Direct API Integrations
Direct Integration is designed for merchants who require complete ownership of the payment experience. While solutions like Payment Links or Redirects provide a hosted UI, Direct Integration gives you the raw API building blocks to collect customer payment information within your own custom-built interface.
By leveraging this path, you gain total control over the user journey while Leatherback handles the complex routing to global payment schemes (Cards, Bank Transfers, and Interac).
The Integration Lifecycle
Building a direct payment flow follows a structured six-stage process to ensure every transaction is validated, authorized, and securely settled.
1. Validate Availability
Before rendering your checkout, send the transaction currency and amount to our Discovery endpoints.
The API will respond with the active payment channels (for example, Card vs Bank Transfer) available for that specific corridor.
2. Initiate Charge
Collect the customer's payment details (for example, Card PAN or Bank Account details) and submit them to the appropriate charge endpoint.
3. Authenticate
The customer authorizes the charge with their payment providers, such as their card issuer or bank. This is mandatory when Bank Authorization is required.
4. Finalization
Once authenticated, Leatherback coordinates the movement of funds from the customer’s provider to your merchant account.
5. Status Verification
Use the Status API to query the final state of the transaction using your referenceId.
6. Webhook Reconciliation
Ensure your Webhook URL is configured in the Fusion Dashboard Dashboard. See how to do that here.
Leatherback will push real-time notifications for events such as:
payment.successpayment.failed
This ensures your backend remains synchronized without manual polling.
Direct Charge Archetypes
Leatherback supports multiple payment rails through Direct Integration.
Each archetype has unique metadata requirements and authorization flows depending on the region.
| Payment Method | Primary Regions | Authorization Type |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | Nigeria 🇳🇬, UK 🇬🇧 | 3D Secure / OTP |
| Bank Accounts | UK 🇬🇧 | Open Banking / MFA |
| Bank Transfers | Nigeria 🇳🇬 | Account-to-Account |
| Interac | Canada 🇨🇦 | Alias / Email Challenge |
Implementation Paths
Depending on your target market and technical stack, follow the specific guide for your chosen payment method:
- Card Payments (NG & UK): Securely collect and tokenize card data for one-time or recurring billing.
- Bank Account Debits (UK): Leverage Open Banking to pull funds directly from a customer's UK bank account.
- Local Bank Transfers (NG): Generate dynamic account numbers for customers to pay via their banking app.
- Interac e-Transfers (CA): Initiate seamless, email-based collections for the Canadian market.
- Card Refunds: Manage reversals and partial refunds for previously successful card transactions.