unsecured network.
Single Euro Payment Area (SEPA)
A singular cross-border electronic payment system within the European Union region that is as inexpensive and easy as payments within one country.
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
An XML based application communication protocol, independent of a platform, used for sending and receiving messages
Sort code
Six-digit number that identifies the branch of the bank where consumer holds account.
Scheme
Configurable template that defines card design and functionalities.
Scheme code
Unique identifier of the scheme.
Scheme Client Account Number
The main or master account of client in a scheme.
Standing Order
Instruction for post-dated, automatic money transfer to a beneficiary account.
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
A method for secure transfer of files between two or more computers.
SHA
An encryption algorithm used to securely encode (or hash) information such as card numbers. Solaris uses the industry standard SHA-2.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
An authentication service that allows the user to log in to multiple applications using the same credentials. SSO enables the user to switch from one application to the other in the same session, without having to repeatedly enter a username and password.
T
Token
Unique identifier of an application requesting API access.
TransactionReferenceID
Unique transaction number assigned by Solaris. Used to identify and track specific debit or credit transactions.
TransferMethodID
Look up value that identifies the money transfer method, e.g. SEPA, International Urgent, Same Day, Bank transfer.
Token
The authentication key generated after successful login to the Solaris API system. The token is used when to authenticate the user every time a call is made to the Solaris server.
Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2
A security protocol that guarantees integrity and privacy of data exchanged between client/server applications over Internet. TLS 1.2 is required for PCIDSS compliance.
U
Universal Transformation Format (UTF)8
A method of converting Unicode characters, which are 16 bits each, into 8-bit characters.
Username
Client's username needed to log in to the Solaris API account.
V
Verification Code
The code for verification of consumer's mobile phone number.
Virtual Payment Card
A digital payment card used to purchase goods and services online.
Virtual Card
The online card with a randomly generated number, for one-time use within specific time. The online card is linked to the physical debit or credit card.
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Secured, private, end-to end connection between two systems using the Internet.
W
White Label
A platform, product or service hired or purchased from the original provider and sold by another provider as their own branded product or service. White label is widely used in the financial sector.
White listing
The process of providing authorized access to a website or application through the firewall of service provider application.