A Guide To Using The Interswitch API Marketplace

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Interswitch API Marketplace

Two weeks ago, we invited developers from the Interswitch developer community to a build night. The goal was to show - not just tell - the capabilities of our API Marketplace and how it makes discovery and consumption easier. In 3 hours, we had 5 completed projects.

This isn’t just about the event – it’s about the purpose of the marketplace: making API discovery easier and integrations seamless.

Why Marketplaces Matter: Solving Discovery and Fragmentation

Marketplaces solve more than just the discovery problem. They’re the solution to fragmentation.

Think about the traditional developer experience:

  • Multiple API providers for different services
  • Separate accounts and credentials for each
  • Different authentication schemes
  • Scattered documentation
  • No centralized billing

The Interswitch API Marketplace changes this.

It’s a one-stop shop that brings all the APIs you need into one central place. You no longer have to juggle different providers, create multiple accounts, or manage separate credentials for different APIs needed to build one product.

Key Benefits:

  • Centralized Discovery: Browse all available APIs in one place
  • Unified Authentication: One OAuth 2.0 scheme for all APIs
  • Single Sign-Up: One account, one dashboard, one wallet

APIs On The Marketplace

An overview of some APIs on Interswitch API Marketplace
The Interswitch API Marketplace currently hosts 20+ APIs across 3 categories, with more coming soon.

Here’s what’s available, what each does, and what you can build with it:

A. Identity & Verification APIs

  • Bank Account Verification API: For authenticating bank details and verifying account ownership.
  • BVN Full Details API: Verification and validation of a Bank Verification Number (BVN) in real-time with complete customer information.
  • BVN Boolean Match API: Verify the existence and validity of a BVN in real-time (returns true/false without full details).
  • NIN API: Verification API that confirms and verifies a person’s National Identity Number.
  • NIN Full Details API: Authentication and confirmation of a NIN in real-time with complete personal information.
  • Physical Address API: Validates and verifies customer-provided addresses by checking them against authoritative databases.
  • TIN API: Tax-focused API that authenticates Tax Identification Numbers
  • Domestic AML Search API: Helps businesses screen individuals against local anti-money laundering watchlists.
  • Driver’s License Verification API: A verification API that confirms and verifies a person’s Driver’s License Number with the full details.
  • Driver’s License Boolean Match API: Verify the existence and validity of a person’s Driver’s License Number in real-time (returns true/false without full details).
  • Facial Comparison API: The Facial Comparison API provides a secure and efficient way for businesses to verify a person’s identity by comparing the similarity between two different images.
  • International Passport Lookup API: Enables businesses verify the validity of an individual’s international passport details.
  • Credit History API: Enables businesses to retrieve comprehensive credit reports of individuals directly from Nigeria’s leading credit bureau.
  • Global Search AML API: Helps businesses screen individuals against international anti-money laundering watchlists.

B. Transaction & Payment APIs

  • Bills Payment API:Offers the capability to integrate features cable TV subscriptions, utility bills, government services, airtime/data, and more into your application.

C. Security & Business APIs

  • Generate SafeToken API: The SafeToken OTP API provides secure multi-factor authentication and transaction verification for your application.
  • CAC API: Leverages the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) database to enable businesses to retrieve detailed information about a business or company registered with CAC including the company directors, shareholders and secretary.

And many others.

Next, I’ll take you through the developer tools we have on the marketplace to make integration hassle-free.

Developer Tools

We prioritized developer experience to make integration simple, easy, and seamless. Here are the tools available for developers on the marketplace - 

1. Postman Collection (Test Before You Code):

Not ready to code yet? Explore what APIs return before integrating.

Our pre-built Postman collection includes:

  • All API endpoints pre-configured
  • Example requests for common use cases
  • Environment variables template

How to use:

  • Visit any API page in the marketplace
  • Click “Test on Postman”
  • Import collection to Postman
  • Add your API keys to environment variables
  • Click “Send” to make test calls

Perfect for: Understanding API behavior, debugging issues, prototyping before coding.

2. Sandbox Environment:

  • Every API has a separate sandbox for testing:
  • Unlimited requests (no charges)
  • Test data provided (test BVNs, NINs, account numbers)
  • Separate keys from production (can’t accidentally process real transactions)

Some of the test data provided include:

  • BVN Full Details: 11111111111
  • NIN Full Details: 11111111111
  • Drivers License: AAA00000AA00

3. Documentation (Your integration guide):

visit the marketplace, choose your preferred API and click on ''endpoints'' to access documentation + credentials you need
Our documentation contains guides, code snippets you can easily copy and troubleshooting guides to make integration seamless. It contains search functionality so you can find what you need fast. 

To get the documentation for any API of your choice –

  • Visit the marketplace
  • Select the API of your choice
  • On the menu, click on ”Endpoint”. You’ll find all you need for integration - code snippets, success response, error response, Postman credentials, etc

Documentation for all APIs on the marketplace can be found here.

