Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using Sikina Pay's payment gateway services, merchant dashboard, APIs, or website (collectively, the “Services”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you are using the Services on behalf of a business, you represent that you have the authority to bind that business to these terms.

2. Eligibility

To use Sikina Pay, you must:

• Be a registered business entity in Ethiopia with a valid business license or trade registration
• Have a valid Ethiopian bank account for settlement purposes
• Comply with all applicable Ethiopian laws and regulations
• Not operate in any prohibited industry (gambling, illicit goods, etc.)

3. Merchant Account

You must create a merchant account to use Sikina Pay. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials, API keys, and dashboard access. You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account. Sikina Pay reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

4. Payment Processing

When using our payment processing services:

• You authorize Sikina Pay to process transactions on your behalf through supported payment methods (Telebirr, CBE Birr, M-PESA, Amole, bank transfers, etc.)
• Settlement of funds to your bank account is subject to our standard settlement schedule (typically within 24 hours)
• We reserve the right to hold funds temporarily for fraud review or dispute resolution
• You are responsible for accurate product/service descriptions and pricing on your platform

5. Fees

Our standard transaction fee is 2.5% per successful transaction. Enterprise customers may negotiate custom pricing. Fees are deducted from settlement amounts before disbursement. We reserve the right to modify fees with 30 days' written notice. There are no setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden charges for the standard plan.

6. Refunds and Disputes

Merchants are responsible for their own refund policies and must communicate these clearly to customers. When a customer initiates a dispute, you must respond within 7 business days with supporting documentation. Sikina Pay may debit disputed amounts from your settlement until the dispute is resolved. Excessive chargebacks or disputes may result in account review or suspension.

7. Prohibited Activities

You may not use Sikina Pay to:

• Process transactions for illegal goods or services
• Engage in fraudulent or deceptive practices
• Violate any Ethiopian financial laws or regulations
• Process transactions on behalf of unregistered third parties
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, exploit, or compromise our systems

8. Intellectual Property

All content, trademarks, logos, software, APIs, and documentation provided by Sikina Pay are our intellectual property. You may use our brand assets only as permitted in our brand guidelines for the purpose of indicating Sikina Pay as your payment provider. You may not copy, modify, or redistribute our software or documentation without permission.

9. Limitation of Liability

Sikina Pay shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from the use of our services. Our total liability for any claim shall not exceed the fees you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim. We do not guarantee uninterrupted service, though we strive for 99.9% uptime.

10. Termination

Either party may terminate this agreement with 30 days' written notice. Sikina Pay may immediately suspend or terminate your account for material breach of these terms. Upon termination, any pending settlements will be processed according to the standard schedule, less any amounts owed to Sikina Pay or held for disputes.

11. Governing Law

These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Any disputes shall be resolved through arbitration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in accordance with Ethiopian arbitration law.

12. Contact

For questions about these Terms of Service, contact us at: