Virtual Accounts

Virtual accounts are dedicated bank account numbers that you create for your customers. When anyone transfers money to a virtual account, the funds automatically appear in your Glyde wallet with full transaction details.

Why Use Virtual Accounts?

Virtual accounts solve several common payment challenges:

Easy reconciliation — Each customer has their own account number, making it simple to match payments to customers
No manual matching — Funds are automatically attributed to the right customer
Recurring payments — Customers can pay anytime by transferring to their dedicated account
Professional experience — Customers feel like they have a “real” account with your business

Account Types

Glyde offers two types of virtual accounts for different use cases:

Static Accounts

Permanent accounts tied to a verified customer. These never expire and can receive unlimited payments. Best for:

Customer wallets
Subscription payments
Recurring billing
Long-term customer relationships

Requirements: Customer BVN verification is required for regulatory compliance.

Dynamic Accounts

Temporary accounts created for specific transactions. They expect a particular amount and expire after a set time. Best for:

One-time invoice payments
E-commerce checkout (alternative to hosted checkout)
Pay-on-delivery confirmation
Time-sensitive collections

Requirements: No BVN needed; customer details are sufficient.

Creating a Static Account

Static accounts require customer verification via BVN:

POST /v1/virtual-accounts

{
  "type": "static",
  "customer": {
    "reference": "cust_12345",
    "first_name": "John",
    "last_name": "Doe",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "phone": "08012345678",
    "bvn": "12345678901"
  }
}

Key fields:

reference — Your unique identifier for this customer
bvn — Customer’s Bank Verification Number (10 digits)

The response includes the assigned bank account:

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "uid": "va_550e8400-e29b-41d4",
    "type": "static",
    "status": "active",
    "account_number": "0123456789",
    "account_name": "Glyde/John Doe",
    "bank_name": "Wema Bank"
  }
}

Store the uid to manage this account later.

Creating a Dynamic Account

Dynamic accounts are simpler to create and don’t require BVN:

{
  "type": "dynamic",
  "customer": {
    "reference": "cust_12345",
    "first_name": "John",
    "last_name": "Doe",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  },
  "expected_amount": 500000
}

The expected_amount helps with reconciliation—you’ll know if the customer paid the correct amount.

Managing Virtual Accounts

List All Accounts

GET /v1/virtual-accounts?status=active&per_page=20

Filter by status (active, inactive) and paginate results.

Get Account Details

GET /v1/virtual-accounts/{uid}

View Account Transactions

GET /v1/virtual-accounts/{uid}/transactions

See all payments received on a specific virtual account.

Deactivate an Account

POST /v1/virtual-accounts/{uid}/deactivate

Deactivated accounts can no longer receive payments. Use this when a customer closes their account or you need to prevent further deposits.

Receiving Payments

When someone transfers to a virtual account, you receive a webhook notification with full details including the sender’s name and the customer reference you assigned. Display the account details to your customers so they can make transfers:

Bank name — Where to send the transfer
Account number — The 10-digit account number
Account name — What appears when they verify the account

Best Practices

Store customer references — Use meaningful references that help you identify customers in webhook payloads
Communicate clearly — Give customers clear instructions on how to transfer to their virtual account
Handle partial payments — Decide how to handle payments that don’t match expected amounts
Monitor for fraud — Watch for unusual patterns like many small deposits or deposits from unexpected sources
Deactivate unused accounts — Clean up accounts for customers who are no longer active

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Why Use Virtual Accounts?

Account Types

Static Accounts

Dynamic Accounts

Creating a Static Account

Creating a Dynamic Account

Managing Virtual Accounts

List All Accounts

Get Account Details

View Account Transactions

Deactivate an Account

Receiving Payments

Best Practices

​Why Use Virtual Accounts?

​Account Types

​Static Accounts

​Dynamic Accounts

​Creating a Static Account

​Creating a Dynamic Account

​Managing Virtual Accounts

​List All Accounts

​Get Account Details

​View Account Transactions

​Deactivate an Account

​Receiving Payments

​Best Practices

Why Use Virtual Accounts?

Account Types

Static Accounts

Dynamic Accounts

Creating a Static Account

Creating a Dynamic Account

Managing Virtual Accounts

List All Accounts

Get Account Details

View Account Transactions

Deactivate an Account

Receiving Payments

Best Practices