> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.monei.cc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started

> Everything you need to know to start building on Monei infrastructure

## Introduction

Monei provides a unified API to access traditional banking, cryptocurrency exchanges, and payment processing infrastructure. This guide will help you understand the platform and start building.

**What you'll learn:**

* Platform architecture and capabilities
* Account setup and verification
* Development workflow
* Best practices for integration

***

## Platform Overview

Monei bridges three financial ecosystems through a single API:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Traditional Banking" icon="building-columns">
    Nigerian bank transfers, account verification, deposits and withdrawals
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cryptocurrency" icon="coins">
    Multi-chain wallets, token swaps, DEX aggregation, offramp to fiat
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payment Processing" icon="credit-card">
    Bill payments, airtime, data, utilities, and more
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Key Capabilities

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Offramp Infrastructure">
    Convert cryptocurrency to fiat currency with instant bank settlement.

    **Supported:**

    * Tokens: USDT, USDC, CNGN
    * Networks: 9+ EVM chains + Solana
    * Fiat: Nigerian Naira (NGN)
    * Settlement: Instant to any Nigerian bank

    [Learn more →](/offramp/overview)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Token Swaps">
    Access liquidity across major DEXs with best rate execution.

    **Features:**

    * DEX aggregation (Uniswap, PancakeSwap, Jupiter)
    * Best rate routing
    * Slippage protection
    * Gas optimization

    [Learn more →](/evm-blockchain/token-swaps)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Banking Rails">
    Direct integration with Nigerian banking infrastructure.

    **Operations:**

    * Bank account verification
    * Naira deposits
    * Instant payouts
    * Transaction history

    [Learn more →](/naira-wallet/payouts)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Bill Payments">
    Pay for utilities and services across Nigeria.

    **Services:**

    * Airtime (all networks)
    * Data bundles
    * Electricity bills
    * Cable TV subscriptions

    [Learn more →](/bill-payments/overview)
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Account Setup

### Step 1: Create Account

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign Up">
    Visit [monei.cc](https://monei.cc/register) and create your account

    **Required information:**

    * Email address
    * Password (min 8 characters)
    * Phone number
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Email">
    Check your inbox for verification email and click the link
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete Profile">
    Add your basic information:

    * Full name
    * Date of birth
    * Country of residence
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Step 2: KYC Verification

Monei uses a tiered KYC system. Higher tiers unlock larger transaction limits.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Tier 1 (Basic)">
    **Requirements:**

    * Email verification
    * Phone number verification

    **Limits:**

    * Single transaction: ₦200,000
    * Daily limit: ₦200,000
    * Monthly limit: ₦2,000,000
    * Crypto allowed: Yes

    **Verification time:** Instant
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Tier 2 (Verified)">
    **Requirements:**

    * NIN verification
    * Selfie verification

    **Limits:**

    * Single transaction: ₦500,000
    * Daily limit: ₦500,000
    * Monthly limit: ₦5,000,000
    * Crypto allowed: Yes

    **Verification time:** \~5 minutes
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Tier 3 (Advanced)">
    **Requirements:**

    * BVN verification
    * Address verification
    * ID card upload

    **Limits:**

    * Single transaction: ₦2,000,000
    * Daily limit: ₦2,000,000
    * Monthly limit: ₦20,000,000
    * Cross-border: Yes (coming soon)

    **Verification time:** \~24 hours
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Info>
  Start with Tier 1 for testing, then upgrade as your transaction volume grows.
</Info>

### Step 3: Get API Credentials

<Steps>
  <Step title="Access Dashboard">
    Navigate to [monei.cc/api-keys](https://monei.cc/api-keys)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate API Key">
    Click **Create New Key**

    * Choose environment (sandbox or production)
    * Set permissions (read-only, transactions, full access)
    * Add a descriptive name
  </Step>

  <Step title="Store Securely">
    Copy your API key and store it in a secure location

    <Warning>
      API keys are shown only once. Store them securely in environment variables.
    </Warning>
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Development Environments

Monei provides two environments for different stages of development:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Sandbox">
    **Purpose:** Testing and development

    **Features:**

    * No real money
    * Instant transactions
    * Unlimited API calls
    * Full feature access
    * Test bank accounts
    * Mock crypto transactions

    **Base URL:** `https://api.monei.cc/api/v1`

    **Best for:**

    * Learning the API
    * Integration testing
    * Demo applications
    * CI/CD pipelines
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Production">
    **Purpose:** Live applications with real transactions

    **Features:**

    * Real money
    * Real bank transfers
    * Actual crypto transactions
    * Rate limits apply
    * Transaction fees
    * KYC requirements

    **Base URL:** `https://api.monei.cc/api/v1`

    **Best for:**

    * Production applications
    * Customer-facing services
    * Real transactions
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Note>
  Always test thoroughly in sandbox before deploying to production.
</Note>

***

## Development Workflow

Follow this workflow for smooth integration:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Plan Integration">
    Identify which Monei capabilities you need:

    * Offramp (crypto to fiat)
    * Token swaps
    * Bank transfers
    * Bill payments
    * Combination of features
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Up Development">
    Install SDK and configure environment

    ```bash theme={null}
    npm install monei-sdk
    ```

    Create `.env` file:

    ```bash theme={null}
    MONEI_API_KEY=your_sandbox_key
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test in Sandbox">
    Build and test your integration using sandbox

    * Use test data
    * Test error scenarios
    * Verify webhook handling
    * Check edge cases
  </Step>

  <Step title="Security Review">
    Before going live:

    * Review API key storage
    * Implement rate limiting
    * Set up error handling
    * Configure webhooks
    * Test authentication
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go Live">
    Switch to production:

