Catacloud offers two bank integrations: ZTL and Aritma. Both let you fetch bank transactions and send payments directly from Catacloud, but they work differently and suit slightly different needs. Here are the differences, so you can choose the right one.
Both are activated in the same place: Administration → Module settings → Bank, under Bank integration. In the "Activate bank integration" dialog, you choose between the two provider cards.
In short
| ZTL | Aritma |
Technology | Open banking | File transfer |
Setup | Sign an agreement digitally + approve a consent with BankID | Turn on in Catacloud, connect the accounts, and order the agreement in your bank following Aritma's guide |
Activation time | Usually active right away | Normally 1–3 working days (the bank processes the order) |
Approving payments | BankID | Your own Aritma user with an SMS code, plus BankID the first time and every 90 days |
Foreign payments | Real-time exchange rate, no extra foreign payment fee | The bank's rate and fee – the rate is only known after the payment has gone through |
Changing a sent payment | Cannot be changed – must be cancelled and entered again | Cannot be cancelled in Catacloud – must be cancelled in the bank |
Bank consent | Yes – limited duration, must be renewed | No – no consents to renew |
Bank coverage | Mainly Norwegian banks | Norwegian banks |
Checking supported banks | "Supported banks" button in the app | Aritma's overview at aritma.com |
When is ZTL the right choice?
ZTL uses open banking. Choose ZTL if you want the quickest and simplest setup:
Your bank is supported by ZTL.
You want to get started right away, without waiting for the bank to process an order.
You make a lot of foreign payments and want full control over exchange rates and costs (see "Foreign payments and exchange rates" below).
You are comfortable approving both the setup and payments with BankID.
How it works: An authorised signatory in the company signs an agreement with ZTL digitally (e-mail with the subject "Velkommen til ZTL"), and you approve a bank consent with BankID. The integration is then usually active right away, and Catacloud starts fetching transactions and balances automatically.
See the full guide: Setting up bank integration via ZTL.
When is Aritma the right choice?
Aritma uses file transfer and requires a separate agreement with your bank. Choose Aritma if:
Your bank isn't supported by ZTL, but is in Aritma's overview.
You already have an Aritma agreement from a previous accounting system that can be moved over.
You want incoming KID payments to arrive automatically from the bank.
How it works: You turn on Aritma in Catacloud – the toggle shows "Active" straight away – and connect each bank account with Actions → Set up integration. A table of bank services then appears, with one row per bank. The arrow › on the row opens a guide from Aritma showing what needs to be signed or ordered in your online bank. The person who signs must have authority over the bank accounts. The bank normally processes the order within 1–3 working days, and the status in the table changes to "Active" by itself. If you get an error message along the way, see Aritma setup error messages – what they mean and what to do.
See the full guide: Setting up bank integration via Aritma.
Setup and activation time
The biggest practical difference is how quickly you're up and running:
ZTL: Usually active right away once the agreement is signed and the consent is approved with BankID. Choose a start date on the 1st of a month, so your first bank reconciliation covers the whole month.
Aritma: Requires the bank to set up the service. Allow 1–3 working days. Catacloud fetches transactions from the start of the month the account is connected. Some banks ask for OCR (KID) details during setup – use the values in the Aritma guide.
Months before the integration started are reconciled with a bank file or PDF via the inbox. See Importing bank transactions from a file (CSV, Excel or TXT).
Payments and approval
Both integrations can send payments from Catacloud, but they are approved differently:
ZTL: Payments are approved with BankID, following the bank's rules for the number of approvers.
Aritma: Everyone who approves needs their own Aritma user. You create it yourself: the first time you click Confirm payment, the "Create user for approvals" dialog opens and you receive an e-mail to create a password. You approve with an SMS code, and must verify with BankID the first time and every 90 days. The number of approvers is set in the bank agreement. The latest cut-off for payments that must reach all banks on a payroll run is 14:30.
