5 Best APIs for Remittance in Nigeria

Cross-border payment and remittance API for African businesses. Afriex enables payouts, collections, payment links, and customer management across multiple African corridors including Nigeria. Provides single unified API for international transfers to and from Africa with competitive rates and fast settlement.

Thunes is a global B2B cross-border payments company headquartered in Singapore, operating a proprietary real-time payment network that connects over 12 billion bank accounts, mobile wallets, and stablecoin wallets across 140 countries — accessible through a single API integration. Unlike traditional correspondent banking, Thunes routes payments through direct partnerships with local payment providers, mobile network operators, and bank networks in each country, enabling real-time 24/7 fund disbursement without SWIFT delays. Thunes primarily serves enterprise clients: global marketplaces, gig economy platforms, remittance operators, global banks, and B2B payment networks. The company's API documentation is available at docs.thunes.com, and the platform is designed for high-volume institutional integrations rather than self-service individual developers. The Thunes API enables two core operations: payouts (sending money to recipients globally) and, more recently, collection (receiving payments). Payouts can be delivered to bank accounts, mobile wallets (MTN Mobile Money, M-Pesa, Orange Money, etc.), and stablecoin wallets (USDT, USDC) across 140 countries. Nigeria is accessible via bank account payouts and stablecoin disbursements. A significant 2026 product launch is Thunes' Instant Cross-Border Payout for Gig and Remote Workers — a direct-to-workforce solution that enables platforms to instantly pay remote workers and freelancers across 140 countries, 24/7, with funds delivered to bank accounts, mobile wallets, or stablecoin wallets in real time. For Nigerian gig workers receiving international payments, this means immediate access to earnings rather than 2–5 business day SWIFT settlement windows. Thunes differentiates on pricing transparency — the platform provides complete visibility on transfer fees, FX rates, and all associated costs before transaction authorization. This is in contrast to traditional remittance operators that often bundle fees into hidden FX spreads. For businesses sending high volumes of payments to Africa, the transparent fee model enables accurate cost forecasting. Authentication for the Thunes API uses an API Key provided after enterprise onboarding. All requests must be made over HTTPS. Webhooks are available for real-time transaction status updates. From a compliance standpoint, Thunes is regulated as a payment service provider in Singapore (MAS), the EU, and other jurisdictions. For Nigeria, Thunes routes payments through CBN-licensed local partners, ensuring regulatory compliance for inbound transfers. Thunes has strict AML/KYB requirements during onboarding — all partner businesses must complete full compliance verification before API access is granted. Frequently Asked Questions: Can I disburse to Nigerian bank accounts via Thunes? Yes — Nigeria is accessible via bank account payouts. The exact Nigerian bank coverage should be confirmed during Thunes enterprise onboarding. Does Thunes support USDT payouts to Nigeria? Yes — Thunes supports stablecoin payouts in USDT, which is particularly useful for serving Nigerian workers who prefer to hold USD-pegged stablecoins as a hedge against NGN devaluation. How does Thunes compare to Payoneer for Nigerian worker payouts? Payoneer requires workers to hold Payoneer accounts and withdraw manually. Thunes delivers directly to bank accounts or mobile wallets — no recipient account required on a Thunes platform. Thunes's stablecoin (USDT) payout rail to Nigeria represents an emerging payment corridor that bypasses traditional banking infrastructure for recipients who prefer or require cryptocurrency-based receipt. For Nigerian diaspora recipients, freelancers receiving international payments, and businesses with cryptocurrency treasury strategies, USDT payouts provide a settlement mechanism that is independent of CBN-regulated banking channels and traditional correspondent banking limitations. The 140+ country network coverage of Thunes means that Nigerian-focused platforms built on Thunes can serve Nigerian recipients specifically while the same integration handles payouts to recipients across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and other emerging market regions. For global platforms that include Nigeria among many operational markets, a single Thunes integration covers all markets simultaneously rather than requiring country-by-country payment provider relationships. Real-time payment tracking and delivery confirmation through the Thunes API allows platforms to verify that payouts have been received by recipient bank accounts or wallets, not just that the sending instruction was accepted. For platforms with customer service obligations around payment delivery — remittance services guaranteeing delivery within specific timeframes, gig platforms assuring workers that earnings are accessible — confirmed delivery status is operationally critical data.

Cross-border payment API for African diaspora remittances and international transfers. Raenest enables developers to integrate cross-border payment capabilities for sending money from anywhere to Africa with competitive rates and fast settlement.

