Payout Methods

Overview

Niobi provides versatile payout channels enabling instant disbursements to consumers, merchants, utility providers, and businesses across 17 African markets.

Master Country Payout Matrix

ID	Country	Currency	Supported Payout Methods (`payment_method_type`)
1	Kenya	`KES`	`send money` (M-Pesa), `airtel`, `pay bill`, `till number`, `pesalink`
2	Benin	`XOF`	`mtn`, `moov`
3	Côte d’Ivoire	`XOF`	`Orange`, `mtn`, `moov`, `Wave`
4	Cameroon	`XAF`	`mtn`, `Orange` (Requires sender details)
5	DRC	`CDF`	`airtel`, `Orange`, `vodacom`
8	Rwanda	`RWF`	`mtn`, `airtel`
9	Senegal	`XOF`	`Orange`, `free`, `Wave`
10	Tanzania	`TZS`	`airtel`, `halotel`, `tigo`, `vodacom`
11	Uganda	`UGX`	`mtn`, `airtel`
12	Zambia	`ZMW`	`mtn`, `zamtel`, `airtel`
13	Sierra Leone	`SLE`	`Orange`
15	South Africa	`ZAR`	`bank` (RTC / EFT)
16	Ghana	`GHS`	`mtn`, `at` (AirtelTigo), `vodafone`
17	Nigeria	`NGN`	`bank` (Direct Bank Transfer via NUBAN)
18	Mali	`XOF`	`Orange`, `moov`
19	Burkina Faso	`XOF`	`Orange`, `moov`
20	Togo	`XOF`	`moov`, `tmoney`

Upcoming Payout Corridors

Country	Code	Currency	Planned Payout Methods
Ethiopia	251	`ETB`	teleBirr, mBirr
Malawi	265	`MWK`	Airtel Money, TNM Mpamba
Egypt	20	`EGP`	Vodafone Cash, Orange Money
Mozambique	258	`MZN`	Vodacom M-Pesa, Movitel, Tmcel

1. Mobile Money Payouts

Mobile money disbursements transfer funds directly into the recipient’s mobile wallet in real time.

Supported Channels & Parameter Objects:

When disbursing via mobile money, set payment_method_type to the corridor’s provider name and supply the matching array object containing the recipient’s phone number:

Channel	`payment_method_type`	Nested Parameter Object in `params`
Kenya M-Pesa	`send money`	`"sendmoney": [{"phone_number": "254647647649"}]`
Kenya Airtel	`Airtel`	`"Airtel": [{"phone_number": "254731000789"}]`
Ghana MTN	`mtn`	`"mtn": [{"phone_number": "233593456789"}]`
Ghana Vodafone	`Vodafone`	`"Vodafone": [{"phone_number": "233503456789"}]`
Ghana AT	`at`	`"at": [{"phone_number": "233273456789"}]`
Uganda MTN / Airtel	`mtn` / `Airtel`	`"mtn": [...]` / `"Airtel": [...]`
Tanzania Mobile Money	`airtel`, `tigo`, `halotel`, `vodacom`	`"Airtel": [...]`, `"Tigo": [...]`, `"Halotel": [...]`, `"Vodacom": [...]`
Francophone Africa (XOF/XAF)	`Orange`, `mtn`, `moov`, `Wave`, `Free`	`"Orange": [...]`, `"mtn": [...]`, `"moov": [...]`, `"Free": [...]`

Sample Request: Ghana MTN Mobile Money Payout

{
  "client_id": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
  "sender": "YOUR_INTEGRATION_NAME",
  "timestamp": 1724835600,
  "salt": "random_salt_12345",
  "signature": "d4e5f6a7b8c90123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01",
  "params": {
    "amount": 500,
    "currency": "GHS",
    "country_id": 16,
    "first_name": "Kwame",
    "last_name": "Mensah",
    "mobile": "233593456789",
    "email": "kwame.mensah@example.com",
    "city": "Accra",
    "payment_method_type": "mtn",
    "mtn": [
      { "phone_number": "233593456789" }
    ],
    "client_callback_url": "https://yourdomain.com/niobi/payout-callback",
    "payment_reference": "GH-DISB-1002"
  }
}

2. Kenya Business Payouts (Paybill, Till Number & PesaLink)

For Kenyan enterprises, Niobi supports business disbursements to M-Pesa Paybills, Buy Goods Till Numbers, and commercial bank accounts via PesaLink:

A. M-Pesa Paybill Payouts

Disburse directly to an M-Pesa Paybill business number with an associated account reference:

payment_method_type: "pay bill"
Parameter Object: "paybill": [{"paybill_number": "123456", "account_number": "INVOICE-881"}]

B. M-Pesa Till Number (Buy Goods) Payouts

Disburse directly to an M-Pesa Buy Goods till merchant:

payment_method_type: "till number"
Parameter Object: "tillnumber": [{"till_number": "123456"}]

C. PesaLink Instant Bank Transfers

Send real-time bank transfers to any commercial bank in Kenya:

payment_method_type: "pesalink"

Parameter Object:

"pesalink": [
  {
    "bank_name": "Kenya Commercial Bank",
    "bank_code": "1",
    "branch_name": "Nairobi",
    "account_name": "Jane Doe",
    "account_number": "123223837"
  }
]

Supported Kenyan Bank Codes (PesaLink)

