Going live
The live access application, what we check, plans and limits, capabilities, pricing and the first live payout.
Live access is for businesses we've reviewed. It takes an application in the Console, usually decided within 2 business days. Businesses registered outside Kenya can apply too.
The steps
Build and test in the sandbox
Work through the go-live checklist: idempotent retries, webhook signature checks, every payout outcome.
Apply in the Console
Live access has a six-part form. It saves as you go, so you can finish it over several sittings:
- Business: registered name and number, KRA PIN for Kenyan companies, country, website, directors and anyone owning 10% or more.
- Use case: what you'll use the API for, who your customers are, where the money comes from and who receives it, the capabilities you need, and whether you pay people you haven't verified.
- Volumes: expected monthly volume in USD, payouts a month, the average and largest payout in KES.
- Compliance: your AML policy link, licences, how you screen against sanctions lists, politically exposed persons, and a complaints contact.
- Technical: your servers' IPs, webhook URL, and technical and security contacts.
- Agreements: the API terms, acceptable use policy, data processing terms and pricing, and the plan you want.
Review
We run automatic checks, then a person reviews. If we need more, we write to you in the Console and by email; reply there and submit again. You'll get a decision with the reason either way.
Create a live key and wait for its approval
Switch to Live, create a key with an IP allowlist, and we approve it. See API keys.
Fund your balance
Send USDC (or USDT) on the Avalanche C-Chain to the wallet address in the Console's Overview or
GET /api/v1/balance, or top up from M-Pesa in the AutoPayKe app. See Funding your balance.Send a small live payout
Pay KES 10 to your own number, confirm the webhook arrives and the money lands, then go.
Plans and limits
| Plan | Per payout | Per day | Per month | Requests a second | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandbox | KES 150,000 | KES 1,000,000 | KES 10,000,000 | 5 | Everyone, test keys only |
| Starter | KES 150,000 | KES 1,000,000 | KES 10,000,000 | 10 | Approved businesses |
| Growth | KES 500,000 | KES 10,000,000 | KES 100,000,000 | 25 | After a clean track record, reviewed |
| Enterprise | KES 1,000,000+ | KES 50,000,000+ | KES 500,000,000+ | 50 | By agreement |
Days and months follow Nairobi time. Your own limits are in GET /api/v1/account and the Console's Usage page. A payout over a limit is refused with LIMIT_PER_TX_EXCEEDED, LIMIT_DAILY_EXCEEDED or LIMIT_MONTHLY_EXCEEDED; nothing is charged. Raising a workspace above Starter is checked by two people on our side.
Capabilities
Approval comes with a set of capabilities (scopes) your live keys may use. To add one later, for example M-Pesa collections when it launches, request it on the Live access page with a short reason. Capabilities that move or take money are approved by two people.
Pricing
API payouts cost our published cash-out fee less 0.5 percentage points, plus the Avalanche network fee. The exact charge for any payout is in its quote (fee_breakdown) before you send. See Fees and pricing.
What we watch after you're live
Unusual spikes in payouts, high error rates, many refused calls, and recipient checks that don't resolve all alert our team. We may hold a payout for review (in_review), pause a key, or suspend a workspace while we talk to you. Keep your contacts current in Settings so we can reach you.