Configuring Customers

This guide provides comprehensive information about customer configuration in the Grid API, including customer types, registration processes, management, and bank account information.

Customer Types

The Grid API supports both individual and business customers. While the API schema itself makes most Personally Identifiable Information (PII) optional at the initial customer creation, specific fields may become mandatory based on the currencies the customer will transact with. Your platform’s configuration (retrieved via GET /config) includes a supportedCurrencies array. If a customer is intended to use a specific currency, any fields listed in for that currency must be provided when creating or updating the customer.

Customer Registration Process

Creating a New Customer

When creating or updating customers, the customerType field must be specified as either INDIVIDUAL or BUSINESS. Depending if you are a regulated or unregulated platform your KYC/KYB requirements will vary.

Regulated Platforms

Regulated platforms have lighter KYC requirements since they handle compliance verification internally.

The KYC/KYB flow allows you to onboard customers through direct API calls.Regulated financial institutions can:

Direct API Onboarding: Create customers directly via API calls with minimal verification
Internal KYC/KYB: Handle identity verification through your own compliance systems
Reduced Documentation: Only provide essential customer information required by your payment counterparty or service provider.
Faster Onboarding: Streamlined process for known, verified customers

Creating Customers via Direct API

For regulated platforms, you can create customers directly through the API without requiring external KYC verification:To register a new customer in the system, use the POST /customers endpoint:

curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $GRID_CLIENT_ID:$GRID_CLIENT_SECRET" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "platformCustomerId": "customer_12345",
    "customerType": "INDIVIDUAL",
    "fullName": "Jane Doe",
    "birthDate": "1992-03-25",
    "nationality": "US",
    "address": {
      "line1": "123 Pine Street",
      "city": "Seattle",
      "state": "WA",
      "postalCode": "98101",
      "country": "US"
    },
    "bankAccountInfo": {
      "accountType": "US_ACCOUNT",
      "accountNumber": "123450000",
      "routingNumber": "000123456",
      "accountCategory": "CHECKING",
      "bankName": "Chase Bank"
    }
  }'

The API allows creating a customer with minimal PII.Here is an example of a customer creation request body bankAccountInfo is always required:

{
  "platformCustomerId": "9f84e0c2a72c4fa",
  "customerType": "INDIVIDUAL",
  "bankAccountInfo": {
      "accountType": "US_ACCOUNT",
      "accountNumber": "123450000",
      "routingNumber": "000123456",
      "accountCategory": "CHECKING",
      "bankName": "Chase Bank"
    }
}

The examples below show a more comprehensive set of data. Not all fields are strictly required by the API for customer creation itself, but become necessary based on currency and UMA provider requirements if using UMA.

Individual customer
Business Customer

{
  "platformCustomerId": "9f84e0c2a72c4fa",
  "customerType": "INDIVIDUAL",
  "fullName": "John Sender",
  "birthDate": "1985-06-15",
  "address": {
    "line1": "Paseo de la Reforma 222",
    "line2": "Piso 15",
    "city": "Ciudad de México",
    "state": "Ciudad de México",
    "postalCode": "06600",
    "country": "MX"
  },
  "bankAccountInfo": {
    "accountType": "CLABE",
    "clabeNumber": "123456789012345678",
    "bankName": "Banco de México"
  }
}

Unregulated Platforms

Unregulated platforms require full KYC/KYB verification of customers through hosted flows.

Unregulated platforms must:

Hosted KYC Flow: Use the hosted KYC link for complete identity verification
Extended Review: Customers may require manual review and approval in some cases

Hosted KYC Link Flow

The hosted KYC flow provides a secure, hosted interface where customers can complete their identity verification and onboarding process.

Generate KYC Link

curl -X GET "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers/kyc-link?redirectUri=https://yourapp.com/onboarding-complete&platformCustomerId=019542f5-b3e7-1d02-0000-000000000001" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $GRID_CLIENT_ID:$GRID_CLIENT_SECRET"

Response:

{
  "kycUrl": "https://kyc.lightspark.com/onboard/abc123def456",
  "platformCustomerId": "019542f5-b3e7-1d02-0000-000000000001"
}

Complete KYC Process

Generate KYC Link

Call the /customers/kyc-link endpoint with your redirectUri parameter to generate a hosted KYC URL for your customer.

The redirectUri parameter is embedded in the generated KYC URL and will be used to automatically redirect the customer back to your application after they complete verification.

Redirect Customer

Redirect your customer to the returned kycUrl where they can complete their identity verification in the hosted interface.

The KYC link is single-use and expires after a limited time period for security.

Customer Completes Verification

The customer completes the identity verification process in the hosted KYC interface, providing required documents and information.

The hosted interface handles document collection, verification checks, and compliance requirements automatically.

After verification processing, you’ll receive a KYC status webhook notification indicating the final verification result.

