Activate a Merchant Account

Activating a merchant’s fiat payment account opens the door to local banking channels in supported countries. Once activated, the merchant receives a dedicated virtual account — for example, a CVU/CUIT number for Argentina — and can immediately begin sending and receiving funds via wire transfer or local payment rails. VelaFi automatically reconciles incoming deposits and credits them to the merchant’s account balance. Both individual and business account types are supported, so you can activate accounts for end-users and corporate clients within the same integration.

Supported Currencies

Currency	Country	Example Payment Methods
`MXN`	Mexico	SPEI via Finco Pay, SPEI via Tesored
`ARS`	Argentina	CBU/CVU (Momentum), 3.0 Transfer (QR)
`BRL`	Brazil	Pix (Genial), Pix - Woovi (Avenia)
`COP`	Colombia	PSE, ACH, Bre-B
`PEN`	Peru	Bank Transfer
`USD`	USA / Global	ACH, Wire, SEPA (Lead Bank); Wire, SEPA, FEDWIRE (CPN)
`EUR`	Europe	SEPA (Lead Bank), SEPA (CPN)

Activating a EUR account via Lead Bank also enables USD transactions through the same account.

Endpoint

Both individual and business activations use the same endpoint:

POST https://api.velafi.com/v2/merchant/accounts

Headers

X-BH-TOKEN: <your-token>
Content-Type: application/json

Activate for an Individual Merchant

Use this path when the merchantType of the merchant is INDIVIDUAL.

Core Request Parameters

string

required

The Merchant ID returned when you created the merchant.

string

required

The fiat currency to activate. Accepted values: MXN, ARS, BRL, COP, PEN, USD, EUR.

string

required

The payment channel (provider) to use for this currency. The available trench values depend on the selected fiat. See the examples below for the full list.

object

Additional channel-specific fields required by the selected trench. Required fields vary by currency and provider — see the examples below.

string

Optional. For USD/EUR accounts via Lead Bank, the URL the user is redirected to after accepting the account agreement. If you omit it, a VelaFi default redirect URL is used.

Example Requests (Individual)

Mexico MXN — SPEI (Finco Pay)

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "MXN",
  "trench": "CLABE - FINCO PAY",
  "fieldList": {
    "alias": "my_alias"
  }
}

Mexico MXN — SPEI (Tesored)

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "MXN",
  "trench": "CLABE - TESORED",
  "fieldList": {
    "alias": "my_alias"
  }
}

Argentina ARS — CBU/CVU (Momentum)

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "ARS",
  "trench": "CVU - Momentum",
  "fieldList": {
    "email": "user@example.com",
    "cuit": "30000000001",
    "name": "COCOS CAPITAL SA",
    "alias": "my.alias"
  }
}

Argentina ARS — 3.0 Transfer (QR)

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "ARS",
  "trench": "QR Argentina",
  "fieldList": {
    "cuit": "123456789"
  }
}

Brazil BRL — Pix (Genial)

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "BRL",
  "trench": "BANCO GENIAL"
}

Colombia COP — PSE/ACH/Bre-B

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "COP",
  "trench": "COP Account",
  "fieldList": {
    "alias": "my.alias"
  }
}

Peru PEN — Bank Transfer

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "PEN",
  "trench": "PEN Account",
  "fieldList": {
    "customerIdentificationType": "00",
    "customerIdentification": "12345678",
    "customerName": "Tom",
    "lastName": "Garcia",
    "customerEmail": "tom@example.com",
    "customerPhone": "975728895"
  }
}

EUR/USD — Lead Bank

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "EUR",
  "trench": "Lead Bank",
  "callbackUri": "https://yourapp.com/account/verified",
  "fieldList": {
    "email": "user@example.com",
    "firstName": "Maria",
    "lastName": "Lopez"
  }
}

Brazil BRL — Pix (Woovi) for individuals: first call Get Woovi Liveness URL and have the merchant complete the liveness check. Then call this endpoint with trench: "Pix - Woovi" and a personalInfo object (see Activate Individual). If the liveness check is not complete, the request fails with error code -5059.

Activate for a Business Merchant

Use this path when the merchantType of the merchant is BUSINESS. The endpoint and core parameters are identical; the fieldList structure differs for channels that require detailed company and UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner) information. If your account does not use Reliance Mode, activating CLABE - FINCO PAY, CLABE - TESORED, CVU - Momentum, QR Argentina, COP Account, BANCO GENIAL or PEN Account for a business merchant returns status: 0 and a verifyLink for an additional business verification instead of opening the channel directly. See Activate Business.

