sendmoneytonigeria
Home > Reviews > Cleva

Cleva Review (2027)

Overall Score: 4.2 / 5.0 • Trustpilot: ★ 4.3 (9,200 reviews)
Visit Cleva

Our Verdict

Tailor-made for Nigerian freelancers, remote workers, and creators receiving USD from US clients via ACH or wire. High swap rate to Naira, but factor in the 0.9% deposit fee.

When to Choose Cleva: Use Cleva if you live in Nigeria and get paid in US dollars by clients, platforms or employers abroad, and want to convert to naira when it suits you.
When to Look Elsewhere: Not the right tool if you live abroad and simply want to send money to family in Nigeria; use a remittance app for that.

Empirical Rating Scorecard

9
FX Rate Margin
8.6
Transfer Speed
9.1
App Experience
8
Customer Support
Known Failure Modes & Account Freeze Triggers

Avoid common compliance traps when using Cleva:

  • Direct family remittances from non-US accounts are rejected.

What is Cleva?

Cleva provides a US dollar account for people in Africa, starting with Nigeria. The account comes with US bank details, so a client, employer or platform can pay you as if you were in the US. You can then:

  • hold the dollars
  • convert to naira and withdraw to a Nigerian bank account
  • pay out to other accounts, where supported

This is a different job from a remittance app. Cleva is for receiving foreign income in Nigeria, not for sending money home from abroad.

How Cleva charges

Cleva's costs come in three places:

  1. Receiving fee: a small fee when money arrives in your dollar account. Cleva's own pages describe fees of a few dollars per deposit, and some platform deposits are free.
  2. Conversion: the rate you get when you convert dollars to naira.
  3. Withdrawal: naira withdrawals to a Nigerian bank. Our calculator includes a ₦100 withdrawal fee.

Fees change, so check Cleva's current fee page. Our calculator includes Cleva's deposit percentage and withdrawal fee so you can compare the naira you end up with.

Who uses Cleva

  • Freelancers paid through Upwork, Fiverr, Deel, Payoneer or directly by clients.
  • Remote workers on a US dollar salary.
  • Creators receiving platform payouts in dollars.

Cleva vs a domiciliary account

A Nigerian domiciliary account holds dollars in a Nigerian bank. Cleva's account holds dollars with a US banking partner. That makes it easier to receive US payments such as ACH, and it can be quicker to open. A dom account remains the route for receiving SWIFT wires in dollars inside Nigeria.

How to receive money with Cleva

  1. Sign up and verify your identity with a Nigerian ID and your BVN.
  2. Open your US dollar account and copy the account details from the app.
  3. Share the details with your client, employer or platform as your payout account.
  4. Convert to naira when the rate suits you, and withdraw to your Nigerian bank account.

Things to check before choosing Cleva

  • The conversion rate, compared with Grey and Raenest on the same day, for the amount you usually receive.
  • Receiving fees for the payment types your clients use (ACH, wire, platform payouts).
  • Withdrawal times to your Nigerian bank.

Safety

Cleva works through regulated US banking and payments partners for the dollar account. As with any fintech account:

  • do not treat it as the only place you keep savings
  • use strong security on your login

Our verdict

Cleva is a practical, well-known option for Nigerians earning in dollars. It's not a remittance app: if you are abroad sending money to family, compare LemFi, Taptap Send or Wise instead. If you are choosing between receiving accounts, also look at Grey and Raenest.

The Advantages

  • Provides a dedicated US bank account number and routing number under your own name
  • Seamless payouts from US employers, Upwork, Deel, and Stripe
  • High exchange swap rate to Nigerian bank accounts

The Drawbacks

  • Charges 0.9% deposit fee on incoming ACH transfers
  • Requires BVN and NIN verification from the Nigerian recipient
  • Not a traditional remittance app (recipient must register first)

KYC Requirements & Sending Limits

Tier 1 Limit $1,000 / month with BVN
Tier 2 Limit $50,000 / month with international passport

Cleva: frequently asked questions

What is Cleva used for?

Cleva gives people in Nigeria a US dollar account with US bank details, so they can receive payments from abroad, hold dollars, and convert to naira when they choose.

Can I use Cleva to send money to Nigeria from the USA?

Cleva is built for receiving dollars in Nigeria, not for sending family remittances from abroad. For that, compare remittance apps in our USA table.

How much does Cleva charge?

Cleva charges a small fee on incoming deposits, earns on currency conversion, and charges for naira withdrawals. Check Cleva's current fee page, as amounts change.

Ready to Transfer with Cleva?

Sign up through our verified partner link to ensure you receive introductory promo rates where applicable.

Open Account with Cleva