Automatic Redirect

Upon successful KYC completion, the customer is automatically redirected to your specified redirectUri URL.

The customer account will be automatically created by the system upon successful KYC completion. You can identify the new customer using your platformCustomerId or other identifiers.

Handle Completion

On your redirect page, handle the completed KYC flow and integrate the new customer into your application.

Customer Management

Retrieving Customer Information

You can retrieve customer information using either the Grid-assigned customer ID or your platform’s customer ID:

curl -X GET "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers/{customerId}" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $GRID_CLIENT_ID:$GRID_CLIENT_SECRET"

Note that this example shows all available filters. You can use any combination of them.

Updating Customer Information

To update customer information:

curl -X PATCH "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers/{customerId}" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $GRID_CLIENT_ID:$GRID_CLIENT_SECRET" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "bankAccountInfo": {
      "accountType": "US_ACCOUNT",
      "accountNumber": "123456789",
      "routingNumber": "987654321",
      "bankName": "Chase Bank"
    }
  }'

Note that not all customer information can be updated. Particularly for non-regulated platforms, you cannot update personal information after the customer has been created.

Bank Account Information

The API supports various bank account formats based on country and funding type. There are two types of funding mechanisms supported by Grid: an omnibus FBO (for benefit of) account owned by the platform, or direct customer-owned accounts. You must provide the correct format based on the customer’s region and bank account type.

Optional Platform Account ID

All bank account types support an optional platformAccountId field that allows you to link bank accounts to your internal systems. This field can be any string that helps identify the account in your platform (e.g., database IDs, custom references, etc.). Example with platform account ID:

{
  "accountType": "US_ACCOUNT",
  "accountNumber": "123456789",
  "routingNumber": "987654321",
  "bankName": "Chase Bank",
  "platformAccountId": "chase_primary_1234"
}

Common use cases for platformAccountId:

Tracking multiple bank accounts and uma addresses for the same customer
Linking accounts to internal accounting systems
Maintaining consistency between the Grid API and your platform’s account records
Facilitating account reconciliation and reporting

FBO Accounts

FBO accounts are used when the platform has a single omnibus account that is used to fund all customers. Account details must be provided manually at the platform level. For each customer, during you should simply provide:

"bankAccountInfo": {
  "accountType": "FBO",
  "currencyCode": "USD" // or any other currency code supported by the Grid API
}

Please contact us to set up FBO account for a specific currency.

Mexico: CLABE

{
  "accountType": "CLABE",
  "clabeNumber": "123456789012345678",
  "bankName": "Banco de México",
  "platformAccountId": "banco_mx_primary_5678"
}

United States: ACH (Account and Routing Number)

{
  "accountType": "US_ACCOUNT",
  "accountNumber": "123456789",
  "routingNumber": "987654321",
  "accountCategory": "CHECKING",
  "bankName": "Chase Bank",
  "platformAccountId": "chase_checking_1234"
}

Brazil PIX

{
  "accountType": "PIX",
  "pixKey": "12345678901",
  "pixKeyType": "CPF",
  "platformAccountId": "pix_main_9012"
}

PIX key types can be one of: CPF, CNPJ, PHONE, EMAIL, or RANDOM.

India: UPI (Unified Payments Interface)

{
  "accountType": "UPI",
  "vpa": "somecustomer@okbank",
  "platformAccountId": "upi_primary_1234"
}

International: IBAN

{
  "accountType": "IBAN",
  "iban": "DE89370400440532013000",
  "bankName": "Deutsche Bank",
  "platformAccountId": "deutsche_primary_3456"
}

Data Validation

The Grid API performs validation on all customer data. Common validation rules include:

All required fields must be present based on customer type
Date of birth must be in YYYY-MM-DD format and represent a valid date
Names must not contain special characters or excessive spaces
Bank account information must follow country-specific formats
Addresses must include all required fields including country code

If validation fails, the API will return a 400 Bad Request response with detailed error information.

Best Practices

Identity Verification: Choose a proper KYC/KYB identity verification flow as detailed in the Quickstart Guide
Data Security: Store and transmit customer data securely, following data protection regulations
Regular Updates: Keep customer information up to date, especially banking details
Error Handling: Implement proper error handling to manage validation failures gracefully
Idempotent Operations: Use your platformCustomerId consistently to avoid duplicate customer creation

Bulk Customer Import Operations

For scenarios where you need to add many customers to the system at once, the API provides a CSV file upload endpoint.

