API keys allow you to securely connect your applications with the Kuda Business API. This guide walks you through generating an API key for your account.

Important: Your API key is shown only once, on the screen where you generate it. Copy it and store it in a secure place straight away. If you leave the page or refresh, the key is gone and cannot be shown again.

Before you start

Only businesses approved for the API can generate a key. Open Business API in the left menu:

If you see the KUDA BUSINESS API page with Start Here and View API Docs buttons, your business is not onboarded to the API yet. Select Start Here to chat with us, or email [email protected] with your use case and the APIs you want access to.
If you were approved recently but still see that page, do a hard refresh of your browser (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac) and open Business API again.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Open Business API

2. Open the API Keys tab

The API Keys tab opens by default. The bar under the tabs shows whether you are on Test Mode or Live Mode. The Base URL field shows the URL for that mode:

Mode	Base URL
Test	`https://kuda-openapi-uat.kudabank.com/v2.1`
Live	`https://kuda-openapi.kuda.com/v2.1`

3. Generate the key

Select Generate API Key. Wait for the button to finish loading. Do not press it twice.

4. Copy your API key

Your key appears in the API Key field. Select the copy icon next to it and store the key somewhere safe.

Security notice: Kuda does not store the key on this screen. You will not be able to view it again. If you lose it, generate a new one.

5. Generating a new key replaces the old one

If you generate a new key, it replaces your previous key. Update every integration that still uses the old key.

Next steps

Store your API key in a password manager or secrets manager.
Never share your API key publicly or commit it to source code.
To change how long your access token lasts, select Update Token Expiry on the API Keys tab.
Use your API key to request an access token, then follow our API documentation.
Send the access token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer {your_access_token}

Troubleshooting common API issues

Key generation fails

Read the message shown on screen. "Key generation failed." or a message from the API means the request was refused. "Something went wrong, try again." means a network problem. Try again once. If it keeps failing, contact support with the exact message and the time it happened.

"Invalid Credentials" errors

This error usually means your credentials and the API base URL do not match. Check that:

Your API key belongs to the environment you are working in (test or production).
The email you send matches the business email linked to your API key.
The endpoint URL matches the same environment.

Generating an access token

Make sure you have an active API key. If not, generate one using the steps above.
Send a POST request to the token endpoint with this JSON body:

{
  "email": "your_registered_business_email",
  "apiKey": "your_new_api_key"
}

Replace your_registered_business_email with the email on your Kuda Business account and your_new_api_key with the key you generated.

The response gives you an access token. Include it in every API request:

Authorization: Bearer {your_access_token}

For advanced integrations that need a Client ID, Public Key and Private Key, submit an application to the Kuda sales team. After approval, you will receive those credentials with onboarding instructions.

How to Generate Your API Key