TechPression

Tag: API

  • Apple introduces new API for enhanced In-App purchase formats

    Apple introduces new API for enhanced In-App purchase formats

    Apple on Thursday launched the Advanced Commerce API a significant upgrade that gives iOS developers more control over in-app purchase formats.

    This new tool streamlines monetisation and allows developers to manage extensive content inventories and complex subscription models within their apps.

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    Extensive catalogue management with Apple’s API

    The Advanced Commerce API is a game-changer for apps that require extensive catalogues of one-time purchases, such as educational materials or media content. This API allows developers to efficiently manage large-scale inventories directly from their servers. This means iOS developers can now update and offer products at scale without intermediary tokens or coins, enhancing the user experience on iOS devices.

    Supporting the creator economy through iOS App development

    The Advanced Commerce API is particularly beneficial for platforms that support the creator economy. It enables direct monetisation of app content, eliminating the need for external payment systems or digital currencies. Creators can now offer their content for sale directly through iOS apps, making the process more seamless and integrated for creators and consumers.

    Enhanced Subscription flexibility for iOS Apps

    Apple’s new API enhances subscription management on the iOS platform. Developers can now offer various subscription tiers and add-ons within their apps, giving users more choices. For example, video streaming or music apps can use the API to manage different channel bundles or additional content packages as direct in-app purchases.

    Read also: Apple improves user awareness of AI-powered summaries

    Direct purchase handling with Apple’s API

    One of the standout features of the Advanced Commerce API is its capability to handle direct purchases. Instead of relying solely on Apple’s App Store Connect for transaction management, developers can now handle transactions through this API, providing users with a more direct and potentially faster purchasing experience. This could lead to innovative pricing models and special promotions directly within iOS apps, improving user engagement and satisfaction.

    Apple’s introduction of the Advanced Commerce API marks a pivotal moment for iOS app development. This new tool offers developers unprecedented control over in-app purchases while ensuring the user experience remains secure and user-friendly. Developers interested in leveraging this new tool can find more information on Apple’s developer portal, where they can also apply for access to this powerful new API.

  • Bitnob Launches Bitcoin Infrastructure and APIs To Help Businesses Scale

    Bitnob Launches Bitcoin Infrastructure and APIs To Help Businesses Scale

    The necessity for financial solutions to develop as the world becomes increasingly digital becomes even more apparent. Bitnob, a company on a mission to reimagine how financial services are built and delivered utilizing the blockchain network, has launched its Bitcoin Infrastructure and APIs, designed to enable businesses to scale.

    Bitnob has worked relentlessly to enable individuals to save in Bitcoin and USD beyond the reach of inflation, buy and sell Bitcoin seamlessly, make instant cross-border payments with lightning, and is now extending its innovative and market-leading efforts to businesses.

     

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    Its latest solution is designed for 2 unique sets of businesses made up of Developers and Merchants.

    “We want to enable developers to build global products on top of Bitcoin, Lightning, and Stablecoins leveraging our infrastructure. With this, we can further deepen the adoption of Bitcoin globally and empower more frictionless participation in the global economy by reducing the go-to-market time and cost required for developers to build bitcoin solutions,” says CEO Bernard Parah.

     

    Building and Boosting Revenue With Bitnob for Business and APIs

    Leveraging the Bitnob APIs, developers can build solutions that allow them to offer services such as sending and receiving Bitcoin on-chain or via lightning, virtual cards, digital wallets, secure storage for bitcoin and stablecoins, including offering bitcoin-backed loans to customers.

    “With Bitnob For Business, we are offering businesses an alternative to the traditional ways of accepting payment that is cheaper, faster, more secure, and global,” says Lilian Onuegbulem, the Product Manager for Bitnob For Business.

     

    Read Also : Union54 Raises $12 million in a Round Led By Tiger Global

     

    Bitnob is known for breaking down barriers and creating simple, easy-to-use solutions that make users’ lives easier. Developers and merchants can accomplish more in this digital economy with Bitnob For Business.

    Merchants can generate payment links and share them with their customers, and those who have a website can use the Pay-with-Bitnob function to accept Bitcoin payments instantly for their products or services. In addition, Bitnob For Business plugins can also go live in minutes on platforms like WooCommerce, WordPress, WHMCS, and others.

    For Businesses ready to start receiving instant payments globally for their products and services, sign up for Bitnob For Business here.

    For Developers, get started with building using Bitnob APIs here.

     

    About Bitnob

    Founded in November 2020, Bitnob is a technology and financial services company built on top of Bitcoin technologies. Bitnob offers automated Bitcoin savings and purchases, Bitcoin collateralized loans, remittance services, OTC and business applications that make it easier for people to transition into the Bitcoin economy.

  • Nigerian API Platform, Sudo Africa Raises $3.7M in Funding to Expand Across Africa

    Nigerian API Platform, Sudo Africa Raises $3.7M in Funding to Expand Across Africa

    Nigeria’s Sudo Africa, a fintech startup that provides card-issuing API for developers and businesses recently announced raising $3.7 million in pre-seed funding in a round led by San Francisco-based Global Founders Capital (GFC). Other participating VCs include Picus Capital, LoftyInc Capital, Rallycap Ventures, Kepple Africa, Berrywood Capital, ZedCrest, Suya Ventures, and several African fintech founders — like Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola, Ham Serunjogi, and Odun Eweniyi.

