Chapa Developer Documentation

The Bank List endpoint returns the list of banks and payout destinations supported by Chapa for transfers (payouts).

Use this endpoint to:

Show supported banks and wallets in your UI
Validate bank_slug before initiating payouts
Check payout limits and supported currencies per bank
Confirm whether a bank or wallet is active or disabled

This is especially useful before calling:

POST /v2/payouts
POST /v2/payouts/bulk

Endpoint

GET /v2/payouts/banks
Host: api.chapa.co

Authentication

Headers

Name	Required	Description
`Authorization`	Yes	`Bearer <PRIVATE_API_KEY>`
`Content-Type`	No	`application/json` (recommended)

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`country`	string	No	ISO country code (e.g. `ET`, `KE`). If omitted, returns all supported banks.

Example Request

GET https://api.chapa.co/v2/payouts/banks?country=ET
Authorization: Bearer CHAPA_TEST_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Content-Type: application/json

Example Response

{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "Banks retrieved successfully",
  "data": {
    "items": [
      {
        "bank_name": "Commercial Bank of Ethiopia",
        "bank_slug": "cbe",
        "type": "bank",
        "min_amount": 10,
        "max_amount": 500000,
        "supported_currencies": {
          "ETB": {
            "default_min": 1,
            "default_max": 10000,
            "countries": {
              "ET": {
                "is_enabled": true,
                "min_amount": 10,
                "max_amount": 100000
              }
            }
          }
        },
        "is_active": true,
        "is_rtgs": true,
        "created_at": "2025-10-30T07:52:28.398386Z",
        "updated_at": "2025-10-30T07:52:28.398386Z"
      }
    ],
    "pagination": {
      "next_cursor": null,
      "prev_cursor": null,
      "limit": 50,
      "has_more": false
    }
  }
}

Bank Object Fields

Field	Type	Description
`bank_name`	string	Display name
`bank_slug`	string	Identifier used in payout requests
`type`	string	`bank`, `mobile_money`, etc.
`min_amount`	number	Minimum payout allowed
`max_amount`	number	Maximum payout allowed
`supported_currencies`	object	Currency + per-country limits
`is_active`	boolean	Whether payouts are enabled
`is_rtgs`	boolean	Whether RTGS transfers are supported
`created_at`	string	ISO8601 timestamp
`updated_at`	string	ISO8601 timestamp

Supported Currencies & Limits

Some banks have currency-specific and country-specific rules under supported_currencies.

Example Interpretation

Bank supports ETB
For country ET, payouts are enabled
Per-country limits override currency defaults

supported_currencies.ETB.countries.ET

Always validate currency, country, and min/max amount before initiating a payout.

Pagination

The endpoint returns cursor pagination metadata:

Field	Description
`next_cursor`	Cursor for next page
`prev_cursor`	Cursor for previous page
`limit`	Number of items returned
`has_more`	Whether more results exist

Best Practices

Cache the bank list (refresh periodically)
Validate bank_slug before initiating payouts
Enforce min_amount / max_amount limits in UI and backend
Hide inactive banks (is_active: false)
Use supported currency rules to prevent failed payouts

Common Errors

HTTP	Error Code	Description
400	`INVALID_VALUE`	Invalid country code
500	`PROCESSING_FAILED`	Failed to fetch bank list

Next Steps

Payout - Initiate a payout
Bulk Payout - Send multiple payouts
Verify Payout - Check payout status

Bank List

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