Question 1

What does Nomba API do?

Accepted Answer

Nomba is a Nigerian payment infrastructure company and CBN-licensed Payment Service Provider. Formerly known as Kudi, Nomba pivoted from a consumer-facing payment agent app to a comprehensive B2B payments infrastructure platform serving Nigerian businesses with APIs for checkout, virtual accounts, transfers, and POS terminal management. Nomba is backed by Stripe and significant venture capital, and powers millions of transactions daily across Nigeria's merchant and agent banking ecosystem.

The Nomba API is RESTful with JSON payloads and uses OAuth2 for authentication. Developers can authenticate via two methods: the Client Credentials grant (server-to-server, for backend integrations) or the PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) grant (for mobile and single-page app integrations where the secret cannot be safely stored). In both cases, an access_token is generated and passed in every API request as an Authorization: Bearer <token> header. API keys are retrieved from the Nomba business dashboard under Settings > API Keys.

The Checkout API is the core product for accepting payments. Developers initialize a checkout session server-side by sending a POST request with the amount, currency (NGN), and a unique transaction reference. Nomba returns a hosted checkout URL that the developer redirects the customer to. The checkout supports card payments (Verve, Visa, Mastercard), USSD, and bank transfers. Nomba handles the entire payment experience on its hosted page — merchants do not need to build a custom checkout interface.

For fund collection from specific customers, Nomba supports Virtual Accounts — unique bank account numbers assigned to individual customers or transactions. When a customer transfers any amount to their virtual account number, Nomba fires a webhook confirming the payment. This is ideal for Nigerian wallet top-ups, marketplace deposits, and savings apps where customers fund their balance via bank transfer.

The Transfers API enables instant outbound bank transfers to any Nigerian bank account. Developers can send disbursements by specifying the destination bank code, account number, amount, and a unique transfer reference. Nomba executes the transfer via the Nigerian banking system. This is commonly used for payroll, agent commissions, loan disbursements, and refunds.

Nomba also supports tokenized card flows — when a customer first pays with a card, Nomba can return a card authorization token that the merchant stores and uses for future charges without requiring the customer to re-enter card details. This enables installment plans, subscription-like products, and one-click repeat payments.

For merchants with physical locations, Nomba provides a Terminals API that enables developers to build custom POS applications. Integrators can send payment requests to Nomba POS terminals, receive confirmation webhooks, and build merchant dashboards that pull transaction data from the terminal network. This is a unique capability that distinguishes Nomba from pure online payment gateways like Paystack or Flutterwave.

Webhooks are available for all major events: payment success, payment failure, transfer completion, and virtual account credit. Developers must validate the webhook signature before processing events to ensure authenticity.

The Nomba sandbox environment is available for all API products. Developers can test checkout, virtual accounts, and transfers without processing real money. Moving to live requires completing Nomba's business onboarding and CBN KYC verification.

From a compliance standpoint, Nomba holds a CBN Payment Service Bank license and is licensed as a Payment Service Provider. All transactions are processed within the CBN regulatory framework. The platform is used by hundreds of thousands of Nigerian merchants, particularly small businesses, market traders, and logistics companies that use Nomba POS terminals.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How is Nomba different from Paystack? Paystack is primarily an online payment gateway. Nomba additionally offers POS terminal integration, agent banking infrastructure, and the Global Payout API for cross-border disbursements — making it more comprehensive for merchants with physical and digital presence.

Is Nomba pricing public? Nomba does not publish exact API pricing. Contact the Nomba team for transaction fee schedules based on your volume and use case.

Can I use Nomba for cross-border payments? The main Nomba API is for domestic Nigerian payments. For cross-border disbursements, use the separate Nomba Global Payout API which was launched in March 2026.

Question 2

How much does Nomba API cost?

Accepted Answer

Nomba API is free to integrate, with fees charged per transaction (commission-based). Transaction-based pricing. Exact rates not publicly listed — contact Nomba for enterprise pricing. API access is free to set up via the Nomba business dashboard.

Question 3

How do I authenticate with the Nomba API API?

Accepted Answer

OAuth2 Bearer Token (Client Credentials or PKCE flow). Access tokens obtained from dashboard API Keys.

Question 4

Is there a rate limit on Nomba API?

Accepted Answer

Not publicly specified

Question 5

Does Nomba API offer a sandbox or test mode?

Accepted Answer

Yes — Nomba API provides a sandbox or test environment so you can integrate and test before going live.

Question 6

What is Nomba API best suited for?

Accepted Answer

Nigerian businesses, merchants, and fintech platforms that need a developer API from a CBN-licensed operator with POS terminal integration, checkout, virtual accounts, and bank transfers — all on one platform backed by Nomba's agent banking network.

Question 7

Is there anything else I should know before integrating Nomba API?

Accepted Answer

Nomba (formerly Kudi) is CBN-licensed and serves millions of Nigerian merchants via agent banking. The API uses OAuth2 with Client Credentials or PKCE. API keys are in the Nomba business dashboard under Settings > API Keys. Separate from Nomba Global Payout API which handles cross-border disbursements.

Question 8

Where can I find Nomba API's documentation?

Accepted Answer

The official API documentation is at https://developer.nomba.com. The provider's website is https://nomba.com.

Question 9

Does Nomba API support Nigerian developers?

Accepted Answer

Yes — Nomba API explicitly supports Nigerian developers/use cases.

Nomba API

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