# LHV LinkPay

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/lhv-linkpay
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [LHV payment acquiring — LHV](https://www.lhv.ee/en/payment-acquiring)
- [LHV bank link — official](https://www.lhv.ee/en/lhv-bank-link)

## Overview

**LHV LinkPay** is **LHV Pank's (Estonia's largest domestic bank) flexible payment-link + QR-code product** for business invoice collection <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Estonia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/EE)</sup>. LinkPay generates a **payment link that customers can pay via bank-link, Apple Pay, or Google Pay** — the link can be added to a company website, sent by email, included on an invoice, or shared as a **QR code**. Payment processing is **instant** if the customer's bank participates in the SEPA SCT Inst instant-payment system — funds reach the LHV account within seconds.

LHV is structurally distinctive: Estonia's largest domestically-owned bank (most other Estonian banks are Scandinavian subsidiaries), with a strong fintech-friendly positioning that mirrors Lithuania's [CENTROlink](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/centrolink) approach. LinkPay integrates with popular Estonian accounting software (**Directo, Smart Accounts, SimplBooks, Standard Books by Excellent**), making it the de-facto-default invoice-payment-collection mechanism for Estonian SMEs. The flexibility — fixed amount or client-chosen, multi-channel distribution (email/invoice/web/QR), multi-payment-method (bank-link/Apple Pay/Google Pay) — positions LinkPay as a **business-receivables-management tool** more than a pure consumer wallet.

## History

**Background — LHV Pank** <sup>[Estonia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/EE)</sup>:
- **LHV Pank** founded 1999 as investment company; received banking license 2009.
- **Estonia's largest domestically-owned bank** by 2020s.
- Strong fintech-friendly positioning (sister to Lithuania's CENTROlink ecosystem).

**Bank links + payment-acquiring evolution** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- LHV operates bank-link payment-acquiring for Estonian merchants.
- Multiple bank-link integrations (Swedbank, SEB, Luminor, etc.).

**LinkPay launch** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- LinkPay positioned as flexible payment-link + QR product.
- Multi-channel distribution: website, email, invoice, QR.

**Accounting-software integration** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Integrates with Directo, Smart Accounts, SimplBooks, Standard Books by Excellent.
- Critical for SME-receivables-management workflow.

## Technical specification

LHV LinkPay is **a flexible payment-link + QR product on top of bank-link + SEPA SCT Inst** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Operator** | **LHV Pank** (LHV Group AS — Estonia's largest domestic bank) |
| **Distribution channels** | Website, email, invoice, **QR code** |
| **Payment methods** | Bank-link, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| **Settlement (SEPA SCT Inst)** | Instant if customer bank participates |
| **Settlement (non-instant)** | Same-day or next-day |
| **Currency** | EUR |
| **Amount options** | Fixed amount or client-chosen |
| **Accounting integrations** | Directo, Smart Accounts, SimplBooks, Standard Books by Excellent |
| **Receivables credit** | Immediate on completion |

**Flow** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Business creates LinkPay → distributes (email/invoice/web/QR).
- Customer clicks/scans → pays via bank-link or Apple Pay / Google Pay.
- Receivables credited to LHV business account immediately or instantly via SCT Inst.

## Use cases

**Invoice payment collection** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Cardinal — Estonian SMEs collect invoice payments via LinkPay.

**E-commerce checkout** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: LinkPay integrated into merchant websites.

**Pop-up sales / event ticketing** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Distribute QR for ad-hoc collection.

**P2P-adjacent (small-merchant)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Lower-friction than full e-commerce-gateway integration.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Operator**: **LHV Pank**.

**Accounting partners**: Directo, Smart Accounts, SimplBooks, Standard Books by Excellent.

**Estonian bank-link participants**: Swedbank, SEB, Luminor, Coop Pank, others.

**Geographic scope**: Estonia primary.

## Fun facts

- **LHV is Estonia's largest domestically-owned bank**: Most other Estonian banks are Scandinavian subsidiaries (Swedbank, SEB, etc.). LHV's domestic-ownership status gives it different strategic positioning.
- **Multi-distribution-channel design**: LinkPay's flexibility (link distributable via email/web/QR/invoice) is structurally more flexible than QR-only or app-only peers.
- **Accounting-software native integration**: Directo, Smart Accounts, SimplBooks — designed for SME workflow integration, not just consumer payment.
- **Apple Pay + Google Pay support**: Beyond bank-link, LinkPay accepts NFC-wallet payment.
- **SEPA SCT Inst instant settlement**: If customer's bank participates in SCT Inst, payment reaches LHV business account within seconds — instant working-capital improvement for SMEs.
- **Estonia's broader fintech-hub positioning**: LHV is part of Estonia's fintech-friendly ecosystem alongside Wise (TransferWise, founded in Estonia), Bolt, and others.

## Comparison

| Feature | LHV LinkPay (EE) | [Fawri+](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/fawri-plus) (BH) | LinkPay (NL) | Klarna SOFORT (DE/EU) | [CENTROlink](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/centrolink) (LT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | LHV Pank | BENEFIT | Various | Klarna | Bank of Lithuania |
| Type | Payment link + QR | Instant rail | Payment link | Bank-redirect | SEPA gateway |
| QR support | **Yes** | n/a (via BenefitPay) | Yes | No | n/a |
| Accounting integration | Yes (Directo + others) | Limited | Some | No | n/a |
| Instant settlement | Yes (SCT Inst) | <30s | Some | n/a | <10s via SCT Inst |

## Status

**Active** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **LHV Pank** operator.
- **Multi-channel** distribution (web/email/invoice/QR).
- **Multi-payment-method** (bank-link, Apple Pay, Google Pay).
- **Accounting-software native integration**.
- **Instant settlement** via SEPA SCT Inst when available.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.lhv.ee/en/payment-acquiring "LHV payment acquiring"
[2]: https://www.lhv.ee/en/lhv-bank-link "LHV bank link"

- [1] [LHV payment acquiring][1]
- [2] [LHV bank link][2]
- <sup>[Estonia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/EE)</sup> `reports/countries/EE-estonia.md`

## Deployments

Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`):

- **EE** — [EE-estonia.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/EE)