Although international payment platforms like PayPal has bl0cked thousands of users from Nigeria and most African countries from using their platforms, there are now a number of alternate platform you can use to receive international payment, engage in freelancing and earn an income working internationally from your home country.
These alternate payment platforms have been a life saver for most African creatives, professionals and remote workers, enabling them to sell internationally and get paid locally, in their preferred currency, from locations around the world.
From Amazon to Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer etc., you can use virtual accounts from these platforms to receive any payment, be it in US Dollars, Pounds, Euros or Canadian Dollars, among other currencies.
In this guide, I’ll be sharing with you, some of the top trans-border Fintech payment platforms you can leverage to receive international payment in Nigeria and most other African countries.
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Flutter wave is a relatively new and growing payment platforms that can be used to receive international payment in Nigeria. It also has a presence in African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, Cameroon etc.
As one of Africa’s most notable Unicorns, Flutterwave prides itself as a top international payment processing platform in Africa. And outside being listed as one of the most successful startups in the continent, this platform has been evolving over the years to meet the needs of its users in Africa and beyond.
Powered by its Send App, Flutterwave provides sending options that provides different options for entities to send money to Africa including the use of bank accounts, barter accounts, mobile money wallets and even pickup locations.
Some of the notable features of Flutterwave is that it has a user friendly integration that works for most users, a diversified payment system with a wide range of payment networks. As a freelancer, you can use the app to request for payment or send payment directly to other users.
It also has an online store front that allows users to sell goods and services to customers around the world. With this feature you can sell or list your services, digital products etc. on their storefront and get paid, either directly or by connecting it to your website.
Additionally, Flutterwave has made it easy to integrate the payment platforms into your website, online stores, ecommerce platforms etc. using its APIs, Plugins or SDK options.
However, some users feel that its learning curve is quite on the high side. And outside its strong security features, the transaction fees are also things you’ll like to consider before committing to use the platform
Payoneer
Payoneer is a popular and long standing financial services company that’s been providing digital payment solutions for users around the world. It is one of the most popular payment options to receive payment in Nigeria and most other African countries.
Outside using it for peer to peer transfer, Payoneer provides options for freelancers and entrepreneurs to receive payments, even on international platforms like Upwork, eBay, Amazon, Fiverr etc.
If you’re offering your services on these freelancing or ecommerce platforms, you can create an account on Payoneer, obtain the virtual bank account, connect it to your account on either of these platforms and start receiving payment.
One thing that makes Payoneer stand out is that it is well known internationally. It also offers freelancers the options to receive payments in multiple currencies, be it USD, GBP, CAD etc. And of course, the opportunity to transfer your money, directly into your local bank account.
A notable drawback with Payoneer is that there’s an annual fee charge for its card usage and a currency conversion charge of more than 2 percent. Also, there’s been a recent policy change in its virtual bank account procedures. However, its services have been quite reliable to users in Nigeria and most other African countries.
Grey
Grey is an online financial services provider that allows users to easily receive international payment in Nigeria and most other African countries.
It is a more recent entrant into the virtual banking niche in Africa however it is becoming a growing platform helping Nigerians and other Africans operate cross-border transactions and receive payment in US Dollars on international market places like Amazon among others.
Setting up an account on Grey is quite simple and straightforward. You’ll have to answer some clear security questions and then proceed to submit your KYC documents.
As soon as your KYC documents has been verified, you can request for a virtual bank account in your preferred currency. When that has been approved, you can then start using your Grey account to receive payment right on the go.
Beyond using Grey to receive international payments in USD, British pounds and other popular currencies, you can also use the platform to send money to people outside Nigeria.
Geegpay
Geegpay is an international payment platforms, designed to enable users to receive payment in Nigeria and other African countries into their local bank accounts, while working internationally. It claims to provide global banking for African professionals and it has indeed been quite popular especially recently.
If you’re a user of popular social media platforms like Twitter, you will notice that even though the company is only recently founded in 2022, it has become quite a notable financial technology company, enabling the processing of payment for service providers, Freelancers, and Vendors in Africa etc.
Opening a Geepay account gives you the options to set up a virtual bank account and start receiving payment either via GBP, USD or Euros. It also provides features like a virtual debit card for USD while making it possible for a seamless currency conversion to your local currency.
One of the notable things about using Geegpay is the charges. For example, there’s a one time 3 USD payment for issuance of a dollar card, a 0.5 USD for funding the dollar card and a transaction fee of 0.5 USD.
Cleeva
Cleva is a USD banking services provider for Africans. Recently founded like Geegpay, Cleva provides an opportunity for creators, vendors and professionals to receive international payment in Nigeria and other countries via USD.
After raising a 1.5 million USD in pre-seed funding in 2024, Cleva has expanded its services to enable cross-border transactions across Africa, starting in Nigeria.
