AML and KYC Requirements for Merchants

Every merchant passes a business verification (KYB) review before activation. We check company registration, ultimate beneficial owners, directors and the stated business purpose.

Depending on the profile, we may also ask for a business address, a tax identification number or other supporting documents.

Sanctions and politically exposed person (PEP) screening, along with monitoring of transaction activity, continue for as long as the relationship lasts.

If verification cannot be completed, access to the gateway may be limited until the missing information is supplied.

Payment Gateway Africa runs a payment gateway for pay-ins, payouts and merchant settlement across Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Senegal, Tunisia, Mali and Guinea. Money moving through these flows has to be traceable to a real, identified business with a legitimate reason to accept or send payments.

Anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) checks give us that assurance. They protect the merchant, the customers paying through local methods such as M-Pesa, Orange Money or Wave, and the wider payment network that each method depends on.

Verification is not a one-off formality. It begins during onboarding and continues throughout the relationship, because a business profile can change after go-live.

These requirements cover every business that applies for a merchant project, whatever the integration path. A merchant using the Hosted Payment Page and a merchant connecting through the H2H API go through the same review.

They also apply to platform operators who process payments on their own behalf. If you are still deciding how to connect, the integration guide for hosted and API payments explains both options; the verification steps below stay the same either way.

The review applies regardless of which of our markets you target. The methods available in each country are listed in the directory of countries and local payment methods.

Our onboarding review looks at four core areas. Each one must be satisfied before a live project is switched on.

Company registration: we confirm that the business legally exists and that the registration details you provide match the entity applying.

Ultimate beneficial owners: we identify the individuals who ultimately own or control the business, not only the legal shareholders listed on paper.

Directors and management: we verify the people responsible for running the company and acting on its behalf.

Business purpose: we review what you sell or provide, how customers will pay you and how that activity fits the methods and countries you have requested.

Where the profile calls for it, we may additionally request proof of business address and a tax identification number.

Verification sits between your application and your first live transaction. The sequence runs as follows.

Step 1, application: you submit company details, target countries, intended methods and expected integration type through the merchant application form.

Step 2, KYB review: we check registration, owners, directors and business purpose, and request any extra documents the profile requires.

Step 3, test project: once the review is progressing, your developers can build against a separate test project.

Step 4, go-live: after verification is complete, the live project is activated for the agreed methods and countries.

Providing complete and consistent documents at Step 2 is the most reliable way to avoid back-and-forth before activation.

Not every business has the same structure, so not every application needs the same paperwork. A company with layered ownership, operations in several of our markets or a business model that needs further explanation may receive follow-up requests.

These requests are part of the review, not a sign that an application has been refused. Typical follow-ups ask for clarification of ownership, supporting evidence of the business activity or confirmation of contact and address details.

We cannot publish a fixed checklist that covers every case. The specific documents are communicated to you directly during onboarding.

Activation does not end our review. Throughout the relationship we screen merchants and their related individuals against sanctions lists and for politically exposed person status.

We also observe transaction activity over time. This helps us notice when activity no longer matches the business purpose described at onboarding.

If your business changes, for example new owners, new directors, a different product line or new target markets, tell us early. Updating your profile proactively is simpler than responding to questions after the fact.

Existing merchants who want to add further supported payment methods can do so without an extra connection fee. Your existing verification remains the basis for that request, though we may ask questions if the change affects your business profile.

When required information is missing, inconsistent or not provided within the review, we may limit access to the gateway. This can mean a live project is not activated, or that an existing project is restricted until the gap is resolved.

Limits are tied to the verification gap, not applied arbitrarily. Once the outstanding information is supplied and reviewed, we can reassess access.

The contractual basis for restricting or ending access is described in our terms of service for merchants.

Our responsibility: reviewing registration, owners, directors and business purpose before activation.

Our responsibility: requesting additional documents when a profile requires them.

Our responsibility: sanctions and PEP screening and monitoring of transaction activity throughout the relationship.

Your responsibility: submitting accurate, current and consistent company information and documents.

Your responsibility: informing us of changes to ownership, management, business activity or target markets.

Your responsibility: using the gateway only for the business purpose reviewed at onboarding.

How we protect access to the platform itself is covered separately on our security overview.

KYB review involves personal details of owners, directors and other related individuals. We use this information to carry out verification, screening and monitoring.

How we collect, use, store and share that data is explained in our privacy policy. Data protection obligations differ between our seven markets, and their application to a specific business may require its own legal assessment.

If you have a question about a document request, an ongoing review or how these requirements apply to your business, contact our team through the onboarding and compliance contact form.

To understand how verification relates to commercial terms before applying, see how merchant pricing is quoted.