2 Best APIs for International Cards in Nigeria

SeerBit is a Nigerian payment gateway and pan-African payment infrastructure provider founded in 2019 by Omoniyi Kolade and Emmanuel Imam. SeerBit holds a CBN Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) license, is PCI-DSS certified, and has expanded beyond Nigeria to provide local payment acquiring in over 10 African markets including Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal, and others. This multi-country capability makes SeerBit unique among Nigerian payment gateways — developers can use a single SeerBit account and integration to accept local payment methods across anglophone and francophone Africa. The SeerBit API is RESTful with JSON payloads. Authentication uses two separate keys: a Public Key (used client-side to initialize the checkout widget in the browser) and a Secret Key (used server-side for all backend API calls including transaction verification, transfers, and refunds). Keys are obtained from the SeerBit merchant dashboard. Standard payments flow follows the initialize-then-verify pattern common in Nigerian gateways. SeerBit supports a comprehensive set of payment channels. For Nigeria: card payments (Visa, Mastercard, Verve) with 3D Secure 2.0, bank transfer checkout (virtual account assignment), USSD, direct debit, and cash collections via agents. For other African countries: mobile money (MTN Mobile Money, Orange Money, Airtel Money), local card networks, and bank transfers where available. This unified multi-channel API significantly reduces integration complexity for African-facing platforms. On pricing, SeerBit charges 1.5% per local Nigerian transaction capped at ₦2,000, with no setup fee. International card transactions are charged at 3.8% — slightly lower than Paystack (3.9%) and Monnify (4%), which can represent meaningful savings at scale. There is no monthly platform fee. Settlement occurs within 24 hours for Nigerian transactions. Rates for other African countries vary by market and are available from SeerBit's pricing page. SeerBit also offers SeerBit Alpha — a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) offering that enables fintechs and platforms to launch embedded financial products including wallets, virtual cards, lending, and savings features without building payment infrastructure from scratch. Alpha is targeted at Nigerian startups that want to go to market quickly with financial products. The Direct Debit feature allows businesses to set up debit mandates on customer bank accounts for recurring billing. Customers authorize the mandate once, and the platform can automatically debit them on a schedule. This is particularly useful for subscription-based products, loan repayment collection, and Nigerian SaaS companies billing in recurring cycles. The sandbox environment mirrors production. SeerBit provides test card numbers, simulated bank transfer flows, and test USSD responses for all supported channels. The sandbox is accessible immediately after creating a developer account. From a compliance standpoint, SeerBit is regulated by the CBN under the PSSP license category, which covers payment gateway, payment terminal service, and payment solution service operations. SeerBit is also PCI-DSS certified, ensuring all card data is handled and stored securely. The company is backed by Adaverse and other African-focused venture funds. Known challenges: SeerBit's documentation is functional but less polished than Paystack's. Community support resources (Stack Overflow answers, third-party tutorials) are more limited. Some advanced features like marketplace split payments are not yet available. For West African mobile money corridors in ECOWAS countries, SeerBit's coverage continues to expand. Frequently Asked Questions: How does SeerBit's international rate compare to competitors? SeerBit charges 3.8% for international cards compared to Paystack's 3.9% + ₦100 and Monnify's 4%. For high-value international transactions, SeerBit can be more cost-effective. Can I accept mobile money from Ghana and East Africa with SeerBit? Yes — SeerBit supports MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, and Orange Money in multiple African markets through the same API integration. Does SeerBit support Nigeria-to-Africa cross-border payouts? SeerBit is primarily a collection gateway. For cross-border payouts originating from Nigeria, complementary tools are needed.

CashEnvoy is one of Nigeria's earliest payment gateways, operated by E-Settlement Limited (ESL) and regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The platform enables Nigerian merchants to accept online payments from customers using Nigerian debit cards (Verve, Visa, Mastercard), international cards, and the CashEnvoy wallet. The company claims to have processed over 10 million transactions and serves 5,000+ active merchants. What the API Does The CashEnvoy API enables developers to integrate payment processing into websites and applications, accepting NGN and USD transactions. Core capabilities include card payment acceptance (Verve, Visa, Mastercard), CashEnvoy wallet payments, and multi-currency support. The integration process is described as developer-friendly with API documentation provided through the merchant portal. How Developers Use It Developers create a merchant account at cashenvoy.com, obtain API keys from the dashboard, and integrate using the provided documentation. Authentication is via API key from the merchant dashboard. The API enables payment initiation, transaction verification, and merchant settlement processing. Pricing CashEnvoy does not publish its transaction fees publicly. As a CBN-regulated payment gateway, fees are likely in line with Nigerian payment industry standards. Contact CashEnvoy directly for current fee schedules. Compliance CashEnvoy is regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which means it must comply with Nigerian payment system regulations, PCI-DSS standards for card processing, and merchant onboarding requirements including KYC for businesses. Challenges and Gotchas Important considerations: (1) CashEnvoy has a reported headcount of 1 employee as of early 2026 — this raises legitimate concerns about support responsiveness, active development, and long-term platform viability. (2) The platform is functional but far less actively developed than Paystack or Flutterwave. (3) API documentation is limited and not publicly accessible without account creation. (4) No support for newer payment methods like bank transfer checkout, USSD, or crypto. (5) Developers should carefully evaluate support SLAs and integration longevity before choosing CashEnvoy over more actively maintained alternatives. Company Background CashEnvoy was founded as one of Nigeria's early digital payment platforms and is operated by E-Settlement Limited. It was a notable player in the early Nigerian fintech ecosystem, predating the Paystack era. While the platform remains operational, it has not kept pace with the growth and feature velocity of newer Nigerian payment gateways. FAQs Q: Is CashEnvoy still active in 2026? A: The website is live and the API appears functional. However, the company reportedly has a very small team which may affect support and future development. Q: Does CashEnvoy accept Verve cards? A: Yes. CashEnvoy accepts Nigerian debit cards including Verve, Visa, and Mastercard. Q: What currencies does CashEnvoy support? A: NGN (Nigerian Naira) and USD are supported. Q: Should I use CashEnvoy for a new project? A: For new projects, consider Paystack or Flutterwave as primary options given their active developer ecosystems, robust documentation, and larger support teams. CashEnvoy may be suitable as a fallback or for specific existing integrations. CashEnvoy's wallet payment system complements card and bank transfer acceptance by allowing customers who have funded CashEnvoy wallets to pay merchants directly from their wallet balance. As an alternative payment method category, wallet-to-merchant payments reduce the friction associated with card entry for repeat customers who prefer stored payment methods. For Nigerian subscription services, recurring billing platforms, and marketplaces where repeat transactions are common, CashEnvoy wallet acceptance adds a payment option that returning customers may prefer over repeated card entry. For smaller Nigerian merchants and independent sellers who find leading payment gateways like Paystack or Flutterwave either difficult to qualify for or more feature-rich than their simple needs require, CashEnvoy provides a usable gateway option with straightforward onboarding and standard payment acceptance features. The competitive Nigerian payment gateway market means that having multiple provider options benefits merchants through pricing pressure and choice of provider based on specific feature, fee, or relationship preferences.