The platform is reputed to have a seamless onboarding system that relies on your Bank Verification Number and Government Issued ID for its KYC, making it a much more straightforward platform to set up an account, compared to its competitors.
One of the major drawbacks with Cleva is that outside being relatively new, it only offers a USD virtual account for users to receive payment in dollars. Unlike Geegpay, it currently has no option for payment in other currencies, including GBP, Euros, CAD etc.
On the bright side, Cleva offers a much more pocket friendly charges in terms of processing fees for transactions. With processing fees capped at 0.9USD for all payments up to 20 dollars, Cleva seems quite reasonable, compared to the competition.
WorldRemit
WorldRemit claims to be one of the first trans-border payment companies to enable money transfers to Nigeria, in an era where platforms like Paypal had placed restrictions on outgoing transfers into the country.
As a popular peer2peer financial company, WorldRemit partners with leading Nigerian banks like Access Bank, First Bank, FCMB, UBA, Zenith, Fidelity Bank etc. to ensure you can seamlessly receive international payment in Nigeria, using their platforms.
Its facilities allows for your money to be tracked as soon as you’ve sent it while its partnership with some leading banks provides an opportunity to create a secure and seamless transaction in a more regulated atmosphere.
WorldRemit is quite popular for its flexibility and ease of use in that while most other company might want the receiver to have an account with the bank, with WorldRemit, you can send money to people without a WorldRemit account, simply by adding their names, email, phone number and bank accounts.
The notable feature of World Remit is that its first 3 transfers are free. It has a reach in over 130 countries and its partnership with some leading brands has made it into a very reliable partner for its users. However, while World Remit does not place a limit on minimum transfer, it does have a maximum transfer limit.
Like Western Union, World Remit is a reliable company that allows you to receive direct payment for your products and services right into your Nigerian bank accounts
Wise
Formerly known as Transferwise, in recent times, Wise has been providing a very useful alternative for users in Africa, seeking an online platform to carry out international transactions.
It is a peer to peer platform that has gradually become a fast and reliable gateway for international transactions in most developing countries. As a freelancer, entrepreneur or service vendor in Africa, you can receive international payment in Nigeria, using wise.com.
Wise offers a number of payment options to choose from, including bank transfers, debit cards and credit cards. You can always choose what works for you, based on either of these options.
The notable features about wise is that it has a decent exchange rate, a faster transaction period, a mobile wallet and a confident boosting refund policy however, the customer support can be limited in some cases when compared to its competition. Also, the applicable fees are reportedly high in certain cases.
Personally, I have found wise to be a decent alternative to Payoneer as it provides almost closely related services however, I am only hoping they do not get to make some wide ranging policy changes that will have as much ripple effect as Payoneer, in 2023.
Western Union
Western Union is a very popular option to receive international payment in Nigeria.
When I first started as a freelancer some years back, it was one of the platforms I used to receive my first ever international payment. It is a more popular and well renowned platform for users both locally and internationally.
Their partnership with major local banks and long standing reputation has helped it into the top platforms to receive international payment in African countries.
With its over 4000 pick-up points in Nigeria, Western Union allows its users to send and receive money from Nigeria, seamlessly.
Among its notable advantages is that its vast network coverage for sending and disbursement allows for it to manage transactions seamlessly, for its millions of users. Also, its popularity and vast number of transactions increases user’s confidence on its platform however, one of its drawbacks is its very expensive charges. And it might take a number of days before your cash can be delivered for pick-up.
Overall, western union is a good option for entrepreneur seeking a direct payment with clients who are more familiar with its platform and less open to using the newer and more popular payment options.
Paystack
Paystack is another top payment platform one can use to receive international payment in Nigeria.
As a solid Fintech company, Paystack claims to have over two million customers in Nigeria alone. Users in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa are eligible to receive international payment using Paystack.
One outstanding thing about Paystack is that it has integration options for different CMS platforms including WordPress. Meaning that if you have an online stores on those platforms, you can easily integrate its payment system for your clients.
Another notable feature from Paystack is its ecommerce platform. With this setup, you can create and host your own products on their online stores while using their payment system.
Final Words
With the increasing globalization of businesses, having a reliable option to receive payment is very crucial for remote workers, service vendors and entrepreneurs. And thankfully, there are now a number of options to use if you’re in Nigeria and most African countries.
However, while choosing your preferred options to receive payment in Nigeria, one of the things you’ll want to pay attention to is the reliability of your preferred platform. Look them up, find out their reviews by users and then take out time to understand their account opening process, transaction fees and KYC requirements before making a final decision.
In addition to that, be very clear about what you want to achieve with your preferred platform. And be sure any of these payment providers you choose is capable of getting you to achieve your expected outcome, before you choose them.
Now that you’ve learned about the top platforms to receive international payment in Africa, if you want to learn key skills that will get you to start receiving payment from countries around the world, sign up for our courses here.
Now, it’s over to you. Which of these platforms have you used before now? Drop your comments below.
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