March 2023

UNDERSTANDING VTPASS API

An Application Programmable Interface (API) is a set of clearly defined methods of communication between various software components. Most tech companies build APIs for internal use and for external consumers. A typical example is your Uber application where you have Google maps for navigation, Uber and Google are two different companies however Uber is leveraging Google Maps APIs to service their customers.

An API ( Application Programming Interface ) is a collection of features that details data interaction between applications. The two important parts are the services being provided and the protocol needed to access these services. On the web, APIs are used to request or send data to any platform that supports it. Business can build their solution around Vtpass API to provide services to their customers.

What sort of architecture does Vtpass API uses?

A RESTful API is an architectural style for building APIs that follows a set of guidelines for creating HTTP services. These API’s are flexible,, and easy to maintain. A RESTful API uses a stateless protocol, meaning that the server does not store any information about the client. This makes it easier to scale and maintain, since the server does not need to keep track of any data about the client. Additionally, it follows the principles of Representational State Transfer (REST), which is an architectural style that focuses on the design of the client-server interaction. This makes the API more efficient, as the client and server can exchange data quickly and easily. Vtpass API is built using this protocol.

The VTpass API is a RESTful API that allows you to integrate bills payment services available on the VTpass platform on your application. With the VTpass API, developers can easily access payment services such as Airtime, Data, Electricity and Cable TV subscription, etc. and securely process payments. This integration allows users of your application to conveniently pay their bills without having to leave your platform.

Integrating the VTpass API

First, create an account on Vtpass Sandbox. A sandbox test is an environment that enables users run a test file or a programme code. All tests are done on the Vtpass sandbox environment. There is no malicious Because testing environments are completely separate from production environments, sandboxes are useful for testing software changes before they go live. This account will be used for all your tests. It has a default wallet balance which will be debited for transactions just like in the live environment. This would allow you to run operations in the same manner as on the live environment.

Vtpass Live Environment

After completing a successful test on Vtpass Sandbox, and it is time to create a live environment. Register on the VTpass live platform, then request API access from our support team once you have your live parameters.

Who Can Use Our API?

Anyone! Well, not really anyone, but almost anyone. As long as you have a website, you can easily integrate our JAMB e-PIN API and thereby gain access to it. When you integrate, you are able to offer the same services to your own customers directly from your website. This is great because it means you are offering your customers more value.

MORE ON THIS.

And if you want to do bigger things as an IT brain, you can integrate Vtpass.com’s API into your website or application and begin to sell any of these services to those in contact with your website or app. What this means is that you get to resell such services as 9mobile, MTN, GLO, Airtel airtime and data subscriptions, electricity bills for almost all electricity distribution companies, educational payments such as WAEC Scratch Card, cable TV subscriptions and so much more. And if you are not the technical specialist, but you have a website through which you can sell our services, you can consult your web developer or programmer who will, in turn, visit our website vtpass.com or consult our support centre and make you a retailer of our services.

And if you are not the technical specialist. But you have a website through which you can sell any of our services. You can consult your web developer or programmer. The programmer will, in turn, visit our website vtpass.com or consult our support centre. And make you a retailer of our services. But the first step is logging into vtpass.com and trying your hands on the services we sell such as phone airtime, electricity bills, data subscriptions, DStv, Startimes and GOtv subscriptions and so on.

WHY FINTECH IS THE KEY TO FINANCIAL INCLUSION

The World Bank Group considers financial inclusion a key enabler to reduce extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. Fintech is key to financial inclusion which will open up banking services to all and sundry. Fintech has the potential to make banking services more accessible to those who would otherwise not have access to them. It can help to reduce the cost of financial transactions. It makes it easier to access credit, savings and other financial services.

The primary goal of financial inclusion is to ensure that unbanked and underserved individuals and communities have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs –payments, collections, credit, savings and insurance – delivered in a sustainable and responsible way.

A look at the opportunities for financial inclusion

Financial inclusion is essential to the community’s progress as access to monetary touchpoints facilitates day-to-day living, and helps families and businesses plan for everything from short-term goals to long-term goals and unexpected emergencies. As account holders, people are more likely to access other financial services, such as credit and insurance. This is to start and expand businesses, invest in education or health, manage business risk, and weather economic shocks. This can improve their lives.

In Nigeria, financial inclusion has spread across Nigeria over the past few years. This includes job creation, Foreign Direct Investment, private sector innovation, and a push to open low-cost accounts, including mobile wallets and digitally-enabled payments.

Impact of Financial Inclusion on the Nigerian Economy in the Last Five Years

Employment: The World Bank Group considers financial inclusion a key enabler to reduce extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. This view can be deemed credible based on its effect on the Nigerian economy. According to the Shared Agent Network Expansion Facility (SANEF) there are 1.4M number of financial access points/Agents nationwide. This translates into employment opportunities for over 300,000 Nigerians (excludes operators – MMOs and Super Agent employees). The employment opportunity covers a wide mix of agents, agent aggregators, agent shop handlers, licensed MMOs and their employees as well as licensed Super Agents and their employees.

Financial service touchpoints: To bridge the gap between unbanked citizens and financial services, financial service touchpoints are important. Financial Inclusion has brought to fruition the availability of financial services touchpoints in areas/locations previously unreached and deemed under-served communities. There has been growth in the number of agent touchpoints and volume of banking inclusion services such as POS cash out, G2P Disbursements and payments (e.g. Tradermoni, GEEP etc.), funds transfer and wallet creation in under-served or rural communities. These have improved these communities’ economic development.