    Traditionally, issuing debit cards has been a costly, time-consuming, and inflexible process reserved for major companies. Smaller firms and startups would normally be denied access to this, but that is about to change.

    Sudo Africa is providing programmable cards at a low cost to all types of businesses, regardless of their size or revenue. Leveraging an open application programming interface (API) and a readily available sandbox environment, businesses will be able to create unique features which enable them to issue physical and virtual cards to their users in days rather than months.

    About Sudo Africa

    Sudo Africa is an open API platform that allows its users to embed powerful financial features into their products.

    Businesses can use its platform to create, manage, and distribute physical and virtual cards, including Verve, MasterCard, and VISA. These cards have extensive spending controls and real-time authorizations, giving businesses complete control over the process of using their cards.

    Read Also : To expand into Nigeria, Cadana has teamed up with Flutterwave

    The company was founded in 2020 by Aminu Bakori and Kabir Shittu; from their frustrations and challenges faced with card issuance at a previous start-up, they recognised that other founders might be experiencing the same problem, and it deepened their conviction to launch the service.

    “We tried to get customized debit cards at our previous startup and could not believe how incredibly hard the process was. And we decided to fix this major headache for other founders and make sure they never go through the unnecessary strain. It is almost unbelievable but even as I speak to you, we still have not gotten the cards and it has been more than two years.” says CEO and co-founder Aminu Bakori.

    Kabir and Aminu - Sudo Africa

    The Kaduna based fintech allows any small business to start issuing cards to its employees and customers for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to customer loyalty programs, expense management services, buy now pay later schemes for merchants, and digital wallets for virtual banks, among others.

    According to COO and co-founder Kabir Shittu — “its biggest advantage is its flexibility and ability to customize solutions to fit companies’ needs”

    “In terms of pricing, with a flat monthly fee of ₦50,000, companies can get onboarded and create virtual cards as low as ₦50 and physical cards for as low as ₦1,000.”

    Expanding Across Africa

    The recently raised $3.7 million pre-seed round, according to Kabir Shittu, will be used to enter new markets across Africa, expand the current team, and engineer marketing and growth.

    “Our concern right now is to expand into other African countries. So we’re looking at before the end of this year, we’ll probably be in three or four more African countries.”

    Read Also: M-KOPA penetrating Nigeria and Ghana after clocking 2 million customers

    Sudo Africa’s customers span a number of sectors — which include fintech, microfinance banks, non-tech enterprises, government agencies, logistics companies, commercial banks, and e-commerce companies.

    When its issued cards are used to make an online or POS transaction, the company collects interchange fees, and it takes authorization fees when spending and location-based controls are performed. According to Shittu, Sudo collects lower card production and personalization fees than incumbents.

    Sudo Africa is currently the only company in this market that solely provides virtual and physical cards to Nigerians. Despite being founded in Zambia, Union54 has consumers all around Africa. Flutterwave claims to assist merchants in 35 African markets in issuing virtual cards, with physical cards currently available only in Nigeria.

    Thus, it is expected that Sudo Africa—which is setting an example for other fintech and startups trying to make a name for themselves outside the country—will want to expand to other African markets with this investment, not as a result of competition, but rather necessity.

  • Stitch Raises US$21Million in Funding For Its Financial Services

    Stitch Raises US$21Million in Funding For Its Financial Services

    Stitch, a Cape Town-based fintech start-up has raised US$21-million (R315-million) in a funding round that includes PayPal Ventures.

    The round was led by The Spruce House Partnership and includes funding from TrueLayer, Firstminute Capital, The Raba Partnership, CRE Venture Capital, Village Global, and Zinal Growth (the investment vehicle of Checkout.com founder Guillaume Pousaz).

    Stitch, launched just a year ago, said it will use the money to continue linking bank accounts, wallets, and other stores of value, creating what it refers to as “the financial graph”, it said in a statement.

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    The funding will be used to expand the team, launch new product offerings, and enter new markets

    “The funding will be used to significantly expand the team, launch new product offerings and enter new markets across the continent,” it said. The latest round follows a $6-million seed round last year.”

    Stitch is headquartered in Cape Town but also has a presence in Johannesburg and in Lagos, Nigeria.

    Read Also: Ethiopia vows it won’t renege On Mobile Financial Services


    The start-up’s payments and data infrastructure “enables players across the fintech ecosystem — which is traditionally fragmented by technical, commercial and political barriers — to transact seamlessly, expand their revenue and growth potential, and significantly reduce conversion time and cost”, it said.

    API
    “Our goal is to help fast-growing fintech and embedded finance companies more easily launch increasingly innovative and tailored products, expand into new markets, and optimize their solutions – so they can grow even faster,” said co-founder and CEO Kiaan Pillay in the statement.

    Read Also : Axian Telecom Finds success in international Investment Market


    The Stitch application programming interface, or API, allows businesses to access and link their users’ financial accounts to initiate secure bank transfers for one-click pay-ins and payouts; access standardized and categorized transaction history and balance data, for affordability checks and income estimation assessments; and verify account information and ownership, to enable faster and more user-friendly digital onboarding, and to perform fraud chectdmuks.