First Direct + Wave: Bridge the Gap
Need to get your First Direct (HSBC) bank statement into Wave? First Direct uses DD MMM YYYY and minimalist single-column layout with transaction type codes and running balance, similar to HSBC but with simplified headers — which needs converting to CSV (Date, Description, Amount — Wave supports both single amount column and separate Income/Expense columns) for Wave import.
How BankScan AI Converts First Direct for Wave
Convert your bank statement to CSV with BankScan AI, then use Wave's import feature to upload transactions. The format is fully compatible. First Direct statements follow an HSBC-family format but with a distinct minimalist layout. BankScan AI detects the variant automatically.
How It Works
Upload your First Direct PDF
Drag and drop your First Direct statement. Supports PDF with DD MMM YYYY handling.
AI converts for Wave
Our AI parses First Direct's layout, converts dates to YYYY-MM-DD or MM/DD/YYYY, and outputs CSV.
Import into Wave
In Wave, go to Banking > Connected Accounts > Upload a bank statement (CSV). Select the file, map columns to Date, Description, and Amount, then import.
Wave Import Tip
Date, Description, Amount — Wave supports both single amount column and separate Income/Expense columns
First Direct to Wave Features
- First Direct optimised — Trained on First Direct's minimalist single-column layout with transaction type codes and running balance, similar to HSBC but with simplified headers with DD MMM YYYY parsing
- Wave formatted — Output as CSV with Date, Description, Amount — Wave supports both single amount column and separate Income/Expense columns
- Date conversion — Converts DD MMM YYYY to YYYY-MM-DD or MM/DD/YYYY automatically
Import First Direct Data into Wave
After converting your First Direct statement with BankScan AI:
- In Wave, go to Banking > Connected Accounts > Upload a bank statement (CSV)
- Select the file, map columns to Date, Description, and Amount, then import
Common Import Issues
Wave's free tier has occasional processing delays on large files. Also, Wave uses MM/DD/YYYY by default which conflicts with UK DD/MM/YYYY — select the correct format during import.
Import First Direct into Wave Today
Automatic date conversion (DD MMM YYYY to YYYY-MM-DD or MM/DD/YYYY), column mapping, and format validation.
Import First Direct to Wave Free