Pesapal Upgrades Core System

Pesapal, a payment solutions provider has upgraded its API to Pesapal 3.0, allowing for the delivery of enhanced security features as well as an improved user experience/ user interface for merchants and consumers across all the markets.

As part of the API upgrade to Pesapal 3.0, Pesapal has adopted the 3-D Secure processing for card payments and introduced Sim Tool Kit (STK) for mobile money payments.

These new components of Pesapal 3.0 have improved the UI/UX for not only end-users but also for developers. Additionally, these changes specify the use of multiple options for step-up authentication eliminating instances of fraud and chargebacks.

Commenting on the upgrade, Pesapal Executive Director Agosta Liko said as e-commerce booms in East Africa, Pesapal continues to invest in innovative technologies to maintain a high level of confidence among consumers and merchants.

“With the explosive growth in e-commerce, it has become more critical than ever for businesses of all sizes to have robust protection and a clear view of their API suite. We are excited about the promise offered by Pesapal 3.0, and the new features enable us to bring value-added services to the market,” Liko said.

“By meeting the global standard for electronic payments, we are able to materially deal with the risk, leading to an increase in consumer confidence in using credit and debit cards or even mobile money on eCommerce platforms.”

3-D Secure (3DS) is a payment protocol designed to provide an additional layer of protection to help prevent fraud by enabling consumers to authenticate themselves with their payment card issuers when making purchases on digital channels. It also provides merchants and issuers with a seamless way to authenticate cardholders for eCommerce transactions before authorising them.

The key components of the Pesapal V3 for businesses and customers include:

Improved user interface and experience (UI/UX);
The mobile money checkout process has STK push and a 2-step checkout in case the customer’s phone does not support the feature;
3-D Secure processing for debit & credit cards ensuring clients & merchants are protected from fraud;
The checkout process for debit & credit cards is now simplified: a single form
For developers, API changed from SOAP to JSON, which is a more straightforward way to consumer APIs.