CSV File Upload

For large-scale customer imports, you can upload a CSV file containing customer information:

curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers/bulk/csv" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $GRID_CLIENT_ID:$GRID_CLIENT_SECRET" \
  -F "file=@customers.csv"

The CSV file should follow a specific format with required and optional columns based on customer type. Here’s an example:

platformCustomerId,customerType,fullName,birthDate,addressLine1,city,state,postalCode,country,accountType,accountNumber,bankName,platformAccountId,businessLegalName,routingNumber,accountCategory
customer123,INDIVIDUAL,John Doe,1990-01-15,123 Main St,San Francisco,CA,94105,US,US_ACCOUNT,123456789,Chase Bank,chase_primary_1234,,222888888,SAVINGS
biz456,BUSINESS,,,400 Commerce Way,Austin,TX,78701,US,US_ACCOUNT,987654321,Bank of America,boa_business_5678,Acme Corp,121212121,CHECKING

CSV Upload Best Practices

Use a spreadsheet application to prepare your CSV file
Validate data before upload (e.g., date formats, required fields)
Include a header row with column names
Use UTF-8 encoding for special characters
Keep file size under 100MB for optimal processing

You can track the job status through:

Webhook notifications (if configured)
Status polling endpoint:

curl -X GET "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers/bulk/jobs/{jobId}" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $GRID_CLIENT_ID:$GRID_CLIENT_SECRET"

Example job status response:

{
  "jobId": "job_123456789",
  "status": "PROCESSING",
  "progress": {
    "total": 5000,
    "processed": 2500,
    "successful": 2499,
    "failed": 1
  },
  "errors": [
    {
      "platformCustomerId": "biz456",
      "error": {
        "code": "validation_error",
        "message": "Invalid bank account number"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Best Practices for Bulk Operations

Use platform customer IDs to track individual customers in the bulk operation
Implement proper error handling for partial successes
Consider breaking very large datasets into multiple smaller jobs
Use webhooks for real-time status updates on asynchronous jobs
For CSV uploads, validate your data before submission

CSV Format

The CSV file should have the following columns: Required columns for all customers:

platformCustomerId: Your platform’s unique identifier for the customer
customerType: Either “INDIVIDUAL” or “BUSINESS”

Required columns for individual customers:

fullName: Individual’s full name
birthDate: Date of birth in YYYY-MM-DD format
addressLine1: Street address line 1
city: City
state: State/Province/Region
postalCode: Postal/ZIP code
country: Country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2)
accountType: Bank account type (CLABE, US_ACCOUNT, PIX, IBAN, UPI)
accountNumber: Bank account number
bankName: Name of the bank

Required columns for business customers:

businessLegalName: Legal name of the business
addressLine1: Street address line 1
city: City
state: State/Province/Region
postalCode: Postal/ZIP code
country: Country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2)
accountType: Bank account type (CLABE, US_ACCOUNT, PIX, IBAN, UPI)
accountNumber: Bank account number
bankName: Name of the bank

Optional columns for all customers:

addressLine2: Street address line 2
platformAccountId: Your platform’s identifier for the bank account
description: Optional description for the customer

Optional columns for individual customers:

email: Customer’s email address

Optional columns for business customers:

businessRegistrationNumber: Business registration number
businessTaxId: Tax identification number

Additional required columns based on account type: For US_ACCOUNT:

routingNumber: ACH routing number (9 digits)
accountCategory: Either “CHECKING” or “SAVINGS”

For CLABE:

clabeNumber: 18-digit CLABE number

For PIX:

pixKey: PIX key value
pixKeyType: Type of PIX key (CPF, CNPJ, EMAIL, PHONE, RANDOM)

For UPI:

vpa: Virtual Payment Address for UPI payments

For IBAN:

iban: International Bank Account Number
swiftBic: SWIFT/BIC code (8 or 11 characters)

Onboarding

Managing Accounts

Sending Payments

Platform Tools

Customer Types

Customer Registration Process

Creating a New Customer

Creating Customers via Direct API

Hosted KYC Link Flow

Generate KYC Link

Complete KYC Process

Customer Management

Retrieving Customer Information

Updating Customer Information

Bank Account Information

Optional Platform Account ID

Data Validation

Best Practices

Bulk Customer Import Operations

CSV File Upload

CSV Format

Onboarding

Managing Accounts

Sending Payments

Platform Tools

​Customer Types

​Customer Registration Process

​Creating a New Customer

​Creating Customers via Direct API

​Hosted KYC Link Flow

​Generate KYC Link

​Complete KYC Process

​Customer Management

​Retrieving Customer Information

​Updating Customer Information

​Bank Account Information

​Optional Platform Account ID

​Data Validation

​Best Practices

​Bulk Customer Import Operations

​CSV File Upload

​CSV Format

Customer Types

Customer Registration Process

Creating a New Customer

Creating Customers via Direct API

Hosted KYC Link Flow

Generate KYC Link

Complete KYC Process

Customer Management

Retrieving Customer Information

Updating Customer Information

Bank Account Information

Optional Platform Account ID

Data Validation

Best Practices

Bulk Customer Import Operations

CSV File Upload

CSV Format