CIBC Caribbean, formerly CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, typically recommends PowerTranz for e-commerce merchant accounts. We are building the WooCommerce integration for it.
At a glance
Markets this applies to
Banks usually recommend a gateway when you apply, and it can vary by account. Confirm which one yours runs on before you build.
How it fits together
Three separate things have to line up before your WooCommerce store can take a card, and the difference between them is rarely explained clearly.
CIBC Caribbean gives you the merchant account. That is the commercial relationship: your rates, settlement into your business account, the underwriting. PowerTranz is the gateway that carries the transaction from your checkout to the card networks. The plugin connects WooCommerce to that gateway.
You need all three. CIBC Caribbean issues the first, PowerTranz operates the second, and the third is what we build. Your money settles into your own account and never passes through us.
Getting ready
CIBC Caribbean operates across a lot of territories, and merchant services differ between them. Start the bank conversation early and be specific about what you need.
Settlement goes into a business account in the territory you trade in. Personal accounts are not accepted for merchant services.
A card-present account for a physical terminal is a different product. Ask specifically for online or card-not-present acceptance.
Because the bank spans many markets, confirm which country your merchant account is issued in. It affects your settlement currency and your rates.
On approval you receive a merchant ID and API credentials. Those are what the plugin uses. Keep them secure.
Expect a review of the actual store, including terms, refund policy and contact details, before e-commerce acceptance is approved.
Ask your relationship manager to confirm in writing which gateway your account is provisioned against. That decides the integration you need.
The plugin
A WooCommerce payment gateway that connects your store directly to PowerTranz, so you take Visa and Mastercard through your own merchant account with no aggregator in between.
A modal checkout so customers never leave your site, with a redirect flow available if you prefer. Card data is handled by the gateway, never by your server.
Full 3DS2 authentication, which matters for the overseas card traffic Caribbean stores see and shifts chargeback liability away from you.
Full and partial refunds, captures and voids from the WooCommerce order screen rather than a separate bank terminal.
Sell in your territory's currency, in US dollars, or both from the same store, with the currency resolved correctly at checkout.
Every feature unlocked in sandbox mode, unlimited sites, no time limit. Prove the whole flow works before you spend anything.
We are in Trinidad and Tobago and support merchants across the Caribbean. Same timezone, and we know what these banks ask for.
The PowerTranz plugin is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 and is not available yet.
Questions
Is CIBC Caribbean the same as CIBC FirstCaribbean?
Yes. CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank was rebranded to CIBC Caribbean. Older merchant paperwork may still carry the previous name.
Does the bank provide a WooCommerce plugin?
No. The bank issues the merchant account and gateway credentials. Building and maintaining the WooCommerce integration is not something Caribbean banks do, which is the gap we fill.
I am in a territory you do not currently serve. Will this help?
Very possibly. PowerTranz reaches considerably further across the region than our current plugin does, including eastern Caribbean markets we cannot serve today. Join the waitlist and tell us your territory, because that is how we decide what to test first.
Can I take payments before the plugin ships?
Yes. Other developers sell WooCommerce plugins for PowerTranz today, and aggregators will get you live faster at a higher per-transaction cost. Our comparison page lists them with real numbers.
WP Companion is an independent third-party developer and is not affiliated with or endorsed by CIBC Caribbean or PowerTranz.
