Wave has captured 70% of Senegal mobile money in just four years, riding a single argument: 1% merchant fee versus 3 to 5% elsewhere. For a Dakar e-commerce site processing XOF 5M monthly, the gap means XOF 200,000 saved per month. Here is how to wire Wave Business API into a modern stack.
TL;DR
- Wave Business merchant fee: 1% per transaction, capped at XOF 5,000
- Auth: Bearer token plus HMAC-SHA256 signature on webhooks
- Sandbox with test numbers +221 700 000 000
- KYB merchant activation: 5 to 10 business days
- Daily settlement to bank account or wallet
H2 — Why Wave dominates Senegalese mobile money
Wave grew from zero to over 7 million active users in Senegal between 2018 and 2025. The model rests on free cash-in and cash-out for consumers, plus a 1% merchant fee versus Orange Money's historical 3%. By February 2026, Wave claims 65% of P2P payments and more than 40,000 active merchants.
H3 — Three typical merchant use cases
- E-commerce checkout: a customer pays on your site using their Wave number.
- Cash-out to bank account: Wave settles daily into XOF.
- Bulk Pay: pay 50 couriers or affiliates in a single API call.
H2 — Activating a Wave Business account
Before any API work, you need a merchant account. The flow runs through the Wave Business app (Android/iOS) or business.wave.com.
H3 — Required documents (Senegal KYB)
| Document | Format | Required |
|---|---|---|
| NINEA | PDF or photo | Yes |
| Trade register (RCCM) | Yes | |
| Manager ID | National ID or passport | Yes |
| Address proof | Bill less than 3 months | Yes |
| SARL/SUARL articles | Yes for entities |
Activation usually takes 5 to 10 business days. Once approved you fetch an API Key (secret_xxx) in the merchant dashboard.
H2 — Key Wave Business API endpoints
The API exposes around ten endpoints on https://api.wave.com/v1. The most used:
| Endpoint | Method | Use |
|---|---|---|
| /checkout/sessions | POST | Create a payment session |
| /checkout/sessions/{id} | GET | Verify a payment status |
| /payouts | POST | Cash-out to wallet or bank |
| /balance | GET | Merchant balance, real time |
| /transactions | GET | Paginated history |
All requests use Bearer Authorization with your secret key and return JSON. Amounts are whole XOF (no cents).
H2 — Concrete Next.js 14 integration
On the backend, build an API route that creates the session, then redirect the client to the Wave launch URL. At completion, Wave calls your webhook to confirm.
- Step 1: POST /api/wave/checkout — creates the session with amount, currency XOF, success_url, error_url.
- Step 2: client redirect to wave_launch_url returned by Wave.
- Step 3: Wave POSTs to /api/wave/webhook with status checkout.session.completed.
- Step 4: your server checks HMAC-SHA256 signature and marks the order paid.
- Step 5: visual confirmation to the client plus automatic Brevo email.
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H3 — Webhook security: the HMAC signature
Wave signs each webhook with a separate secret (whsec_xxx). Always verify the signature before writing to the database — otherwise an attacker can fake transactions.
H2 — Sandbox and tests
Wave provides a sandbox at api.wave.com/v1/sandbox. Test numbers: +221 700 000 000 (success), +221 700 000 001 (failure), +221 700 000 002 (timeout). No real money flows.
FAQ
Q: What are the real Wave Business fees in 2026?
A: 1% per incoming transaction, capped at XOF 5,000. Bank cash-out is a flat XOF 250. Bulk Pay stays at 1%. No monthly subscription.
Q: Does Wave Business work outside Senegal?
A: Yes, in Ivory Coast, Mali, Uganda and Burkina Faso (2026). Each country is a separate legal entity — your Senegal API key will not work in CI.
Q: How long to integrate Wave on an existing site?
A: For an experienced Next.js developer, plan 2 to 4 days: one day for the checkout route, one for the webhook plus signature, one to two days for sandbox and production tests.
Q: Does Wave support recurring payments (subscriptions)?
A: Not natively in 2026. For a SaaS with monthly billing, you either re-prompt the customer monthly or use reverse Bulk Pay via mandate.
Q: What happens if the webhook fails?
A: Wave retries 5 times with exponential backoff over 24 hours. Implement idempotency: store the event_id so you do not process the same transaction twice.
Conclusion
Wave Business is not just the cheapest option in Senegal — it is the one your customers already know and use. The technical integration is approachable for any team with a fullstack developer. Kolonell ships Wave on its clients' e-commerce sites as standard. Request a free quote or message WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.