Example Requests (Business)

Mexico MXN — SPEI (Finco Pay)

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "MXN",
  "trench": "CLABE - FINCO PAY"
}

Argentina ARS — CBU/CVU (Momentum)

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "ARS",
  "trench": "CVU - Momentum"
}

Brazil BRL — Pix (Woovi) — Full Business Example

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "BRL",
  "trench": "Pix - Woovi",
  "fieldList": {
    "companyInfo": {
      "companyName": "AURORA SANDBOX TECNOLOGIA LTDA.",
      "companyDescription": "Fintech payments provider",
      "countryStateOfIncorporation": "BR-SP",
      "website": "aurora.com.br",
      "socialMedia": "@auroratech",
      "street1": "Avenida Paulista, 1000",
      "city": "São Paulo",
      "countryStateCode": "BR-SP",
      "postcode": "01310-100",
      "reasonForAccountOpening": "ecommerce_retail_payments",
      "sourceOfFunds": "sales_of_goods_and_services",
      "numberOfEmployees": "11-50",
      "estimatedAnnualRevenueUsd": "1m_to_10m",
      "estimatedMonthlyVolumeUsd": 50000,
      "companyRegistrationNumber": "00000000000001",
      "taxIdentificationNumberTin": "00000000000002",
      "taxIdentificationDocumentUrl": "1172300499489225472/5c2d8e4a-1b7f-4a39-8e60-2f9d3c7b1a45.pdf",
              "certificateOfIncorporationDocumentUrl": "1172300499489225472/9e4a7b2c-3d1f-4c68-a5b0-8f2e6d1c9b37.pdf"
    },
    "companyUbosInfo": [
      {
        "personType": "CEO",
        "firstName": "Ana",
        "lastName": "Souza",
        "email": "ana@example.com",
        "phone": "+5511999999999",
        "percentageOfOwnership": 1,
        "nationality": "BR",
        "taxIdentificationNumber": "000000000000000000",
        "dateOfBirth": "1985-03-22",
        "street1": "Rua das Flores, 42",
        "city": "São Paulo",
        "countryStateCode": "BR-SP",
        "postcode": "01310-100",
        "idType": "3",
        "govIdCountryAbbr": "BR",
        "govIdFrontUrl": "1172300499489225472/f97d9f9b-641a-4245-8d99-aa4788015e38.jpg"
      }
    ]
  }
}

EUR/USD — Lead Bank (Business)

{
  "merchantId": "100001",
  "fiat": "EUR",
  "trench": "Lead Bank",
  "callbackUri": "https://yourapp.com/account/verified",
  "fieldList": {
    "email": "finance@acme.com",
    "companyName": "Acme Payments Ltd"
  }
}

Response

Response Fields

number

Response code. 200 indicates the request was accepted.

string

Human-readable result message, e.g. SUCCESS.

object

Show data fields

string

The currency that was activated.

number

Channel status: 0 = initialized (with a verifyLink, additional business verification is required), 1 = pending, 2 = active, 3 = failed (see failReason), 4 = incomplete (for example, Lead Bank accounts that still need the steps at verifyLink). Poll List Merchant Accounts until status is 2.

string

A link the merchant must open to continue activation. For USD/EUR Lead Bank accounts it leads to the account agreement; for business merchants that need additional business verification it is returned with status: 0.

string

Description of any failure. Empty on success.

MXN / ARS / COP / BRL / PEN
USD / EUR

{
  "code": 200,
  "msg": "SUCCESS",
  "data": {
    "fiat": "MXN",
    "status": 1,
    "failReason": ""
  }
}

{
  "code": 200,
  "msg": "SUCCESS",
  "data": {
    "fiat": "USD",
    "status": 4,
    "verifyLink": "https://www.velafi.com/business/channel/verify?token=12ceff08f9621808b5a573972cdfb10f",
    "failReason": ""
  }
}

How Funds Are Reconciled

Once a merchant’s account is active, they receive dedicated banking details — such as a CLABE number for Mexico or a CVU/CUIT for Argentina. The merchant can instruct their payers to send wire transfers to these details. VelaFi automatically detects and reconciles incoming transfers against the merchant’s balance, crediting the account without any manual intervention required on your end.

Some currencies and trench configurations require additional documentation (for example, identity documents for Brazil Pix - Woovi, or company incorporation certificates for business accounts). Contact contact@velafi.com for the full list of document requirements per country and account type before you begin activation.

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Reference

Activate a Merchant Account

Supported Currencies

Endpoint

Activate for an Individual Merchant

Core Request Parameters

Example Requests (Individual)

Activate for a Business Merchant

Example Requests (Business)

Response

Response Fields

How Funds Are Reconciled

​Supported Currencies

​Endpoint

​Activate for an Individual Merchant

​Core Request Parameters

​Example Requests (Individual)

​Activate for a Business Merchant

​Example Requests (Business)

​Response

​Response Fields

​How Funds Are Reconciled

Supported Currencies

Endpoint

Activate for an Individual Merchant

Core Request Parameters

Example Requests (Individual)

Activate for a Business Merchant

Example Requests (Business)

Response

Response Fields

How Funds Are Reconciled