Skip to main content

​
System Architecture

The Zuba Payment Platform is built around several core components that work together to provide comprehensive payment processing capabilities:

Payouts Engine

Send money globally via international bank transfers, SWIFT, US rails (ACH and Fedwire), local bank rails, mobile money, and crypto networks, with real-time tracking and compliance.

Payment Acceptance

Accept payments via bank-transfer deposits with unique account details per deposit, plus crypto deposit addresses. Funds are credited to your ledger on receipt.

Ledger System

Double-entry accounting with multi-currency support, real-time balance tracking, and comprehensive audit trails.

Global Rail Coverage

Payout rails and FX corridors across Europe, the US, Africa, and major crypto networks, with automatic route selection.

​
Data Flow

​
Key Entities

​
Beneficiaries

The people and businesses you pay, managed via GET/POST /v1/beneficiaries. Each beneficiary carries:
  • Personal information (name, email, address)
  • Multiple payout accounts (bank accounts, crypto wallets, mobile money)

​
Accounts

Payment destinations attached to a beneficiary:
  • Bank Accounts: IBAN, US routing and account numbers, SWIFT details, or local bank codes
  • Crypto Wallets: Wallet address and network (Ethereum, Solana, or Tron)
  • Mobile Money: Operator, phone number, and country

​
Transactions

All payment activity is recorded in the ledger and retrievable via GET /v1/ledger/transactions:
  • Payouts: Outbound payments to beneficiaries
  • Payins: Incoming deposits from your customers
  • Conversions: Currency conversion records

​
Payout Statuses

A payout can be cancelled (POST /v1/payouts/{id}/cancel) only while it is created or queued. A failed payout is not retried in place. Review the error and create a new payout. A receipt can be downloaded in any status except cancelled. See Payout Statuses for the full status reference.

​
Multi-Currency Support

Zuba supports payouts in EUR, USD, GBP, NGN, GHS, KES, UGX, XOF, and XAF, plus the stablecoins USDC, USDT, and EURC, with real-time conversion between supported corridors:
  • Fiat Currencies: EUR, USD, GBP, NGN, GHS, KES, UGX, XOF, XAF
  • Stablecoins: USDC, USDT, EURC
Use GET /v1/conversions/corridors to list the currency pairs available to your account.

​
Currency Conversion

  • Real-time exchange rates
  • Transparent fee structure
  • Rate locking via quotes (POST /v1/quotes), with a dedicated orders channel for amounts above corridor limits
  • Every conversion records the rate applied, retrievable via GET /v1/conversions

​
Compliance Framework

Built-in compliance features ensure regulatory adherence:
  • Identity verification for beneficiaries
  • Document collection and validation
  • Risk assessment and scoring
  • Ongoing monitoring and updates
  • Transaction monitoring and screening
  • Sanctions and watchlist screening
  • Suspicious activity reporting
  • Transaction limits and controls
  • Transaction reporting where required by authorities
  • Audit trail maintenance
  • Data retention policies

​
Payment Rails & Routing

Zuba routes each payout over the rail best suited to the destination currency and account type:
  • International transfers: EUR and GBP delivered to IBAN accounts
  • SWIFT: International wires (USD)
  • ACH and Fedwire: US domestic rails (USD)
  • Local bank transfers: Nigeria (NGN), Ghana (GHS), Kenya (KES), Uganda (UGX), Cameroon (XAF), and Côte d’Ivoire (XOF)
  • Mobile money: West Africa (XOF), Cameroon (XAF), Ghana (GHS), Kenya (KES), and Uganda (UGX)
  • Crypto networks: Stablecoin payouts on Ethereum, Solana, and Tron
See Payment Routes for corridor details, speeds, and route values.

​
Route Selection

The route is determined automatically from the beneficiary’s account type and currency, balancing:
  • Destination country and currency
  • Cost and speed
  • Reliability
  • Compliance requirements

​
Security & Infrastructure

​
Data Security

  • Encryption of sensitive data at rest and in transit
  • Independent security audits and penetration testing
  • API credentials with secret rotation

​
Infrastructure

  • Auto-scaling based on demand
  • Comprehensive monitoring and alerting
  • Disaster recovery and backup systems

​
Getting Started

Ready to integrate? Here’s what you need to know:
  1. Base URLs: https://api.zuba.com for production, https://api.sandbox.zuba.com for Sandbox
  2. Authentication: Exchange your API credentials for an access token (see Authentication)
  3. Webhooks: Set up endpoints for real-time notifications (see the Webhooks guide)
  4. Testing: Build and test in Sandbox before going live (see Sandbox Testing)
The platform is designed to be developer-friendly, with comprehensive APIs and detailed documentation for easy integration.