Introduction
What is PayKore?
PayKore is a B2B payments infrastructure API for Nigerian businesses. Your company is the partner — you embed PayKore into your own product so your end-users get wallets, transfers, USSD payments, QR payments, and KYC verification without you having to build any of it yourself.
PayKore handles the complexity underneath: Nigerian banking rails, CBN compliance, MFB partnerships, settlement, and reconciliation. You get a clean REST API and SDKs. Your users get a working payments experience.
How it works
PayKore sits between your application and Nigeria's banking infrastructure.
Your app never touches the banking layer directly. You call PayKore; PayKore handles everything downstream.
Key concepts
| Concept | What it means |
|---|---|
| Partner | You — the business building on PayKore. You have an account, API keys, and a dashboard. |
| User | Your end-user. PayKore identifies them by the userRef you assign (your own user ID). |
| Wallet | A ₦-denominated account for a user. Backed by a real NUBAN bank account number issued by PayKore's MFB partner. |
| Ledger entry | An immutable debit or credit record. Every movement of money produces at least two ledger entries (double-entry). |
| Transaction | A business event — a transfer, payment, or funding — that produces ledger entries. Referenced by a unique tx_ ID. |
| Webhook | An HTTP POST PayKore sends to your server when something happens (transfer completed, KYC verified, etc.). |
| Settlement | PayKore transferring your accumulated fees and earnings to your registered bank account on a scheduled basis. |
Environments
PayKore has two completely isolated environments. Data, keys, and balances do not cross between them.
| Environment | Purpose | API key prefix | Base URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandbox | Development and testing. No real money moves. KYC checks are simulated. | sk_test_ | https://api.paykore.dev (use sandbox key) |
| Live | Production. Real money, real KYC, real settlements. Only available after your account is approved. | sk_live_ | https://api.paykore.dev |
Live API keys are only issued after your partner account completes KYB (Know Your Business) verification. All development and testing must happen in sandbox first.
What you'll need
- A PayKore partner account — sign up at app.paykore.dev
- Sandbox API keys from the dashboard (available immediately after signup)
- Basic familiarity with REST APIs and JSON
- A server-side environment to store your API key (never use it in frontend code)
Next steps
- Quickstart → — Make your first API call and create a wallet in 5 minutes.
- Core Concepts → — Deeper explanation of wallets, ledgers, and money flow.
- Authentication → — How to secure and rotate your API keys.