Kuda Open API
Banking & Fintech · Payments · Nigeria
Kuda Open API is the developer platform of Kuda Bank — Nigeria's first fully mobile-only bank, licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Launched to enable businesses to embed banking infrastructure directly into their products, the Kuda Open API provides access to real Nigerian bank account infrastructure, NIP-powered instant transfers, dynamic virtual accounts, bill payments, and instant settlement capabilities — all through a clean RESTful API backed by one of Nigeria's most trusted and innovative financial institutions.
Nigerian businesses, fintechs, SaaS platforms, and e-commerce stores that need to embed bank transfers, dynamic virtual accounts, bill payments, and instant settlement into their products — backed by Nigeria's first mobile-only CBN-licensed bank.
Kuda is Nigeria's first mobile-only bank, fully licensed by the CBN. The Open API requires a registered Nigerian business to go live (KYB). Sandbox is available for testing all API features before production access. Pricing is flat-fee per transfer — not percentage-based — making it predictable for high-volume use cases.
Features Included
Not Supported
Technical Specs
- Pricing:Per-transfer fees by transaction value: ₦12 (₦0–₦10,000), ₦10 (₦10,001–₦100,000), ₦9 (₦100,001–₦400,000), ₦7 (₦400,001+). Instant settlement: 0.3% of transaction value, capped at ₦100. Virtual account creation: 0.1% of transaction value. No hidden fees — listed prices are final.
- Authentication:API Key — generated via the Kuda Developer Portal (developer.kuda.com); passed as Bearer token in API requests
- Rate Limit:Not publicly documented — contact Kuda business support for production rate limit details
- Sandbox Mode:✓ Available
Key Highlights
- CBN-licensed bank infrastructure — Nigeria's first mobile-only bank
- Flat-fee transfer pricing (₦7–₦12 per transfer) — not percentage-based, ideal for high-value transactions
- Dynamic virtual accounts + single-use account numbers for secure payment collection
- Bulk transfer API for payroll, vendor payments, and disbursements
- Instant settlement at 0.3%, capped at ₦100 per transaction
- Bill payments built-in: airtime, data, cable TV, electricity
- Sandbox environment with full API feature parity for development and testing
Required Access Documents
- CAC Registration CertificateRequiredCertificate of Incorporation or Business Name Registration from Nigeria's Corporate Affairs Commission — required for KYB verification to access production API.
- Director BVN & Government IDRequiredBank Verification Number and valid government ID (International passport, driver's licence, or NIN slip) for each director or beneficial owner.
- Business Bank AccountRequiredActive Nigerian bank account in the business name for settlement purposes.
- Sandbox Account (No Documents)OptionalYou can register and test in the Kuda sandbox environment without submitting business documents — full KYB is only required before going live.
Use Cases
- E-commerce Payment Collection:Issue dynamic virtual account numbers to each Nigerian customer at checkout — when they make a bank transfer, Kuda's webhook instantly notifies your platform and confirms the payment, eliminating manual reconciliation.
- Payroll & Bulk Disbursements:Send salaries to hundreds of Nigerian employees in a single API call using Kuda's bulk transfer API at flat-fee pricing — paying ₦7–₦12 per transfer regardless of amount, making it cost-efficient for large payroll runs.
- Bill Payment Super-app:Add airtime top-up, mobile data, DSTV/GOtv cable subscriptions, and electricity prepaid tokens to your app using Kuda's bill payment APIs — earning a commission on each transaction processed.
- Savings & Wallet App:Build a savings or digital wallet product for Nigerian users backed by Kuda's CBN-licensed infrastructure — opening virtual accounts, enabling user-to-user transfers, and providing full transaction history programmatically.
- Agent Banking Network:Power a Nigerian agent banking or POS network using Kuda's virtual accounts and instant settlement API — letting agents collect payments and settle merchants in real time without the delays of traditional bank infrastructure.