An Update on the Monzo API

About 8 or so have emailed either today or over the last few days. If you know one you think would be a great fit, ask them to email me at openbanking@monzo.com :slight_smile:

1 Like

Would this help companies offer interest on “pots” savings? Integration with Ratesetter, like Plum has, would be amazing.

1 Like

How does this impact on the hobbyist who wants to use the API to interact with just thier own account ?

1 Like

Part of the reason for building the AIS Api is to decouple the “Monzo API”, the “Developer API” and the API we need to give AISPs that will be stable enough for them to build things on.

The good news is that the work we’ve done for getting the AIS API live means we’re now a lot close to being able to give out “Auth V2” clients to developers.
This is a big step for us and means we’ll be able to plan a clear migration of the developer community off Auth V1 and onto Auth V2 now.
Auth V2 will let us more safely grant access to things like moving money in and out of pots and setting up payments.

Before it was all or nothing, so we had to basically block all Auth V1 clients from these more dangerous endpoints.

2 Likes

I wish I had the skills to use the api and write an Alexa skill. ‘alexa… What’s my monzo balance?’

2 Likes

I’ve spotted that a skill has already been written by @Geit here: https://github.com/Geit/alexa-monzo
You have to push it up yourself to your personal Amazon developer account and set it up with a personal Monzo login (hence I guess not pushing it to the Alexa Skill store for all to use; both Amazon and Monzo wouldn’t be happy with that setup), but I guess once Monzo launch Auth V2 and commit to some level of stability there, it would be possible to “launch” it for the public, or maybe Monzo would even take it in house?

3 Likes

So for the foreseeable future there will be a maintained way for users to use the API if they wish, not just big developers (with backing of a firm to get regulatory approval etc) ? This sounds great

The API with Auth v2 sounds exactly like that, but to be honest even the API v1 is actually more featured than the AIS API as it allows access to detailed merchant data which the AIS API still doesn’t provide. :wink:

We talked with Amazon for a while about this, but they were worried about the fact that anyone could ask your Alexa what your balance is, and wanted us to wait until, there was some kind of 2FA (like it asks you for a pin that you get from your phone) :frowning:

Why is that a problem? It’s the whole point of the thing - just don’t enable it if you’re not comfortable with it.

1 Like

I know right…

I’m sure Amazon had their reasons, like Apple and the App store, they wanted to be very careful stewards of their ecosystem. I thought it’d be fine though…

4 Likes

I could shout “ALEXA, ASK MONZO WHAT MY BALANCE IS” through your letterbox and find out whether it’s worthwhile to rob you?

But yeah 2FA at request time is pointless, because you’ve made me pick up my phone so I may as well use the Monzo app.

3 Likes

…unless when they implement user recognition (i.e. who’s voice is this in the household), that is “good enough” to be used as a half-baked 1.1FA

(this has rapidly gone offtopic, sorry)

1 Like

Not even just a PIN?
Another scare story: August’s Door lock

What was the link for that? It’s missing in your post…

How odd, link won’t work without http/s
Fixed

Thanks

And woah…! I see what you mean. :open_mouth:

what does this mean for the current auth flows? will they stop being supported? i’m having issues implementing one of the flows and the best i got from monzo so far was “the answer may be that you’ll have to wait.”

i have to say that this doesn’t look good…

And order an Uber to make good your escape.

This really is quite disappointing. The idea that Monzo has thought of itself as an API first bank is laughable when the API has been locked down for as long as I’ve had an account.

Hopefully with current accounts done, Monzo can catch up and open up 3rd party API access

1 Like