Getting started with MariPay

Create your account

Go to Sign up and enter your name, company name, email and password, and accept the terms. We email you a link to confirm your address, so use one you can open right now.

Every time you sign in, MariPay also emails you a 6-digit code that is valid for 5 minutes. Enter it to finish signing in. If you forget your password, use Forgot password to get a reset link.

Create your first business

In MariPay, a business (also called a merchant) is the thing that takes payments. It has its own wallet, API keys, payment links, customers and settlement account. One person can run several businesses and switch between them from the menu at the top of the dashboard.

Open Businesses in the sidebar and choose New business. Give it a legal name, a display name and a default currency. The business is active straight away, in sandbox mode, so you can start testing immediately.

The Businesses page lists every business with its balance per currency and a chart of collections. Open one to see its wallet, API keys, settlement account and recent settlements.

Understand test mode and live mode

The TEST / LIVE switch at the top of the dashboard decides which world you are looking at. They never mix: test payments, balances and API keys are separate from live ones.

• Test mode works from day one. It uses a built-in simulator and never moves real money.
• Live mode is locked (you will see a padlock) until your account is verified. Verification is covered in step 9.

Take your first test payment

Make sure the switch says TEST, then choose Receive on the dashboard (or Collections → New). Enter an amount and a customer phone number and send the request.

First pick the customer's country. It decides which payment provider handles the request and which currencies you can collect in. The page tells you which provider will be used.

In test mode there is no real phone, so the payment stays pendinguntil you answer it, exactly like a customer's prompt in live mode. Open the collection and press Approve payment to complete it, or Decline to see a failure.

Watch the result appear under Payments and in your balance on the dashboard.

Share a payment link or QR code

No website? Open Payment Links and create one. Give it a description and either a fixed amount or leave the amount empty so the payer chooses (good for donations). You get a link and a QR code to share on WhatsApp, social media, invoices or a printed poster.

Customers open the link, pick their network, enter their number and approve the prompt on their phone. Every payment shows up under Payments, and each link shows who has paid through it.

Connect your own system with the API

Open API Keys and create a key. In test mode it starts with sk_test_. For security we email you a confirmation code before the key is created. The full key is shown once, so copy it somewhere safe and keep it on your server only.

Keys belong to a project, which is a way to group them (for example one per app). You can rotate or revoke a key at any time.

Then follow the API reference, which includes ready-to-copy examples in JavaScript, Python and PHP, or our guide to integrating payments step by step.

Get notified with webhooks

Open Webhooks and add the web address on your server that should receive events such as payment.completed. Each request is signed so you can confirm it really came from MariPay, and the dashboard keeps a delivery log so you can see what was sent and how your server replied.

Read Webhooks done right for how to verify signatures and handle duplicate events.

Manage customers and refunds

• Customers lists the people who have paid you, so you can see their history in one place.
• Payments shows every payment with its status. Open one to see its full timeline and attempts.
• Refunds: open a completed payment and refund all or part of it, up to the amount that was paid.

Verify your account to go live

When you are ready for real money, open Start verification from the banner on your dashboard. You do it once, and it covers every business you create. We ask for:

• Business name, type, what you do, and when it was incorporated (for registered businesses).
• Business address, phone or email, and your trading name and website if you have them.
• Your own details and a government ID.
• Each owner or director, with their ownership percentage and national ID.
• Your business registration document and proof of address (a utility bill, lease or bank letter).

Our team reviews it, usually within 1 to 2 business days, and emails you. If anything is missing we tell you exactly what to add. Meanwhile sandbox keeps working.

Switch to live

Once you are approved, the LIVE switch unlocks for all your businesses, and any business you add later starts live too. Create a live key (sk_live_), swap it into your code, and you are taking real mobile money payments. Your endpoints, webhooks and logic stay exactly the same.

The collection fee is 5% of each successful live payment. Failed and expired payments are free, and test mode is free.

Get your money into your bank

Collected money sits in your MariPay wallet. To move it to your bank, open Settings and add a settlement bank account (bank, account name and number). You will be asked to confirm your password, and the number is stored encrypted.

Then open Settlements, enter an amount and request a settlement. The amount is set aside immediately and you get an email when we receive it, when our team picks it up, and when it is paid with a bank reference. You can cancel a request until it is picked up. The page shows a progress timeline for every settlement.

Pay people with disbursements

You can send money from your available balance to mobile money wallets, for example to pay suppliers, staff or refunds. Turn on Enable payouts in Settings first, then use Send on the dashboard or open Disbursements. You can send one payout, or upload a CSV to pay many people at once.

For safety you can require a second person to approve payouts, and set a limit per payout. Payouts need a recent identity check, so you may be asked for your password.

Invite your team

Open Team to invite colleagues by email and give each a role: Owner, Admin, Developer, Finance, Support or Viewer. A developer can manage keys and webhooks, finance can handle settlements and payouts, and a viewer can only look. Give people the least access they need.

Keep your account secure

• Turn on two-factor authentication in Security, using an authenticator app.
• Review your active sessions and sign out devices you do not recognise.
• Check the notification bell for messages and alerts from MariPay, including settlement updates.
• Keep secret API keys on your server, rotate them if they might have leaked, and never put them in a web page or app.

Stuck on anything? Contact us and a real person will help.