As a result, investment in advertising and brand identity has increased. The huge investment in this area has created an avenue for state governments to earn internally generated revenue from operators and agents alike. However, this poses a disincentive for Super Agents & operators as it impacts startup capital and agents’ available trading capital respectively.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI):

There is growing evidence that inclusive financial sector development can reduce poverty and inequality. When previously unbanked citizens save and

By mobilizing these savings for investments, banks and other financial institutions mobilize these savings for investments that, in turn, help grow the country’s productive sector and spur foreign businesses. In addition, Nigerian Fintechs in the digital financial services space have received multiple rounds of funding and seed capital through foreign direct investments. This has been done by donors and investors across the globe in the past five years.

International donor organisations e.g. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also drive Foreign Direct Investment through their partnership with EFInA to sponsor projects on raising financial inclusion rates across the country.

All these highlight the potential and need for a wider-scale promotion of financial inclusion for Nigerian society.

Financial inclusion is key to providing financial services to the unbanked.

Harnessing the Buying Power of the Financially Excluded

Financial inclusion has as much potential to help financial institutions lend to even poorer communities and reach rural clients. This is as they do to help commercial banks reach the lower middle class.

Only 40.1 million of the adult population have no access to formal or informal financial services. Mobile money uptake and awareness in Nigeria remain low at about 1% and 16% respectively. In addition, EFInA Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2018 Survey highlighted that out of the 100M bankable adult population in Nigeria, 39.7 have bank accounts, 8% have formal sector employment, 16.7% own business (non-farming), 11.2% own business (farming), 23.4% rely mainly on farming for income and about 53.4% save regularly.

Based on this data, we can broaden our understanding of the population of adults who do not have access to any financial service (formal or informal) in Nigeria, their savings and credit patterns, remittance behaviours, payment channels and their potential to use formal financial services to manage their finances.

We can say that the financially excluded have enormous buying power. Based on economic and social metrics, transactions from this segment are low value and high volume.

Harnessing buying power of the unbanked

• Deployment of products & services that meet the lifestyle of the unbanked and rural dwellers: Despite limited access to banking services, Nigerians have long practised traditional

This unbanked sector also relies on micro-loan services from credit associations that serve their interests. By offering access to the financially excluded, they have additional access to a wider range of services. This can boost the collective standard of living in those rural communities. This can improve financial literacy and awareness.

• Retail-based pricing considerations: Inefficient pricing isolates consumers who would otherwise sign up for a product or service. This is especially true for the financially disadvantaged who earn below minimum wage. By ensuring retail prices for financial services and other products are pocket-friendly, it would encourage customer loyalty and repeated use of the available services.

Deployment of Technology-driven Solutions:

As history has shown, technological innovations are one of the major drivers of economic adoption. For example, USSD is a mobile-based service that requires no onboarding for users and has gained widespread adoption. USSD offers the best available communications technology to deliver mobile financial services to low-income customers. This shows how technological adoption drives financial inclusion.

In addition, research from other countries where mobile money adoption is high has shown a positive correlation between increasing mobile money adoption and significant levels of formal financial inclusion. In Nigeria where the financially excluded population remains high at 40.1 million adults, an expansion of mobile money adoption and usage in the country presents a real opportunity to provide the poor with access to financial services as well as other social benefits and services.

Vtpass, as a fintech is ensuring that bills payment is simple, convenient and smart. Click here to pay electricity bills, recharge your cable TV, and buy educational pins.

The Steps to Follow When Paying Your Electricity Bill Online on Vtpass

Electricity bill payment should not be a daunting task. Making the payment process easy, fast and secure is essential to ensure a smooth experience. By offering convenient payment options, such as online payments, direct debits and automated payments, customers can save time and money.

There are eleven electricity distribution companies in Nigeria, including the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company. This company is licensed to generate electricity in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Kwara, as well as parts of Niger, Ekiti, and Kogi states. Eko Electric covers electricity across Apapa, Lekki, Ibeju, Island, Agbara, Ojo, Festac, Ijora, Mushin and Orile. Abuja Electricity Company is licensed to provide electricity for the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), Kogi State, Niger State, and Nassarawa State. Other DISCOs include PHED, JED, KAED, EEDC, BEDC among others.

With Vtpass, you can now pay your electricity bills without leaving your home. This means you no longer have to queue up at the office for long hours. And what’s exciting? Vtpass works 24/7 so you can pay your electricity bills during odd hours of the day.

You’ll also have access to your payment history to track your expenses. Vtpass makes bill payments easier and faster, so you can focus on more important things.

How To Pay Your Electricity Bills in Five (5) Steps

Register to be a user on the Vtpass platform either using the mobile app or the website.
Select your preferred disco – we currently have 10 out of 11 available in Nigeria.
Input your information correctly – meter number, meter type, phone number, email address and amount.
Proceed to payment. This process is safe and quick.
Get your units (for prepaid users) or a receipt (for postpaid users) once payment is completed.

Immediately after your payment is complete, your token will be sent to your email and SMS.

That’s it! No more electricity worries when you make VTpass your electricity bill payment platform.

To end this, bills payment with vtpass.com is super fast, easy and very convenient. In addition, you get 24/7 access to our support team to help you through any glitch you might have. Why don’t you try us today?

You’ll love the convenience.