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Payment Channels
Payment channels define the rails the tenant can use to receive, send, settle, and reconcile money.
Open Payments & Settlement -> Setup -> Payment Channels.
Workspace Reference
| User Goal | What To Do | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Enable a payment rail | Review or create the tenant channel and confirm active and approval status. | Users can select the channel in eligible payment, billing, POS, wallet, and settlement workflows. |
| Restrict usage | Confirm allowed direction, supported services, currencies, and provider or bank readiness. | The channel appears only where the tenant is ready to use it. |
| Prepare settlement | Confirm settlement behavior, provider ownership, wallet or bank setup, and accounting mappings. | Finance can reconcile the channel after transactions move. |
| Troubleshoot missing channel options | Check channel active status, approval status, currency support, service availability, and permissions. | Users can identify whether the issue is setup, permission, or workflow context. |
What A Channel Controls
A payment channel identifies how money moves.
Examples:
- cash
- bank transfer
- mobile money
- wallet
- card
- cheque
- internal transfer
Channels are shared across the system. Billing, POS, Wallets, settlement, and outbound payment batches should use the same enabled channel list instead of separate module-specific lists.
Mobile Money And Wallets
Mobile money and wallet are related but not identical.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mobile money | External customer or beneficiary rail, such as Airtel Money or MTN MoMo. It identifies the provider network used to send or receive funds. |
| Tenant wallet | Internal tenant balance used to fund or receive wallet-backed transactions. |
| Provider float | Funding or settlement balance associated with a provider rail. |
| Party wallet | Wallet reference owned by a party where the business supports wallet-style party accounts. |
A mobile money payout may be funded from a tenant wallet or provider float, but the beneficiary destination is still a mobile money number. That is why the channel and the funding wallet setup must both be correct.
What Users Manage
Depending on permissions and configuration, users may review or maintain:
- channel name
- channel type
- active status
- approval status
- settlement behavior
- allowed direction
- currency support
- provider or rail information
- service or tenant availability
Only activate a channel when operational, settlement, and accounting setup are ready.
Channel Effects
The selected channel affects downstream workflows:
| Workflow | Channel Effect |
|---|---|
| Billing payments | Classifies how an invoice receipt was received. |
| POS payments | Controls which payment options can be accepted at sale or refund. |
| Payment instruments | Determines whether users select a phone number, bank account, wallet, cash allowance, cheque destination, or other approved destination. |
| Payment batches | Filters eligible instruments and enforces channel, currency, and mixed-channel rules. |
| Settlement batches | Groups and reconciles provider, bank, cash, wallet, card, or cheque movement. |
| GL posting | Provides context for resolving the correct funding, clearing, fee, cash, bank, wallet, or settlement account. |
Accounting Impact By Channel
The channel influences the funding side of payout accounting. The debit side is usually a payable or payment-clearing account. The credit side depends on how funds leave the tenant.
| Channel | Typical Funding Concept |
|---|---|
| Mobile money | Tenant wallet or provider float for the selected rail. |
| Wallet | Internal wallet or service wallet. |
| Cash | Cash on hand. Teller-style cash can use till cash. |
| Bank | Configured bank account. |
| Cheque | Cheque clearing, bank suspense, or configured bank account. |
| Card | Card processor clearing, mainly for receipts or refunds. |
| Internal transfer | Internal wallet, bank, or clearing account. |
The channel does not replace GL rule setup. It gives the accounting setup enough context to resolve the correct account and detailed tracking reference.
User Checks Before Activating A Channel
Confirm:
- the tenant actually uses the rail operationally
- users have permission to use it
- the channel is allowed for the intended services
- supported currencies are clear
- provider, bank, wallet, till, or processor setup is complete
- settlement ownership is clear
- accounting mappings are ready
- test transactions have been reviewed where required
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Better Practice |
|---|---|
| Activating a channel before settlement setup is ready. | Configure settlement and reconciliation ownership first. |
| Treating mobile money as the same thing as tenant wallet. | Use mobile money for provider rail and wallet for funding or internal balance. |
| Using one channel for incompatible workflows. | Keep channel behavior explicit by type and direction. |
| Enabling a channel without currency review. | Confirm supported currencies before users transact. |
| Ignoring accounting impact. | Confirm funding, fee, clearing, and settlement mappings. |