# Blackhawk Network

> Blackhawk Network (BHN) connects brands, retailers, employers, and consumers through physical and digital gift cards, rewards, prepaid payment products, and stored-value technology. Founded inside Safeway in 2001, it now reports more than 400,000 consumer touchpoints worldwide.

- **Founded:** 2001
- **Headquarters:** Pleasanton, United States
- **Founders:** Talbott Roche (Co-founder; CEO and President)
- **Products:** Gift card distribution and program management, CashStar, Tango, Giftcards.com, Tap to Pay Visa Gift Card
- **Notable:** Established a third-party gift-card category in grocery stores beginning in 2001., Completed an IPO in April 2013 and separated from Safeway in April 2014., Acquired by Silver Lake and P2 Capital Partners in June 2018.

## Products & services

- **Gift card distribution and program management** — Issuance, processing, merchandising, physical and digital distribution, and fulfillment for brands and retail partners.
- **CashStar** — Digital gift-card commerce technology for brands selling through their own websites and other channels; acquired in 2017.
- **Tango** — Digital rewards platform and gift-card API for business incentive programs; acquisition confirmed complete by May 2024.
- **Giftcards.com** — Direct-to-consumer online gift-card marketplace.
- **Tap to Pay Visa Gift Card** — Contactless gift card with no printed account number, CVV, or magnetic stripe, plus MyCardWallet integration; issued by Pathward.
- **Stored Value Platform and Digital Wallet API** — Combines gift cards, refunds, promotions, and loyalty rewards into a consumer-facing balance while managing distinct underlying rules.

## Achievements

- Established a third-party gift-card category in grocery stores beginning in 2001.
- Completed an IPO in April 2013 and separated from Safeway in April 2014.
- Acquired by Silver Lake and P2 Capital Partners in June 2018.
- Acquired Tango, confirmed as a BHN division in May 2024.
- Reports more than 400,000 consumer touchpoints worldwide in 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Announced a platform using a Digital Wallet API to combine consumer balances. The page label is April 15; the dateline is April 16.
- **2026-07** — Released its ninth annual digital gift-card benchmark with NAPCO Research, evaluating 120 brands across 147 criteria.
- **2026-10** — Published AI research surveying 694 US business leaders. The page label is October 14; the dateline is October 19. These are expectations, not demonstrated adoption outcomes.

## Links

- Website: https://blackhawknetwork.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackhawk-network
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Blackhawk
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJy4IX0vwM3JtjZDuGupsGQ
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackhawknetwork/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackhawkNetworkInc/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/blackhawk-network
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22