Virtual Reference Numbers (or VRNs) are virtualized account numbers that point to a single deposit account. They are aliases to a Synthetic Account, and can form a many-to-one relationship with their parent Synthetic Account.
VRNs are often used for the below use cases:
- To reference a stored funds product that is Client-managed on a separate ledger. Clients can then provide VRNs to external merchants or counterparties who wish to make payments to that stored funds product.
- To enable Clients with another layer of network-addressable account numbers with which to accept payments. This many-to-one relationship affords Clients account use segmentation. For instance, one VRN is utilized for Accounts Receivable (AR) while the other is used for Accounts Payable (AP), all while referencing the same underlying account.
These same VRNs can then be aligned with Custodial Accounts transaction to allow for quick reconciliation or accounting.
NoteFor certain payment rails, like Instant Payments, VRNs must be registered with Newline and Fifth Third prior to be used as this will allow for network acceptance. Please review the fields in each API reference to confirm on Instant Payment registration.