Building crypto functionality used to mean months of work: banking partnerships, Crypto compliance frameworks, blockchain infrastructure, local payment integrations. For most development teams, it was too expensive and too slow to be worth it.
What Is a Crypto On-Ramp?
A crypto on-ramp is the bridge between traditional money and digital assets. It lets your users deposit local currency, via bank transfer, card, or mobile money and receive cryptocurrency directly in their wallet. Without an on-ramp and off-ramp, customers have to leave your app, create an account on an exchange, buy crypto, and transfer it back. That friction kills conversion. With an on-ramp embedded in your product, the entire flow happens inside your app. User deposit Naira. The user receives USDT. Done.
What You Can Build With Quidax On-Ramp
- Savings apps that fund dollar-denominated accounts instantly
- Investment platforms letting users buy Bitcoin with local currency
- Wallets with built-in fiat deposit functionality
- Fintech apps adding stablecoin API features to existing products
- Payroll tools enabling stablecoin payouts to employees
- B2B platforms accepting local currency and settling in stablecoins
The Integration: Week by Week
Week 1: Setup and Sandbox
Day 1-2: Create Your Account and Get API Keys
Sign up at quidax.io/c/ramp/. Complete business KYB which includes company registration, director ID and proof of address. Approval typically takes 24-48 hours.
Access your developer dashboard. You’ll find:
- API keys (test and live)
- Webhook configuration
- Sandbox environment with test funds
- Full API documentation
Day 3-4: Understand the Core Endpoints
The Quidax on-ramp integration revolves around four key API actions:
-
- Create a User Account
POST /api/v1/users
{
"email": "[email protected]",
"first_name": "Ada",
"last_name": "Okafor"
}
Returns a user object with unique ID. Each of your users gets a Quidax sub-account.
- Generate a Deposit Address
POST /api/v1/users/{user_id}/wallets/{currency}/address
Returns a unique wallet address for that user and currency. This is where they’ll send or receive crypto.
- Initiate a Fiat-to-Crypto Purchase
POST /api/v1/users/{user_id}/instant_orders
{
"type": "buy",
"currency": "usdt",
"amount": "50000",
"fiat_currency": "ngn"
}
Returns an order with payment instructions, bank account details for the user to complete the transfer.
- Check Order Status
GET /api/v1/users/{user_id}/instant_orders/{order_id}
Returns current status: pending, processing, completed, or failed.
Day 5-7: Build and Test in Sandbox
Use test credentials to simulate the full flow:
- Create test users
- Generate wallet addresses
- Simulate buy orders
- Verify USDT lands in test wallets
Test edge cases: failed payments, partial amounts, timeout handling.
Week 2: Webhooks, UI, and Go Live
Day 8-9: Set Up Webhooks
Polling for order status is inefficient. Webhooks notify your server the moment a transaction completes.
Configure your webhook endpoint in the dashboard. Quidax will POST to your URL when key events happen:
{
"event": "instant_order.completed",
"data": {
"user_id": "usr_abc123",
"order_id": "ord_xyz789",
"currency": "usdt",
"amount": "50",
"fiat_amount": "50000",
"fiat_currency": "ngn",
"status": "completed"
}
}
Handle the webhook to trigger your business logic: update user balance, activate account, send confirmation.
Always verify webhook signatures to prevent spoofing:
const signature = req.headers['x-quidax-signature'];
const expectedSig = crypto
.createHmac('sha256', WEBHOOK_SECRET)
.update(JSON.stringify(req.body))
.digest('hex');
if (signature !== expectedSig) {
return res.status(401).send('Invalid signature');
}
Day 10-11: Build the User Interface
The on-ramp UI is simple. You need:
- Amount Input : User enters how much Naira they want to spend
- Asset Selection: User picks which crypto to receive (USDT, USDC, BTC)
- Rate Preview — Show current rate before confirming
GET /api/v1/markets/usdtngn/ticker
Returns real-time rate so users see exactly what they’ll receive.
- Payment Instructions : After order creation, display bank transfer details
- Confirmation Screen: Webhook fires when payment confirms; update UI automatically
The flow takes under 3 minutes for a user to complete.
Day 12-13: Compliance Checklist
Before going live:
- KYC for your users (Quidax handles KYC for transactions above thresholds)
- Terms of service updated to cover crypto transactions
- Transaction limits configured per your use case
- Webhook error handling and retry logic in place
- Logging for all transactions (required for audit trails)
Day 14: Go Live
Switch API keys from test to production. Execute a test transaction with a small amount. Monitor your webhook logs for the first 24 hours.
You are live.
If you’re looking to integrate Ramp, you can reach out to us via support
