Connect with us

Articles

What Is a Payment Gateway?

Published

on

A payment gateway is a service that authenticates and automates electronic payments made by shoppers to ecommerce merchants. It allow s ecommerce merchants to accept credit cards on their websites.

What Is a Payment Gateway?
A payment gateway is a service that authenticates and automates electronic payments made by shoppers to ecommerce merchants. It allow s ecommerce merchants to accept credit cards on their websites.
A payment gateway is an interface between the banks (or financial institutions) of the shopper and the merchant. It facilitates the transfer of money from the shopper’s account to the merchant’s account.
The payment gateway is a software application. To draw an analogy, think of the credit card swipe machine at the checkout counter. Akin to the swipe machine, the payment gateway:

  • processes a transaction securely
  • verifies details such as identification and limits
  • accepts or rejects the transaction.

Some payment gateways are programmed to compute tax and shipping costs too. All gateways have algorithms to detect fraud. Though payment gateways were designed primarily for ecommerce websites, many physical retailers find it convenient to use a payment gateway instead of a swipe machine.

Types of Payment Gateways
There are two primary types of payment gateways based on the location of the transaction processing code:

1. Merchant Side API
In this type, the transaction processing code resides on the ecommerce merchant’s server, and accesses the payment gateway by using an API (Application Programming
Interface).

2. A Secure Order Form
This is a more common implementation. It redirects customers to the website of the payment gateway provider. After the payment is processed, the customer is returned to the ecommerce merchant’s website.

How to Choose a Payment Gateway
The primary issues to keep in mind when selecting a payment gateway are:

Compatibility
You need to ensure that the technology platform required for the payment gateway is compatible with your shopping cart’s technology.

Security
Detecting fraud is a moving target. Make sure to read up the latest about who is w inning this perpetual battle.

Price
There is some merit to the notion that payment gateways have become a commodity service. As a result your decision should certainly be influenced by the pricing.

Simplicity vs. Customizability
Some payment gateway providers such as PayPal and Google Checkout are simple to implement, but do not permit a high degree of customization. Others are more complex, but can be customized to your needs.
Often, you do not get to choose a payment gateway, as it comes bundled with your ecommerce hosting account.

Articles

A conference on blockchain and health is scheduled to be held at the Africa Blockchain Developers Call.

Published

on

By

The Africa Blockchain Developers Call (ABDC) Pan-African Bootcamp on blockchain technology has declared its intention to hold a weekend conference on incorporating blockchain technology into Africa’s health sector.

In an attempt to execute comprehensive blockchain training sessions and promote the implementation of specially designed applications for different sectors in Africa, the Bootcamp, officially launched on 5 September, has taken on a host of African developers.

The Bootcamp also features virtual weekend conferences on many use-cases for blockchain. These conferences are aimed at encouraging creative and comprehensive discussions on the implementation of blockchain technology in Africa, including platform presentations by businesses and panel sessions on many Blockchain issues. The first meeting, focusing on Blockchain in Finance, took place on September 5. It featured a keynote speech given by Professor Anicia Peters, University of Namibia Pro-Vice Chancellor for Science, Innovation and Development.

The next conference, scheduled to take place on October 3rd, will focus on the theme: Blockchain in Health. The keynote speech will be given by Arnab Paul, President of the Kolkata Chapter in India. Several organizations and startups will also give platform presentations via their representatives based on medical use cases for blockchain technology.

Read More >>

Continue Reading

Articles

Pan-African incubator, MEST Africa to invest $700k in its Class of 2020

Published

on

By

After graduating its 2020 class a month ago, MEST Africa, the Pan-African incubator, revealed that it will invest $100k each in seven start-ups.

In the final pitching event, fifteen teams participated, but only seven were picked, adding $700k to the overall funding round for this class.

In addition to the funding, start-ups can also participate in the ongoing incubation programme at MEST.

Ashwin Ravichandran, managing director of MEST Africa, had this to say, speaking about the range.

This was the first time that our entrepreneurs were educated online and away from our campus for the most part, and I’m proud to say they came out stronger than ever. We are incredibly excited about the 7 companies in which we have chosen to invest and look forward to continuing our support and mentorship as they start their companies across the continent.

The seven startups include:

Shopa, a last-mile ordering and delivery startup for informal retailers in Africa.

Heny, a forum to explore new flavors and perspectives for young professionals by changing the way diners eat.

Boxconn, a network that offers companies and individuals access to a list of confirmed distribution partners nearest to them, instantly delivers packages from one location to another.

KPILens, a start-up that automates the documentation, tracking and assessment process for development organizations and makes it simpler.

Tendo, an online network that ties independent resellers to companies, aims to tackle two of the biggest issues facing Africa: unemployment and gender inequality.

Joovlin, helps fintech platforms and merchants increase their sales by interconnecting mobile wallet users and allowing them to transact with each other.

Eleka, streamlines onboarding procedures for customers that are fraught with lengthy and expensive labor measures.

Move In Rentals, Credia, Uyolo, VendoorPro, Trastea, Cornerstock, Colibri, and JidiTrust are the other startups that didn’t receive funding from MEST.

Last year, MEST invested $100k in eleven startups while celebrating its 11th year in business. The sum, $1.1 million, represented the organization’s largest single cohort investment.

And although the amount this year is $400k smaller, the selected startups will have the opportunity to enter the incubator ‘s portfolio of over 40 startups across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Continue Reading

Articles

Get Financial assistance through the Bold.org Scholarship for US Universities

Published

on

By

Tuition waivers or scholarships are financial assistance incentives intended to help students pay for an undergraduate or graduate degree. A scholarship is only just a one-time test. Other school scholarships are annual and provide money per semester or school year for the students. These grants are special from student loans because they don’t have to be paid back.

Students will earn the money in their name directly as verification. In other instances, the money is donated to the school for the student. The student would then pay the school in those cases for the difference on any money owed for tuition , fees, room , and board. If the scholarships and other forms of financial aid are adequate to cover the direct costs of education, the applicant may be refunded the excess money.

About Bold.org

Bold.org is a Scholarship website established in 2019. The platform’s concept is simple: corporations, charities, and even individuals can build a personalized scholarship, internship, or student grant opportunity. Such programs could be targeted at helping a range of high-potential individuals with a wide array of interests, talents, and backgrounds.

The kind of Scholarship in Bold.org

Bold.org scholarships tend to be very precise, which is a very positive thing for students. There are scholarships for students who love reading, Native American youth scholarships and scholarships for students who want to have a major in philosophy.

Like several other sources of scholarships, the programs aim to help a wide variety of education levels from high school students to medical students! Below are some of the best scholarships we profiled at Bold.org:

  1. Minority Women in STEM Bi-Annual Scholarship
  2. One Move Ahead Chess Scholarship
  3. High School Social Leaders Scholarship
  4. The “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
  5. Bold.org No-Essay Community Scholarship
  6. Recent Immigrant Scholarship
  7. Elevate Women in Technology Scholarship

How do I get signed up?

You can get signed up for free on the Bold.org website. Signing up is easy should only take five minutes or so.

My Profile in Bold.org

Continue Reading

Trending