Foreign payments and exchange rates
For companies that pay abroad a lot, this is often the most important difference between the two integrations:
ZTL: You see the actual exchange rate in real time as the payment is sent, and ZTL doesn't add the bank's extra foreign payment fee or hidden currency mark-up. Because the rate is known at the time of payment, you have a full overview of what the payment costs and what currency gain or loss it gives.
Aritma / the regular bank route: The bank sets the exchange rate only when the payment has actually gone through, and normally adds both a fee and a currency mark-up. You therefore don't see the final rate in advance, and have less control over how much you lose or gain on exchange differences.
For companies with many foreign payments, this usually makes ZTL the cheapest and most predictable choice.
Note: The posting of currency is the same regardless of integration – Catacloud fetches the ECB reference rate on the invoice date and posts exchange gains and losses automatically.
Is the supplier wondering why the payment shows ZTL, or was a fee deducted?
See International payments via ZTL – why does the payment show ZTL, and who pays the fee?.
Other differences to be aware of
Can I correct a payment after it has been sent? With ZTL, you can't change a payment that has already been sent – you must cancel it and enter it again. With Aritma, a sent payment can't be cancelled from Catacloud – it must be done in the bank. So double-check the amount and account number before you approve.
Seeing where the payment is. With ZTL, payment status and balances update continuously, so you quickly see whether a payment has gone through. With Aritma, information is fetched and sent in fixed rounds, so the status updates a little less often.
The bank can set a daily limit (applies to ZTL). Some banks limit how many times per day Catacloud can fetch account information automatically without you being logged in. If the limit is reached, fetching stops temporarily and restarts by itself the next day. This doesn't apply to Aritma.
Bank consent and maintenance
ZTL: Because ZTL uses open banking, there is a bank consent with a limited duration that must be renewed when it expires. The bank can also withdraw a consent without notice – this is the most common reason for missing transactions with ZTL. The bank can also set a daily limit for automatic fetching. This follows from PSD2 – the EU Payment Services Directive, which also applies in Norway and is the regulation that lets third parties like ZTL connect to your bank once you have given consent.
Aritma: No consents to renew. But transactions can be missing if the bank agreement has changed, a new account hasn't been added to the agreement, or there is a technical error at Aritma or the bank.
See: Bank consent: create, delete and renew and Missing bank transactions – what do I do? for details.
Do I need to renew a consent with Aritma?
No. Aritma is file-based and has no bank consent that expires. The bank agreement is set up once, and when the status is "Active", there's nothing to renew at regular intervals. Only ZTL (open banking) has a BankID consent with a limited duration that must be renewed.
What you need to do with an active Aritma agreement afterwards, you handle yourself in Catacloud:
New bank account: Connect it with Actions → Set up integration. The account must also be included in the bank agreement.
More people approving payments: Each new approver creates their own Aritma user the first time they click Confirm payment.
BankID every 90 days for whoever approves payments.
Which banks are supported?
ZTL mainly covers Norwegian banks. You can check your bank directly in the app: go to Administration → Module settings → Bank, open the dialog under Bank integration and click Supported banks on the ZTL card.
Aritma connects to Norwegian banks via file transfer. The Aritma card has no "Supported banks" button in the app – use Aritma's own overview. If your bank is outside Norway, please contact us.
See the full overview: Which banks does Catacloud support?
Can we switch, or have both?
Yes. You can have two integrations active in parallel during a transition period – but one bank account can only be connected to one system at a time.
Important: Don't end an existing bank integration until the new one is fully working. If an existing Aritma agreement is to be moved to Catacloud, this must be coordinated with us – don't cancel the agreement in the old system until we have confirmed that the move is complete.
Not sure?
If you're unsure which integration suits you best, contact us – we'll help you choose based on your bank, country and how quickly you need to be up and running.
When should you contact us?
Your bank isn't on the list for either integration.
You're unsure which of the two suits you best.
You're moving an existing Aritma agreement, or want both integrations active at the same time.
You get an error message during setup.
Please include: organisation number, bank name and which status or error message you see in Catacloud.