In this article, you'll learn how to integrate MPesa API and automate payments. IntaSend offers powerful SDKs and tools that will enable you to get started easily. If you are interested only on the SDKs, you can skip the introduction and go directly to the "Easy setup and activation" section.
For so many years now, MPesa has been pioneering the revolution of mobile money in Africa. When Safaricom launched MPesa in 2007, only a few could have predicted the success that would be accrued over the next decade and a half and how much people have welcomed this idea. Kenya has since been on the leading edge of the mobile money revolution, with 30 million registered users as of 2022, taking into account only MPesa’s share of the market. It’s no surprise why every developer and business wants to know how to integrate MPesa API.
The rise of MPesa has paved the way for other financial institutions in Kenya to offer similar services. Some of them even offer MPesa services on top of their regular financial products, and such a brand is IntaSend. So whether you’re a business owner looking to incorporate MPesa in your business, or a developer looking to integrate the MPesa API into your existing app, this article is a step-by-step guide to help you with the integration in the easiest of ways.
Features of IntaSend’s MPesa API Integration
Imagine having an API that lets you send money, collect payments, pay bills, and do a whole lot more just from a single dashboard. When you have a business, you’re constantly thinking about how to make things better for your customers. This is why the IntaSend MPesa API integration is such a great tool to have in your arsenal when it comes to prioritizing customer satisfaction. So, why is this integration so important? Why choose IntaSend at all? Check out some of the features below to find out.
Seamless integration
IntaSend has done all the hard work for you to ensure you can get started easily with the MPesa API integration. You only need to use our available SDKs to connect the MPesa API to your app for faster scalability. The availability of the SDKs has made it incredibly easy to connect the IntaSend API to any existing app. This makes integration of the MPesa API an inexpensive and straightforward process. Furthermore, you’ll be able to customize our APIs to fit your particular business needs. There’s no need to go searching for experienced developers to do a code-heavy integration.
Easy setup and activation
While it actually takes several days to set up other APIs because you may sometimes be required to write codes or just go through a lengthy integration process, the IntaSend MPesa API is more of a straightforward thing, thanks to the easy setup and activation process. This means you can create an account, verify, integrate, and go live all on the same day. This is one of the reasons why IntaSend is the best choice for your integration. IntaSend’s SDKs are so effective that they allow you to easily track statuses and initiate transactions. Below are some of the IntaSend’s MPesa API SDKs;
- WordPress and WooCommerce: This is used to collect money using the MPesa STK push. It is a very effective tool to use if you have online stores and want to make payments easier for your customers.
- Javascript Inline SDK: Just like WordPress and WooCommerce, the Javascript Inline SDK is also used to collect money with the MPesa STK push. This is also a great way to collect payments from customers when you have an online store or business.
- PHP SDK: This SDK is used to send money, collect money, and implement the MPesa B2B API using the MPesa STK push. The B2B API is used to send payments from one business to another, like when a business disburses payments to its suppliers, contractors, and many more.
- No-code Bubble.io: The no-code Bubble is just like the PHP SDK. It is used to collect payments, send payments, and implement the MPesa B2B API.
- Python SDK: You can use the Python SDK to collect money, send payments, and implement the MPesa B2B API, which is just like most of the SDKs on this list. This means you have a long list of options when it comes to collecting payments.
Bulk payments
There’s a lot you can do from your IntaSend wallet, including bulk payments. If you have a business that requires you to handle large payments, IntaSend is always the best choice. You can send large transactions up to 5000 transactions to multiple recipients through a single request. IntaSend's technology makes this possible by connecting an intuitive user interface with the power of state-of-the-art payment technology.
Not only does this increase efficiency, but it also ensures that each payment reaches its intended recipient quickly and securely. IntaSend offers a wide range of features for businesses such as automatic reconciliation and customizable integration with other enterprise systems. This makes it easier to manage large transactions and keep track of them without having to go through the manual process of reconciling multiple payments.
STK Push
Apart from collecting card payments from your customers, IntaSend offers MPesa Express STK Push. the JavaScript SDK helps add some layer of security to your website and app, where your customers can add their phone numbers before they pay. This allows you to reduce customer drop-offs by providing a secure and reliable payment method. Moreover, the MPesa Express STK Push helps streamline the payment process and make it easier for your customers. It enables your customers to complete payment within a few clicks, instead of having to manually enter their details. As a result, it reduces customer drop-offs and improves your customer retention rate.
Top-level security
IntaSend uses the best security infrastructure and network connection for period audits for PCI and payment security standards, which makes it PCI-DSS compliant. This security is spread over all its available APIs, including the MPesa API, to ensure safe and secure payments. IntaSend also uses PSD2 standards for some extra layer of authentication for payment requests.
This increases the security of payments and also helps to identify any potential fraud or malicious attempts. As such, the platform ensures maximum security for its customers’ payment transactions and data. Moreover, it also eliminates the need for third-party providers for authentication, which makes it a more cost-effective solution. IntaSend is thus a secure, reliable, and cost-effective platform for processing payments.
Documentation
The good thing about using the IntaSend MPesa API or any other IntaSend API whatsoever is that you can test the integration before you go live. Visit the IntaSend sandbox to get the integration keys and test the implementation before going live. You can find more information about this on IntaSend’s developer API documentation page. You can also find the list of all IntaSend’s tools and SDKs here.
2 Major Things You Can Do With the MPesa Integration
With all the features - including security and convenience - the IntaSend Mpesa API offers, you may still be wondering how it could be beneficial to your business, especially if you still run a traditional business where everything is done on paper. Well, with the widespread digitization of businesses across Africa, especially in Kenya, you shouldn’t be left behind. There are two major things you can do with the MPesa integration, and here’s a breakdown;
Bills payment automation
One thing you can use the MPesa API integration for is automated bill payments. The idea is to make bill payments easier than ever. There’s no doubt there’s a certain pain that comes with having to make payments to suppliers and vendors repeatedly because there’s no system that allows you to make bulk payments to these people. With the MPesa API fully integrated into your system, you can make all payments through MPesa and everything will be instantly reconciled, and even still give you the option to manually add payments.
Salary payment
With this payment system, you can disburse payments to your employees. Whether you’re making single or bulk payments, the MPesa API integration by IntaSend offers your business the opportunity to streamline the payment process and make it one less thing to worry about. Not only does it make payment convenient, but it also reduces human errors as well as the cost involved in making payments to your workers significantly. You can even disburse payments to people whose preferred payment method is mobile money, all from a single dashboard. That way, you get to keep everyone happy by making payments to different destinations without spending extra for convenience and versatility.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve found a good way to push your business forward by making payment one less thing to worry about, it might be the right time to make the big move and look to integrate the popular MPesa API offered by IntaSend. Again, the integration process is quite seamless as IntaSend developers have done all the hard work, leaving you with just a few steps to take to complete the integration. Knowing how to integrate MPesa API into your system is one thing, actually taking your time to make the move is another thing entirely. To get started, you need an IntaSend account if you don’t already have one. Learn more about the MPesa API here.
Cover Photo by James Harrison on Unsplash
