Bank Email Connection
Let GrowthBnk read your bank's alert emails and turn them into ledger entries automatically — no manual data entry, no statement uploads.
Overview
Bank Email Connection lets you link the mailbox that receives your bank's transaction-alert emails to a bank account in GrowthBnk. Once connected, GrowthBnk reads the incoming bank alerts, extracts the transaction details, and posts them to your Merchant Ledger automatically — keeping your cash position up to date without any manual work.
How it works
- Secure, read-only access. You connect your mailbox using OAuth (recommended) or an app password over a secure IMAP (SSL) connection. GrowthBnk only ever reads inbound bank alerts.
- Automatic scanning. On a regular schedule GrowthBnk scans for new, unread bank-alert emails in the connected mailbox.
- SWIFT/MT940 parsing. Banks send transaction alerts as SWIFT messages embedded in the email
body. GrowthBnk detects and parses these blocks —
MT103(single credit/debit transfers) andMT942(interim statement lines) — reading the amount, value date, credit/debit direction, reference and narration from the standard SWIFT tags. - Ledger conversion. Each parsed transaction becomes a Merchant Ledger entry — a credit or debit — with the running balance updated automatically.
- Duplicate-safe. Every entry is fingerprinted and matched on the bank transaction id, so the same alert is never posted twice, even if the email is delivered more than once.
Entries created this way show up in your Merchant Ledger with the source email and a
message type of MT103 or MT942. They start as unreconciled and are later matched
against your payment transactions.
Benefits
- No manual entry — bank credits and debits post themselves.
- Near real-time — the mailbox is polled on a regular schedule, so your ledger stays current.
- Accurate running balance — every entry updates opening/closing balances automatically.
- Duplicate-proof — built-in de-duplication on bank transaction id + a content fingerprint.
- Secure by design — read-only mailbox access, OAuth or app password, credentials encrypted at rest.
Email Providers
Pick your email provider when connecting a bank account. Gmail is fully supported today; more providers are on the way.
Read bank alerts via OAuth or a Google App Password. See setup ↓
Support for Outlook is coming soon.
Support for Yahoo is coming soon.
Support for Other IMAP Providers is coming soon.
Gmail Configuration
Use these settings when connecting a Gmail mailbox. GrowthBnk reads inbound bank alerts over a secure IMAP (SSL) connection; you can authorize with Google (OAuth, recommended) or use a Google App Password.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| IMAP Host | imap.gmail.com |
| IMAP Port | 993 |
| IMAP Security | SSL/TLS (required) |
| SMTP Host | smtp.gmail.com — reserved for future outbound use; not required for this feature |
| SMTP Port | 587 (STARTTLS) |
| SMTP Security | STARTTLS |
| Username | Your full Gmail address, e.g. you@gmail.com |
| Password | Google App Password (16 characters) — only needed for the App Password method |
| Authentication | OAuth (recommended) or App Password |
| Default Folder | INBOX |
A Google App Password can only be created when 2-Step Verification is enabled on the Google account. Create one at Google → App passwords and paste the 16-character password into the App Password field. Prefer OAuth where available — no password is stored.
Step-by-Step Setup Guide
1. Open the Connect Bank page
In the Partner Portal, use the left sidebar:
Sidebar → Reconciliation → Banks
This opens the Bank Accounts page. You'll see an “Add a bank account” section with your banks, and a “Connected bank accounts” list below.
2. Pick your bank
Click your bank from the cards (or View all banks to search the full list). A “Connect bank account” panel slides in describing what you can do — including email-driven reconciliation. Click Get Started to open the “Add {Bank} account” form.
3. Enter your bank account details
These fields are always required to identify the account:
| Field | Required | Description & rules |
|---|---|---|
| Account Holder Name | Required | Name on the bank account. |
| IFSC Code | Required | Branch IFSC. Auto-uppercased; must be exactly 11 characters. |
| Branch | Optional | Branch name. Optional. |
| Account Number | Required | Digits only; between 9 and 18 digits. |
4. Turn on Email Sync (optional)
Expand the “Email Sync (optional)” section and toggle “Read bank alert emails to auto-reconcile”. This is what enables the Bank Email Connection. When it's on, choose your email provider and an authentication method:
| Field | Required | Description & rules |
|---|---|---|
| Read bank alert emails… | Optional | Master toggle (off by default). Turning it on reveals the fields below. |
| Email provider | Required if Email Sync is on | Choose Gmail. Selecting it pre-fills the IMAP host/port. |
| Authorize with Gmail (OAuth) | Optional | Recommended. Opens a Google sign-in popup for read-only access — no password stored. You must complete authorization before connecting. |
| IMAP Host | Required App Password method | Pre-filled as imap.gmail.com for Gmail. |
| Port | Optional | Defaults to 993. If set, must be between 1 and 65535. |
| Username / Email | Required App Password method | Your full Gmail address. |
| App Password | Required App Password method | 16-character Google App Password (see above). |
| Folder | Optional | Mailbox folder to read. Defaults to INBOX. |
Selecting a provider auto-picks the best method: OAuth when it's available (just click Authorize), otherwise the App Password / IMAP fields. With OAuth you only need to authorize the mailbox; with App Password you fill in the IMAP host, username, app password and (optionally) folder.
5. Complete the setup
Click Connect Bank. GrowthBnk validates the details and creates the connection; on success you'll see a confirmation and the account appears under Connected bank accounts. From then on, GrowthBnk reads new bank-alert emails from that mailbox on its regular schedule and posts the transactions to your Merchant Ledger automatically. Each connected account shows a health status and last sync time, and can be refreshed or disabled at any time.
- IFSC must be exactly 11 characters (auto-uppercased).
- Account number must be 9–18 digits.
- IMAP port, if provided, must be 1–65535.
- When using OAuth, you must authorize the mailbox before the form can be submitted.
Security & Notes
- GrowthBnk requests read-only mailbox access and only reads inbound bank-alert emails.
- OAuth tokens and stored credentials are encrypted at rest; your app password / OAuth grant is never exposed back to the browser.
- IMAP connections are always made over SSL (port 993).
- Prefer OAuth over an app password when your provider supports it.
- Only Gmail is fully supported in this release. Outlook, Yahoo and Other IMAP Providers are coming soon.