    * Update API key to production
    * Enable webhooks
    * Monitor transactions
    * Set up alerts
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Supported Networks

Monei supports multiple blockchain networks:

### EVM Chains

| Network  | Chain ID | Native Token | Avg. Fees | Best For              |
| -------- | -------- | ------------ | --------- | --------------------- |
| BSC      | 56       | BNB          | \~\$0.10  | Low-cost transactions |
| Polygon  | 137      | MATIC        | \~\$0.01  | Micro-transactions    |
| Ethereum | 1        | ETH          | \~\$5.00  | High-value transfers  |
| Base     | 8453     | ETH          | \~\$0.05  | Coinbase ecosystem    |
| Arbitrum | 42161    | ETH          | \~\$0.20  | Fast settlements      |
| Optimism | 10       | ETH          | \~\$0.15  | Low fees              |
| Scroll   | 534352   | ETH          | \~\$0.08  | New L2                |
| Lisk     | 1135     | LSK          | \~\$0.05  | JavaScript-friendly   |
| Starknet | -        | ETH          | \~\$0.10  | Cairo contracts       |

### Non-EVM Chains

| Network | Type    | Avg. Fees | Best For       |
| ------- | ------- | --------- | -------------- |
| Solana  | Mainnet | \~\$0.001 | Ultra-low fees |

<Info>
  Network selection is crucial. Choose based on your fee tolerance and transaction volume.
</Info>

***

## Supported Assets

### Stablecoins

| Token | Name        | Networks                     | Use Case                |
| ----- | ----------- | ---------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| USDT  | Tether      | All EVM chains               | Most liquid stablecoin  |
| USDC  | USD Coin    | All EVM chains               | Circle-backed stability |
| CNGN  | Naira Token | BSC, Polygon, Ethereum, Base | Naira-pegged stablecoin |

### Fiat Currencies

| Currency       | Code | Operations                            |
| -------------- | ---- | ------------------------------------- |
| Nigerian Naira | NGN  | Deposits, Withdrawals, Offramp, Bills |

<Note>
  More currencies and tokens will be added based on demand. [Request support →](https://monei.cc/support)
</Note>

***

## Rate Limits

Understand and plan for API rate limits:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Sandbox">
    **Rate Limits:**

    * Unlimited API calls
    * No throttling
    * Instant responses

    **Best Practices:**

    * Still implement rate limiting client-side
    * Prepare for production limits
    * Test retry logic
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Production">
    **Rate Limits:**

    * 100 requests per minute (free tier)
    * 1,000 requests per minute (paid plans)
    * Burst allowance: 2x limit for 10 seconds

    **Headers:**

    ```
    X-RateLimit-Limit: 100
    X-RateLimit-Remaining: 95
    X-RateLimit-Reset: 1640000000
    ```

    **Best Practices:**

    * Implement exponential backoff
    * Cache frequently accessed data
    * Use webhooks instead of polling
    * Monitor rate limit headers
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Common Use Cases

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion icon="exchange" title="Crypto Payment Gateway">
    Accept cryptocurrency payments and settle in Naira.

    **Flow:**

    1. Customer pays in crypto (USDT, USDC, etc.)
    2. Monei converts to Naira
    3. Funds settled to your bank account

    **Implementation:**

    * Use offramp endpoints
    * Set up webhooks for notifications
    * Handle different networks

    [View guide →](/offramp/overview)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="robot" title="AI Financial Agent">
    Build autonomous agents that handle payments.

    **Capabilities:**

    * Natural language understanding
    * Automatic transaction execution
    * Portfolio management
    * Bill payment automation

    **Implementation:**

    * Use streaming endpoints
    * Implement conversation history
    * Handle confirmations

    [View guide →](/introduction/quickstart)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="building" title="Neobank Platform">
    Build a complete banking platform on Monei.

    **Features:**

    * User account management
    * Crypto & fiat wallets
    * P2P transfers
    * Bill payments
    * Transaction history

    **Implementation:**

    * Multi-user architecture
    * Wallet segregation
    * KYC integration

    [View guide →](/account-management/user-account)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="chart-line" title="DeFi Aggregator">
    Build a multi-chain DeFi interface.

    **Features:**

    * Token swaps across chains
    * Best rate routing
    * Liquidity aggregation
    * Fiat on/off ramps

    **Implementation:**

    * Use swap endpoints
    * Implement slippage controls
    * Handle multiple networks

    [View guide →](/evm-blockchain/token-swaps)
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Best Practices

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Security" icon="shield" href="/security/guidelines">
    Implement proper API key management, rate limiting, and error handling
  </Card>

  <Card title="Error Handling" icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/core-concepts/error-handling">
    Handle errors gracefully with retries and user-friendly messages
  </Card>

  <Card title="Webhooks" icon="webhook" href="/security/webhooks">
    Use webhooks for real-time updates instead of polling
  </Card>

  <Card title="Testing" icon="flask" href="/testing/sandbox">
    Test thoroughly in sandbox before production deployment
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Next Steps

Now that you understand the basics, choose your path:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quick Start" icon="rocket" href="/introduction/quickstart">
    Build your first transaction in 5 minutes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Core Concepts" icon="book" href="/core-concepts/wallets">
    Deep dive into wallets, networks, and transactions
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/account">
    Explore all endpoints and parameters
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDKs" icon="download" href="/sdks/nodejs">
    Install and configure Node.js or Python SDK
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Getting Help

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Documentation" icon="book" href="/support/faq">
    Search our comprehensive guides and FAQ
  </Card>

  <Card title="Discord Community" icon="discord" href="https://discord.gg/monei">
    Connect with other developers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Email Support" icon="envelope" href="mailto:support@monei.cc">
    Get help from our team
  </Card>
</CardGroup>