Bank Name	Bank Code (`bank_code`)
Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB)	`1`
Standard Chartered Bank	`2`
Absa Bank Kenya	`3`
NCBA Bank Kenya	`7`
Prime Bank	`10`
Co-operative Bank	`11`
National Bank of Kenya	`12`
Citibank N.A. Kenya	`16`
Middle East Bank Kenya	`18`
Bank of Africa Kenya	`19`
Credit Bank Limited	`25`
CFC Stanbic Kenya	`31`
Paramount Bank	`50`
Jamii Bora Bank (Kingdom Bank)	`51`
Guaranty Trust Bank	`53`
Guardian Bank	`55`
I&M Bank	`57`
Diamond Trust Bank (DTB)	`63`
Sidian Bank	`66`
Equity Bank Kenya	`68`
Family Bank Limited	`70`
Gulf African Bank	`72`
First Community Bank (Premier Bank)	`74`
Kenya Women’s Finance Trust (KWFT)	`78`
Choice Microfinance Bank	`82`

3. Nigeria NGN Bank Payouts

Disburse directly into Nigerian commercial and microfinance bank accounts via NUBAN:

country_id: 17
currency: "NGN"
payment_method_type: "bank"

Parameter Object:

"bank": [
  {
    "bank_name": "Access Bank",
    "bank_code": "044",
    "branch_name": "Lagos",
    "account_name": "Adebayo Johnson",
    "account_number": "0123456789"
  }
]

Popular Nigerian Bank Codes

Bank Name	3-Digit Bank Code (`bank_code`)
Access Bank	`044`
Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank)	`058`
Zenith Bank	`057`
United Bank for Africa (UBA)	`033`
First Bank of Nigeria	`011`
Stanbic IBTC Bank	`221`
OPay Digital Services	`999992`
PalmPay	`999991`
Kuda Bank	`090267`
Fidelity Bank	`070`
Sterling Bank	`232`
Wema Bank	`035`

4. Cameroon XAF Compliance (CEMAC Sender Information)

In accordance with CEMAC regional financial compliance regulations, all payouts in Cameroon (country_id: 4, currency: XAF) require the identification details of the originating sender:

Required Sender Fields for Cameroon Payouts:

params.sender_firstname (string, Required): First name of the person initiating the payout (if you run a multi-user platform, the individual user/client requesting the disbursement).
params.sender_lastname (string, Required): Last name of the person initiating the payout.
params.sender_phone_number (string, Required): Mobile phone number of the person initiating the payout in international format (e.g. 237612345678).

Sample Cameroon XAF Disbursement Request

{
  "client_id": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
  "sender": "YOUR_INTEGRATION_NAME",
  "timestamp": 1724835600,
  "salt": "random_salt_12345",
  "signature": "d4e5f6a7b8c90123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01",
  "params": {
    "amount": 10000,
    "currency": "XAF",
    "country_id": 4,
    "first_name": "Jean",
    "last_name": "Dupont",
    "mobile": "237791189789",
    "email": "jean.dupont@example.com",
    "city": "Yaounde",
    "sender_firstname": "John",
    "sender_lastname": "Doe",
    "sender_phone_number": "237690000000",
    "payment_method_type": "Orange",
    "Orange": [
      { "phone_number": "237791189789" }
    ],
    "client_callback_url": "https://yourdomain.com/niobi/payout-callback",
    "payment_reference": "CAM-DISB-3001"
  }
}

Next Steps

Follow these guides in order to complete your payout integration:

Step 2

Payout Callbacks

Handle terminal payment_step: 2 callbacks, verify signatures, and reconcile outcomes.

Step 3

Payout Best Practices

Wallet balance management, MSISDN validation, idempotency, and error retry strategies.

Get Started with Niobi

API Authentication

Collecting Payments

Making Payments

Transaction Status

Supporting Documentation

Payout Methods

Overview

Master Country Payout Matrix

Upcoming Payout Corridors

1. Mobile Money Payouts

Supported Channels & Parameter Objects:

Sample Request: Ghana MTN Mobile Money Payout

2. Kenya Business Payouts (Paybill, Till Number & PesaLink)

A. M-Pesa Paybill Payouts

B. M-Pesa Till Number (Buy Goods) Payouts

C. PesaLink Instant Bank Transfers

3. Nigeria NGN Bank Payouts

4. Cameroon XAF Compliance (CEMAC Sender Information)

Required Sender Fields for Cameroon Payouts:

Sample Cameroon XAF Disbursement Request

Next Steps

Payout Callbacks

Payout Best Practices

​Overview

​Master Country Payout Matrix

​Upcoming Payout Corridors

​1. Mobile Money Payouts

​Supported Channels & Parameter Objects:

​Sample Request: Ghana MTN Mobile Money Payout

​2. Kenya Business Payouts (Paybill, Till Number & PesaLink)

​A. M-Pesa Paybill Payouts

​B. M-Pesa Till Number (Buy Goods) Payouts

​C. PesaLink Instant Bank Transfers

​3. Nigeria NGN Bank Payouts

​4. Cameroon XAF Compliance (CEMAC Sender Information)

​Required Sender Fields for Cameroon Payouts:

​Sample Cameroon XAF Disbursement Request

​Next Steps

​Payout Callbacks

​Payout Best Practices

Overview

Master Country Payout Matrix

Upcoming Payout Corridors

1. Mobile Money Payouts

Supported Channels & Parameter Objects:

Sample Request: Ghana MTN Mobile Money Payout

2. Kenya Business Payouts (Paybill, Till Number & PesaLink)

A. M-Pesa Paybill Payouts

B. M-Pesa Till Number (Buy Goods) Payouts

C. PesaLink Instant Bank Transfers

3. Nigeria NGN Bank Payouts

4. Cameroon XAF Compliance (CEMAC Sender Information)

Required Sender Fields for Cameroon Payouts:

Sample Cameroon XAF Disbursement Request

Next Steps

Payout Callbacks

Payout Best Practices