Held safely

Pay strangers safely.

wlbr holds the money in a BNZ trust account until you approve the work. 2% on top, GST included. That’s everything.

Create a payment link Estimate a job

Client funds: BNZ trust
Payment rail: Akahu
Disputes: FSCL 9690

Protected payment

Awaiting approval

$24,800

Held safely: $16,400
Released: $8,400

Next $6,200 releases when stage two is approved.

Escrow state

Awaiting approval

Agreement
Funded
Held
Approval
$24,800
Released

The moneyflow

One visible state from agreement to release.

The important question is never “what happened?” It is always “where is the money now?” wlbr makes that state explicit to both sides.

1. You fund it. 2. wlbr holds it. 3. They get paid when you say so.

See the full walkthrough

Escrow state

Held safely

Agreement
Funded
Held
$6,200
Approval
Released

Stage one released$2,200

Stage two held$2,800

Final approval$1,200

For clients

Pay for work knowing the money stays protected until the job is done right.

Agree the scope and price before any money moves
Your payment stays held until you approve the work
Every change, note, and receipt stays on one record both sides can see

Post a job

For providers

Start work knowing the money is already confirmed - and get paid without chasing invoices.

See confirmed funds before you start
Know exactly what each release depends on
Your payout starts the moment work is approved

Find work

Two ways to use wlbr

The same protection, for invoices or the marketplace.

Flat 2% · no monthly fees

wlbr pay

Send a protected payment link for your own job or invoice. The client funds it from their bank; you get paid on approval.

Explore wlbr pay

10% marketplace + 2% escrow

wlbr task

Post a job or find work on the marketplace. Offers, milestones, and releases all sit behind the same protected payment rail.

Explore wlbr task

The numbers that matter

Simple fees. Money that stays protected.

flat escrow fee, GST-inclusive: 2%
monthly fees, setup costs, or lock-in: $0
of client funds held on trust in NZD: 100%

Trust architecture

Built around where the money actually sits.

Bank-to-bank funding, a dedicated BNZ client trust account, and an append-only record of every escrow movement.

Dedicated NZD client trust account Hash-chained ledger checked every six hours - the record can't be quietly rewritten Registered FSP and FSCL member

Buyer bank

Authorised in internet banking

Akahu

Bank-to-bank open banking

BNZ trust account

Dedicated NZD client funds

Defined outcome

Released, refunded, or frozen

Append-only ledger

Chain verified

09:41Deposit confirmed against bank feed#1042
10:02Escrow marked funded#1043
11:18Milestone one submitted#1044
11:32$8,400 release initiated#1045

Questions

The things everyone asks before the first payment.

What is wlbr?: wlbr is a New Zealand escrow payments service. A seller creates an escrow payment, the buyer funds it from their bank, and wlbr holds the money on trust in NZD until the buyer confirms the deal is done - then it's released to the seller, minus a flat fee.
How does escrow work and is my money safe?: When a buyer funds a payment, the money is held in escrow in wlbr's dedicated client trust account rather than going straight to the seller. Funds are only released when the buyer confirms the deal has been met, and if there's a disagreement the affected funds are paused until it's resolved. The trust account is kept separate from wlbr's own funds and reconciled regularly.
How do buyers pay?: Buyers pay by a direct bank-to-bank transfer initiated through Akahu open banking - no credit cards and no card details to enter. The money goes straight into wlbr's client trust account. Because payments come directly from the bank, there are no card chargebacks.
How do sellers get paid?: Add your New Zealand bank account in your dashboard, create an escrow payment for the agreed amount, and share the link with your buyer. Once the buyer releases the funds, the payment is paid out to your nominated bank account, minus wlbr's flat 2% fee.
What does wlbr cost?: A simple, flat 2% fee (GST-inclusive) on each escrow payment, shown up front before the buyer funds and deducted when the funds are released. There are no monthly fees and no subscriptions.
What does wlbr task cost?: Tasks hired through the wlbr task marketplace carry a 10% marketplace fee on completed work, in addition to the 2% wlbr pay escrow fee - both GST-inclusive and both charged on the agreed price. Operators see their exact net take-home when they quote, so there are no surprises. There are no monthly fees or subscriptions.
Is wlbr available across New Zealand?: Yes. wlbr works nationwide across New Zealand, with all escrow payments funded and paid out in New Zealand dollars (NZD) through licensed open banking.

Start protected

Put the next payment on the rail.

No monthly fees. Funds held in a BNZ client trust account.

Get started

The things everyone asks before the first payment.

What is wlbr?

wlbr is a New Zealand escrow payments service. A seller creates an escrow payment, the buyer funds it from their bank, and wlbr holds the money on trust in NZD until the buyer confirms the deal is done - then it's released to the seller, minus a flat fee.

How does escrow work and is my money safe?

When a buyer funds a payment, the money is held in escrow in wlbr's dedicated client trust account rather than going straight to the seller. Funds are only released when the buyer confirms the deal has been met, and if there's a disagreement the affected funds are paused until it's resolved. The trust account is kept separate from wlbr's own funds and reconciled regularly.

How do buyers pay?

Buyers pay by a direct bank-to-bank transfer initiated through Akahu open banking - no credit cards and no card details to enter. The money goes straight into wlbr's client trust account. Because payments come directly from the bank, there are no card chargebacks.

How do sellers get paid?

Add your New Zealand bank account in your dashboard, create an escrow payment for the agreed amount, and share the link with your buyer. Once the buyer releases the funds, the payment is paid out to your nominated bank account, minus wlbr's flat 2% fee.

What does wlbr cost?

A simple, flat 2% fee (GST-inclusive) on each escrow payment, shown up front before the buyer funds and deducted when the funds are released. There are no monthly fees and no subscriptions.

What does wlbr task cost?

Tasks hired through the wlbr task marketplace carry a 10% marketplace fee on completed work, in addition to the 2% wlbr pay escrow fee - both GST-inclusive and both charged on the agreed price. Operators see their exact net take-home when they quote, so there are no surprises. There are no monthly fees or subscriptions.

Is wlbr available across New Zealand?

Yes. wlbr works nationwide across New Zealand, with all escrow payments funded and paid out in New Zealand dollars (NZD) through licensed open banking.