4. Developer Support (Humans Who Actually Help):

If you get stuck while building, we’ve provided these support channels to help get you unblocked:

  • Slack Community: (7k+ developers): Real-time help from our support engineers and other developers in our community. The average response time is 5minsand you can join the community using this link. 
  • Office Hours: If you prefer to speak with our developers directly, our monthly live sessions were created for this purpose. You can ask anything, debug live, learn best practices. Become a part of the community to know the timeline for each month and book a meeting.

The sections below explains how to get started - from account creation to going live.

Getting Started: From Sign-Up to First API Call in 15 Minutes

Let’s walk through the process of getting started from creating an account, a project, getting API credentials, making your first call and viewing logs.

STEP 1: Create Your Account

Use [this url](https://developer.interswitchgroup.com/auth/account/register) to create an account - enter email address, first & last name, a chosen password, read through the privacy policy and check box then, click on ''create account''.

  • Visit https://developer.interswitchgroup.com/marketplace
  • Click “Sign Up” (top right)
  • Enter email address, first name, last name, and password
  • Accept privacy policy & terms and conditions
  • Click “Create Account”
  • Check your email for verification link
  • Click the verification link

And, you’re in.

The next step will be to create your first project. 

STEP 2: Create Your First Project

Think of a project as a container for the APIs you want to use.

  • After logging in, click “Create Project”
  • Select “New Project” and fill in:
    A. Project Name: e.g., “My Identity Verification App”
    B. Description: e.g., “Testing BVN verification for KYC”
  • Select APIs: Choose the APIs you need

Step 1 -3: Create a new project, fill in the name and description for project then add 1 or more APIs for the project.

  • Click “Create Project”

And then…create your project!

The system generates test credentials (Client ID and Client Secret) for your project.

STEP 3: Get Your API Credentials

Getting your credentials - select the ''test keys'' tab to get your ID + secret keys

  • Click on your newly created project
  • Navigate to “Test Keys” tab
  • You’ll see:
    Client ID: IKIA8574C7FB56… (example)
    Client Secret: ••••••••• (click “Show” to reveal)

⚠️ CRITICAL SECURITY RULE:
Never commit API keys to GitHub. Always use environment variables.

STEP 4: Make Your First API Call (10 minutes)
Let’s make a real API call. I’ll show you using cURL

Using cURL (Quick Test)
Step I: Get an access token 

# Base64 encode your credentials
CREDENTIALS=$(echo -n "YOUR_CLIENT_ID:YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" | base64)

# Get access token
curl -X POST https://sandbox.interswitchng.com/passport/oauth/token 
  -H "Authorization: Basic $CREDENTIALS" 
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" 
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials"

Response 

{
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5...",
  "token_type": "bearer",
  "expires_in": 43199,
  "scope": "profile"
}

Step II: Make an API call (example: BVN verification) 

# Replace YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN with the token from step 1
curl -X POST https://sandbox.interswitchng.com/api/v1/identity/bvn 
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" 
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" 
  -d '{
    "bvn": "22222222226"
  }'

STEP 5: View API Call Logs (Monitor Your Usage)
After making API calls, track them in your dashboard. Here’s how:

  • Log in to the marketplace
  • Navigate to “Reports” section
  • View:
    A. Request: What you sent to the API
    B. Response: What the API returned
    C. HTTP Status: 200 (success), 400 (client error), 500 (server error)
    D. Timestamp: When the call was made
    E. API Endpoint: Which API you called

You can filter by:
A. Date range
B. API endpoint
C. Response status (success/failure)

You can download reports for reconciliation or debugging.

What Happens Next: From Sandbox to Production

You’ve made your first API call. Here’s the path from testing to production:

Phase 1: Build & Test (Sandbox)

  • Integrate API into your application
  • Test all scenarios (success, failure, edge cases)
  • Test with multiple data points
  • Deploy to staging environment

Phase 2: Request to Go Live
When you’re ready for production:

Go live: Navigate to your selected project, click on the API you want to go live with, toggle from ''test'' to ''go live'', view required onboarding docs, submit and get production keys upon approval.

  • Click on your project in the dashboard
  • Select the API you want to go live with
  • Click “Go Live” button
  • System displays business onboarding requirements
  • Submit all required documents
  • Compliance reviews your request (usually within 1–3 business days)
  • Production keys issued upon approval by our Compliance team

Fund Your Wallet (For Production)

Once you’ve tested in sandbox and you’re ready to go live:

  • Navigate to “Wallet” section
  • You’ll see an account number assigned to you
  • Transfer funds from your bank app to this account number
  • Refresh the wallet page → Balance updates automatically
  • API calls deduct from this balance

Transaction tracking:

  • Credits: Wallet funding, failed call reversals
  • Debits: Successful API consumption

Phase 3: Production Launch

  1. Switch from sandbox keys to production keys in your .env:

Update these values

ISW_PRODUCTION URL= use this production url
ISW_CLIENT_ID=production_client_id_here
ISW_CLIENT_SECRET=production_client_secret_here

After switching to production –

  • Your application will process real transactions.
  • Monitor usage in dashboard
  • Fund wallet to avoid service interruption
  • Set up monitoring and alerts

Start Building

If you’re ready to start experimenting with the APIs:

Whether you’re building a fintech product, onboarding users, or automating verification flows — the marketplace is designed to help you ship faster with fewer moving parts.

Happy Building!

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