Overview
The Yala API uses standard ISO codes for currencies and countries:
- Currency codes: ISO 4217 3-letter codes
- Country codes: ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 3-letter codes
Common Currency Codes
| Currency | Code | Example Countries |
|---|
| Nigerian Naira | NGN | Nigeria (NGA) |
| US Dollar | USD | United States (USA), Canada (CAN) |
| Chinese Yuan (RMB) | CNY | China (CHN) |
| Euro | EUR | Germany (DEU), France (FRA), Spain (ESP) |
| British Pound | GBP | United Kingdom (GBR) |
| Indian Rupee | INR | India (IND) |
| Ghanaian Cedi | GHS | Ghana (GHA) |
| South African Rand | ZAR | South Africa (ZAF) |
| Canadian Dollar | CAD | Canada (CAN) |
| West African CFA Franc | XOF | Senegal (SEN), Cote d’Ivoire (CIV) |
| Central African CFA Franc | XAF | Cameroon (CMR), Gabon (GAB) |
Common Country Codes
| Country | Code | Primary Currency |
|---|
| Nigeria | NGA | NGN |
| United States | USA | USD |
| China | CHN | CNY |
| United Kingdom | GBR | GBP |
| India | IND | INR |
| Ghana | GHA | GHS |
| South Africa | ZAF | ZAR |
| Canada | CAN | CAD |
| Germany | DEU | EUR |
| France | FRA | EUR |
Discovering Valid Codes via API
Method 1: Use GET /pairs
The GET /pairs endpoint returns enabled currency pairs for your business. This shows which currencies are available:
curl https://gateway.staging.useyala.com/v1/payout-api/payouts/pairs \
-H "x-api-key: <YOUR_API_KEY>"
baseCurrency and quoteCurrency codes.
Method 2: Use GET /methods
The GET /methods endpoint requires you to specify a corridor. If you’re unsure which codes to use, try common combinations:
# Example: Check NGN to CNY
curl "https://gateway.staging.useyala.com/v1/payout-api/payouts/methods?sourceCurrency=NGN&destinationCurrency=CNY&destinationCountryCode=CHN" \
-H "x-api-key: <YOUR_API_KEY>"
Official ISO Standards
For complete reference lists:
Best Practices
- Validate codes before API calls - Use the reference table above or ISO standards to ensure codes are correct
- Use GET /pairs first - Check which currency pairs are enabled for your business before building your UI
- Handle errors gracefully - Invalid currency or country codes will return
400 Bad Request with a clear error message
- Cache enabled pairs - The list of enabled pairs doesn’t change frequently, so cache the response from
GET /pairs
If you’re building a UI, call GET /pairs on page load to populate currency selection dropdowns with only enabled options.
