Wave API integration
Boldrails is a licensed payment-gateway provider that delivers Wave mobile-money collections and payouts through one API. Wave publishes a Wave Business API, but each country is a separate legal entity with its own keys, so a Senegal key does not work in Côte d'Ivoire. We acquire and settle Wave in XOF or crypto across both markets, alongside Orange Money, MTN MoMo and Moov Money. Onboarding takes 3 to 14 days, depending on your case.
- Collections and payouts
- Settle in XOF or crypto
- One multi-rail integration
- Built for high-risk merchants
Last updated: 10 July 2026
Overview
What is the Wave API?
Wave Mobile Money is a fast-growing mobile-money service in francophone West Africa, known for a flat 1 percent merchant fee that undercuts older wallets. Wave publishes a Wave Business API with a Checkout API and a Payout API, but it is structured per country: Wave Senegal and Wave Côte d'Ivoire are separate legal entities with separate API keys and separate onboarding, so a business selling in both integrates Wave twice.
Boldrails is a licensed gateway that acquires and settles Wave directly. You integrate once with us and accept Wave across both markets, alongside Orange Money, MTN MoMo and Moov Money, with payouts and reconciliation handled underneath. Mobile money in WAEMU is a licensed activity supervised by the BCEAO: Wave Digital Finance became the first fintech to win a BCEAO electronic-money (EME) licence for the zone, granted in April 2022.
Payment flows
How Wave money moves: collections and payouts
One integration covers both directions of money. You collect from customers who pay with Wave, and you send funds out to Wave numbers. Here is how the core flows split by direction:
| Flow | Direction | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Collections (online) | You request, customer pays | One Checkout API call returns a Wave checkout link or QR; the customer approves in the Wave app and you confirm by a signed webhook. |
| In-person QR | Customer scans | Show a Wave QR at the counter; the customer scans and pays, settling to the same account as your online sales. |
| Payouts / disbursement | You pay out | The Payout API sends funds to Wave numbers one by one or as mass batches, and can verify the recipient name before each transfer: payroll, refunds, supplier and commission payments in XOF. |
Boldrails exposes all of this through one API and one set of credentials, across both Wave markets. Collections and payouts run through the same integration, and we settle to you in XOF or crypto.
Integration
How to integrate the Wave API
For developers, accepting Wave through a licensed gateway takes six steps. With Boldrails you call one endpoint and we manage the rest.
- 1
Get approved and complete KYB
Apply and submit your business documents (registre de commerce / RCCM and tax registration). You need an approved merchant account before you can go live.
- 2
Generate your API keys
Get your live and test API keys from the dashboard. Keep test and live keys separate so sandbox traffic never touches real money.
- 3
Create a payment request
Call the payment-request endpoint with the amount in XOF and the method set to Wave. The API returns a hosted checkout URL or a payment token for the customer.
- 4
Register and verify a webhook
Point a webhook endpoint at your server to receive the payment result, and verify each HMAC-SHA256 signature before you mark an order paid. Never rely on polling in production.
- 5
Test in the sandbox
Run pay-ins and payouts end to end with your test keys before switching anything to live.
- 6
Go live
Switch your keys and base URL to production, or let Boldrails manage tokens, callbacks, retries and reconciliation across Wave, Orange Money, MTN MoMo and Moov Money.
One Boldrails integration replaces the per-country Wave wiring above and adds payouts, settlement and the rest of the West African rail stack. You don't manage a separate Wave entity and key set per market.
Comparison
Boldrails vs the Wave Business API
Wave's own Business API is well built, but it is per-country: separate legal entities, separate keys and separate onboarding for Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. A licensed gateway gives you one integration across both, and a managed layer takes the wiring, retries and reconciliation off your team.
Regional aggregators such as CinetPay, PayDunya and Bizao resell Wave alongside other wallets through one API, but they are general-merchant and settle in local currency only. Boldrails adds high-risk acceptance, mass payouts, and settlement in fiat or crypto, on one integration that also reaches other emerging markets.
| Capability | Wave Business API | Typical aggregator | Boldrails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct access | Per-country entity | Resold | Licensed, direct |
| Country coverage | One key per country | Several, one API | Senegal + Côte d'Ivoire, one API |
| Collections + payouts | Both | Both | Both, one API |
| Mass payouts | Supported | Limited | Single + batch |
| Settlement | XOF | Local currency | XOF or crypto |
| Other rails | Wave only | Mobile money + cards | Wave, Orange Money, MTN MoMo, Moov Money, cards |
| High-risk acceptance | General merchant | General merchant | Forex, crypto, licensed iGaming |
Coverage and settlement
Wave plus the rest of the West African stack
You collect and pay out in XOF through Wave, and Boldrails settles to you in fiat or crypto, your choice. The same integration that accepts Wave also covers Orange Money, MTN MoMo and Moov Money, plus cards and bank transfer, so you integrate once and turn rails on as you need them. XOF is the franc CFA used across the eight WAEMU countries, including Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.
| Method | Type | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Wave | Mobile money | Low-cost wallet, around 1% fee |
| Orange Money | Mobile money | Leading wallet in francophone Africa |
| MTN MoMo | Mobile money | Major rail in Côte d'Ivoire |
| Moov Money | Mobile money | Wallet across Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso |
| Cards (Visa/Mastercard) | Card | Local and international cards |
| Bank transfer | Bank rail | UEMOA and international |
| USDT & crypto | Crypto | Settle in USDT or USDC |
Pricing
How much does the Wave API cost?
There is no API subscription to accept Wave through a gateway; you pay a processing fee per transaction. Wave's own published merchant fee is around 1 percent, capped at XOF 5,000 per transaction, cheaper than most older wallets. Boldrails uses custom, volume-based pricing for high-risk and high-volume merchants.
| Method | Fee basis |
|---|---|
| Wave | Published at around 1% (cap XOF 5,000) |
| Orange Money | Varies by operator and contract |
| MTN MoMo | Varies by operator and contract |
| Moov Money | Varies by operator and contract |
| Cards (Visa/Mastercard) | Varies by scheme and risk |
| Boldrails | Custom, by volume and risk |
The table shows the fee basis, not verified competitor rates. Wave publishes a merchant fee of around 1 percent (capped at XOF 5,000); the other rails vary by operator and contract, so we do not quote a fixed number we cannot source. Our quote includes fiat-or-crypto settlement and multi-rail routing across Wave, Orange Money, MTN MoMo and Moov Money. Request exact pricing through the Get started form.
Who it's for
Built for high-risk and high-volume merchants
Boldrails is built for high-risk and high-volume merchants across francophone Africa and beyond. We accept:
- E-commerce stores and marketplaces
- Licensed forex and CFD brokers
- Crypto exchanges and wallets
- Licensed iGaming and betting operators
- Remittance and payout businesses
- Subscription and SaaS businesses
Accept Wave through one API
Connect Wave collections and payouts through one Boldrails API, settle in XOF or crypto, and add Orange Money, MTN MoMo and Moov Money without a second build. Onboarding typically takes 3 to 14 days, depending on your case.
FAQ
Wave API questions
Last updated: 10 July 2026