AZA Finance is a pan-African payments and foreign exchange infrastructure company that enables businesses and fintechs to send, receive, and convert money across Africa and globally through a single API. Originally founded as BitPesa in Nairobi in 2013, AZA Finance has evolved into one of Africa's most established cross-border payment platforms, holding regulatory licenses from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Bank of Uganda — a rare multi-jurisdictional licensing achievement in African fintech. What the API Does The AZA Finance API, documented at docs.azafinance.com and accessed via the developer portal at developers.transferzero.com, enables developers to programmatically initiate and manage cross-border payments across 30+ currencies and 115+ markets. Core capabilities include: sending payouts to bank accounts, mobile money wallets (M-Pesa, MTN Mobile Money, Airtel), and cash pickup points; real-time FX conversion between African and major global currencies; bulk payment processing for high-volume disbursements; account validation before sending; and webhook callbacks for real-time transaction status updates. How Developers Use It Developers integrate by creating an account at developers.transferzero.com. Authentication is via API Key and Secret issued from the portal. AZA Finance provides official SDKs for .NET, Java, JavaScript, PHP, and Ruby, significantly reducing integration time. The typical flow involves: creating a sender (KYC-verified entity), creating recipients (beneficiaries with bank or wallet details), initiating a transaction specifying corridors and currencies, and listening for webhook callbacks for status updates (pending, processing, paid, cancelled). The API supports test transactions in sandbox mode before going live. Supported Currencies and Countries AZA Finance supports 30+ currencies including NGN (Nigeria), GHS (Ghana), KES (Kenya), UGX (Uganda), TZS (Tanzania), ZAR (South Africa), XOF/XAF (CFA franc zones), MZN (Mozambique), USD, EUR, GBP, AED, CNY, and more. Nigeria is fully supported with CBN licensing in place. Pricing AZA Finance does not publish a public fee schedule. Pricing is determined by enterprise contract and depends on volume, corridor, and currency pair. The FX spread is embedded in the exchange rate offered. There is no self-serve free tier — you must contact their sales team to negotiate a contract. A sandbox environment is available for technical integration and testing at no cost. Authentication API authentication uses a Key + Secret pair obtained from the developer portal at developers.transferzero.com. Requests are signed with the secret to create an authorization header. The portal also supports role-based access controls for team members. Rate Limits AZA Finance operates on enterprise SLAs. Specific rate limit figures are not published publicly — they are determined by agreement. The platform maintains a 99.5% uptime guarantee. Compliance and Regulations AZA Finance is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, making it one of the few Africa-focused payment APIs with direct CBN authorization. It also holds FCA authorization in the UK and Bank of Uganda licensing. The platform is PCI-DSS compliant and certified to ISO27001:2022 for information security management. All transactions undergo AML screening and compliance monitoring 24/7. Challenges and Gotchas Key limitations for Nigerian developers: (1) AZA Finance is B2B only — it is not designed for consumer checkout flows. (2) Pricing is opaque — you cannot estimate costs without contacting sales. (3) KYC onboarding can be lengthy for enterprise clients. (4) The developer portal still uses "TransferZero" branding from the previous product name — this can confuse developers unfamiliar with the company history. (5) No USSD or card payment support — AZA Finance is purely for push-payment corridors. Company Background AZA Finance was founded in 2013 as BitPesa, a Bitcoin-based remittance platform for Kenya. It later pivoted away from crypto, rebranded as TransferZero, and finally as AZA Finance in 2020. The company is headquartered in Nairobi with offices in Lagos, London, Madrid, Luxembourg, and Dakar. It has processed over $3 billion in transactions and serves major clients including global remittance firms and banks. FAQs Q: Can a Nigerian startup use AZA Finance without CBN licensing? A: Yes. AZA Finance holds the CBN license on your behalf — you access their infrastructure without needing your own license. However, you must sign a partner agreement and pass their KYC checks. Q: Is there a sandbox for testing? A: Yes. Developers can test at developers.transferzero.com in sandbox mode before production. Q: Does AZA Finance support NGN? A: Yes. Nigerian Naira (NGN) is a core supported currency with payouts to all major Nigerian banks. Q: Is AZA Finance suitable for consumer apps? A: No. AZA Finance is built for B2B use — enterprises, fintechs, and money transfer operators. It does not offer a consumer-facing checkout widget or SDK.