About CUPay and the STI Network
What is an STI?
STI, or Secure Transaction Image, is an emerging standard in modern mobile payments. Whether paying for purchases at your favorite local merchant, splitting the ticket after dinner with friends, or sending money to the grandkids for their birthday, STI is the fast and secure option you’ve been looking for. Unlike other funds transfer methods, sending funds via STI means you can securely transfer funds via mobile device or email without worry. Unlike traditional payment methods, paying with STI means your account and card numbers are not shared with the recipient. None of your sensitive information is stored in the STI image itself meaning that it can be safely sent via email without risk of compromise. Users and merchants benefit from instant availability of funds when transferring between in-network accounts. And everyone benefits from cost savings using a secure network built to connect directly to local financial institutions rather than through traditional networks (such as Visa and MasterCard) that are geared to benefit big corporations and banks.
What is the STI Network?
The STI Network is a rapidly growing nationwide network of consumers, credit unions, community banks, and local merchants who have decided to take back the payment process and reinvent how they access their money. Developed by DaLand Solutions, LLC in association with local credit unions, the network is a direct-to-consumer payment and funds transfer tool built for the 21st century.
What is CUPay?
The many parts of the STI Network go by a myriad of names, CUPay is the name that was chosen to be used by some of the credit unions who played an integral part in the creation of the STI Network, particularly in Utah and Idaho.
Why do STIs Look Like That?
The appearance of STI Images developed over a very extensive testing and revision process. The idea was to create a technology that was easily portable (mobile device, web, email, etc.) but completely secure. No sensitive information is stored in the image itself, unlike other similar technologies such as QR Codes. STI Images were specifically designed to be easily readable by electronic devices such as phones and tablets to allow the images to be processed using the camera on these devices. The STI design has been reviewed by industry security experts and been met with overwhelming approval.