The SIBS Payment Gateway (SPG) is a platform that enables the secure processing of online payments across multiple channels and payment methods.

It provides a unified interface for initiating, managing, and monitoring payment transactions across multiple payment methods and financial services.

The SIBS Payment Gateway operates as an intermediary layer between merchant systems and financial partners, including acquirers and payment networks. It is responsible for orchestrating transaction execution and lifecycle management, while financial institutions remain responsible for fund movement and settlement.

Through a single integration, merchants can support multiple payment methods and transaction types, while maintaining a consistent operational and technical model.

This documentation is structured to guide integrators from a high-level understanding of the platform to detailed technical implementation patterns.

Documentation Structure

The documentation is organized into a set of complementary sections, each addressing a specific aspect of the integration and operational lifecycle:

• Integration Models – describes the available approaches to integrate with the SIBS Payment Gateway, including server-to-server, form-based, and plugin-based integrations
• Payment Methods and Flows – details the supported payment methods and their execution models, including one-off payments, recurring payments, and two-step (authorization and capture) flows
• Meta Information, Codes and Transaction States – defines the structure, semantics, and lifecycle of transactions, including identifiers, status models, and error interpretation strategies
• Notifications and Transaction Status – explains how to receive transaction updates via webhooks and how to query transaction status through API mechanisms
• Technical Examples and Best Practices – provides implementation guidance, annotated examples, and production readiness patterns
• Backoffice SPG and vTerminal – describes the operational interfaces available for transaction management and manual operations

Each section is designed to be self-contained while maintaining consistency across the overall platform model.

How to Use This Documentation

Depending on your role and stage in the integration lifecycle, different sections of this documentation may be more relevant:

• For initial onboarding and conceptual understanding, start with A.1 – Getting Started and A.2 – Core Concepts and Architecture
• For implementation planning and development, refer to B. Integration Models and D. Payment Methods
• For transaction lifecycle handling, asynchronous processing, and reconciliation, consult E. Notifications and Transaction Status and C. Meta Information, Codes and Transaction States
• For production readiness and operational robustness, follow the guidance in F. Technical Examples and Best Practices
• For operational management and manual intervention, refer to G. Backoffice SPG and vTerminal

This layered approach allows teams to progressively deepen their understanding while focusing on the areas most relevant to their responsibilities.

Key Principles

The SIBS Payment Gateway operates based on a set of foundational principles that apply across all payment methods and integration models:

• Separation of concerns – payment execution, transaction lifecycle management, and financial settlement are handled by distinct components within the ecosystem
• Asynchronous-first model – while API calls are synchronous at the transport level, final transaction outcomes may be determined asynchronously and must be validated through status mechanisms
• Consistent transaction lifecycle – all transactions follow a structured progression of states, regardless of payment method or integration model
• Idempotent and resilient operations – integrations must be designed to safely handle retries, duplicates, and partial failures without compromising data integrity
• Single source of truth – the definitive transaction state must always be obtained through the platform’s status mechanisms, independently of intermediate responses

Understanding these principles is essential before proceeding to detailed integration flows and API-level interactions.

Scope of the Platform

The SIBS Payment Gateway is responsible for orchestrating and managing payment transactions, including:

• Initiating and routing payment requests
• Managing transaction lifecycle and transitions
• Exposing APIs for transaction operations and status inquiry
• Delivering asynchronous notifications to merchant systems

Financial operations such as fund movement, clearing, and settlement are performed by financial partners (e.g., acquirers and payment networks), not by the gateway itself. The gateway is responsible exclusively for transaction orchestration and lifecycle management.

Next Steps

To begin your integration:

• Proceed to A.1 – Getting Started for onboarding requirements and initial setup
• Continue with A.2 – Core Concepts and Architecture to understand the fundamental building blocks of the platform

These sections provide the necessary foundation before moving into integration-specific and payment method-specific implementation details. From there, proceed to the relevant integration model and payment method sections based on your implementation requirements.