> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.stakaba.com/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.stakaba.com/_mcp/server.

# Overview

Stakaba is a payments API built for Tanzanian businesses. Accept card payments and mobile money, send payouts, create shareable payment links, and receive real-time webhook notifications — all through a single REST API.

## What you can do

| Capability        | Description                                                                  |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Card checkout** | Accept Visa and Mastercard through a hosted, PCI-DSS compliant checkout page |
| **Mobile money**  | Collect payments via M-Pesa, Airtel Money, Mixx by Yas, and HaloPesa         |
| **Payouts**       | Send funds to any Tanzanian mobile money wallet                              |
| **Payment links** | Shareable links your customers can pay with — no website required            |
| **Webhooks**      | Real-time notifications when payments succeed or fail                        |

## Base URL

```
https://api.stakaba.com
```

All requests and responses use JSON. Money amounts are in Tanzanian shillings (TZS).

## Quick start

1. [Create a Stakaba account](https://app.stakaba.com/signup) and get your **sandbox API key**
2. Test with the sandbox key — no real money moves
3. Submit a go-live request when ready
4. Swap to your live key — done

## Phone number format

All phone numbers must be in Tanzanian MSISDN format: `255XXXXXXXXX`

```
0742 000 331   →   255742000331
+255742000331  →   255742000331
742000331      →   255742000331
```