2 Best APIs for Merchant Payments in Nigeria

Zone (formerly AppZone) is Africa's first CBN-licensed blockchain-based payment switching and processing company, founded by Obi Emetarom and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. In 2022, Zone became the first blockchain-powered fintech to receive a Payment Switching and Processing License from the Central Bank of Nigeria — a historically significant milestone that validated blockchain technology as a legitimate payment infrastructure layer under Nigerian regulatory oversight. Zone provides banks, fintechs, and financial service providers with simple APIs for processing a broad range of payment transactions through a decentralized blockchain settlement layer. Unlike traditional payment switches (NIBSS, Interswitch) that rely on centralized clearing databases, Zone's blockchain infrastructure creates an immutable, transparent ledger of every settlement — reducing reconciliation disputes and eliminating the need for a trusted central intermediary between participating institutions. The Zone API enables developers to process: account-to-account fund transfers, ATM card withdrawals, POS (Point of Sale) card payments, merchant web and in-app payments, cash-in/cash-out at agent locations, and cross-border remittances. These are the core transaction types that flow through any payment switch — and Zone's blockchain layer provides transparent audit trails for all of them. Currently, Zone is connected to more than 15 of Africa's largest commercial banks. The company's onboarding model is B2B partnership-driven — typically targeting banks, licensed payment service providers, and institutional fintechs rather than individual developers seeking self-service access. Integration is handled through a technical partnership agreement, which reflects the institutional nature of payment switching infrastructure. Zone raised a $8.5 million seed round in March 2024, backed by investors including Flourish Ventures and Speedinvest, to scale its decentralized payment infrastructure across Nigeria and expand to additional African markets. The company's pre-Zone identity as AppZone gave it over a decade of established relationships with Nigerian commercial banks — making it one of the most deeply connected fintech infrastructure companies in Nigeria. Authentication for Zone's developer APIs uses API Key or OAuth credentials obtained through the Zone developer portal. A sandbox environment is available for testing. Given the institutional nature of the product, developer access is typically preceded by a commercial engagement with the Zone team. From a compliance standpoint, Zone holds the CBN Payment Switching and Processing License — the highest-tier payment infrastructure license in Nigeria. This license covers all transaction types processed through the Zone switch. All participating banks and fintechs must themselves hold appropriate CBN licenses for their respective payment activities. Known challenges: Zone's developer portal and self-service documentation are less accessible than consumer-facing gateways like Paystack. The B2B, institution-first model means individual developers cannot simply sign up and start testing. Additionally, the blockchain infrastructure, while innovative, adds a layer of complexity compared to traditional switches — institutions must understand the settlement model before integration. Frequently Asked Questions: Is Zone's blockchain public or private? Zone operates a permissioned blockchain — only CBN-licensed institutions can participate as nodes. It is not a public blockchain like Ethereum or Bitcoin. Can I use Zone as a regular merchant to accept card payments? Zone is a payment switch, not a merchant payment gateway. It provides infrastructure to banks and fintechs, who then offer payment services to merchants. Contact a Zone-connected bank or fintech for merchant payment solutions. How is Zone different from NIBSS? NIBSS is a centralized clearing system owned by all Nigerian banks. Zone is a decentralized, blockchain-based switch that competes with NIBSS's NIP system — offering an alternative routing path for interbank transfers with blockchain-based settlement transparency.

Paga is one of Nigeria's oldest and largest mobile money platforms, founded in 2009 by Tayo Oviosu. Paga is operated by Pagatech Limited, a subsidiary of Paga Group Ltd (UK), and holds a CBN Mobile Money Operator license — one of the most comprehensive payment licenses in Nigeria. Paga also has NDIC (Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation) insurance coverage, meaning customer funds are protected up to ₦500,000. With over 20 million registered users and more than 30,000 agents across Nigeria, Paga has built deep financial infrastructure that it has opened to developers via the Paga Business API. The Paga Business API is a RESTful API accessed at developer-docs.paga.com. Unlike most Nigerian payment APIs that use standard Bearer tokens, Paga uses a custom authentication scheme based on SHA-512 HMAC hashing. Each API request requires three custom headers: principal (the organization's public ID), credentials (the organization password), and hash (an SHA-512 hash computed from specific request parameters combined with a secret hash key provided by Paga). This non-standard auth scheme means developers must implement the hashing algorithm correctly or all requests will fail — a common gotcha for developers new to the Paga API. The Paga Business API supports a wide range of financial operations beyond just payment collection. The moneyTransfer endpoint allows sending money to any Nigerian bank account or Paga account. The depositToBank endpoint specifically handles bank-to-bank transfers. The airtimePurchase endpoint buys airtime or data bundles for any major Nigerian network (MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile). The merchantPayment endpoint enables payment to registered Paga merchants. The billPayment endpoint covers utilities and service payments including DSTV, GoTV, EKEDC, and other billers. The accountBalance endpoint retrieves current balance, and registerCustomer allows platforms to programmatically onboard new customers to Paga. A powerful feature is bulk transaction support — the Bulk Transfer API allows sending up to 300 transfer instructions in a single API call. This makes Paga highly efficient for Nigerian companies that run regular payroll, commission disbursements, or refund processing at scale. Paga also offers a Collect API — a payment request mechanism where a business generates a payment request for a specific customer, and the customer receives a notification to approve the payment from their Paga account or via USSD. This is similar to a payment link but operates within the Paga network. The Direct Debit API enables businesses to set up recurring debit mandates on customer accounts, allowing automatic deductions for subscriptions, loan repayments, and installment payments — a critical feature for Nigerian lending platforms and SaaS businesses. Pricing is competitive: P2P transfers between Paga accounts are free, making Paga attractive for platforms where both payer and recipient use Paga. Transfers to Nigerian bank accounts cost 1.5% of the transfer amount for card-funded transactions. A minimum fee of ₦10 applies. Enterprise API partners may negotiate custom pricing based on volume. The sandbox environment is available at beta.mypaga.com with test credentials. Live APIs run at mypaga.com. Moving from sandbox to production requires completing Paga's business onboarding process, which includes submitting your use case description, CAC registration documents, and director KYC. From a compliance perspective, Paga holds a CBN Mobile Money Operator license and is NDIC-insured. All transactions are processed within the CBN regulatory framework. Paga is also registered with the NDPR as a data processor. Paga has been operating since 2009 — one of the longest-standing fintech licenses in Nigeria. Known challenges: The SHA-512 HMAC authentication is non-standard and requires careful implementation. The API documentation uses older REST conventions that may feel less intuitive compared to Paystack or Flutterwave. Paga's coverage is strongest in regions where Paga agents are concentrated (North, Southwest Nigeria). Integration support is primarily email-based. Frequently Asked Questions: Why does Paga use SHA-512 hashing instead of Bearer tokens? Paga's authentication predates the widespread adoption of JWT Bearer tokens. The SHA-512 HMAC scheme ensures request integrity and authenticity without requiring TLS-only trust. Can I use Paga API without a Nigerian business? Paga requires a registered Nigerian business account for API access. The CBN licensing requirements mandate that only registered entities can access the Paga Business API. Does Paga support USSD payments? Yes — Paga's agent and consumer USSD product (*242#) is widely used. The Collect API leverages USSD as a notification and payment confirmation channel.