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POST
/
verify-account
curl --request POST \ --url https://api.paycrest.io/v2/verify-account \ --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \ --data ' { "institution": "GTBINGLA", "accountIdentifier": "0123456789" } '
{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "Account name was fetched successfully",
  "data": "JOHN DOE"
}
Verify a bank or mobile money account before creating an order. Currency is determined by the institution code (no separate currency field on this endpoint).

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Mobile money identifiers

For institutions with type mobile_money, the API normalizes accountIdentifier before calling providers:
  • Strips + and non-digit characters
  • Removes a leading domestic 0 and adds the country dial code when missing
FiatDial code
KES254
UGX256
TZS255
GHS233
MWK265
KES M-Pesa example: 0712345678, +254712345678, and 254712345678 all normalize to 254712345678. You can send local or international MSISDN format; normalization also runs on order create for the same institution types.

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KES Till and Paybill

Phone normalization is not applied when:
  • metadata indicates Till or Paybill (same shape as recipient metadata on order create), or
  • The identifier looks like Paybill (businessNumber|reference) or Till (fewer than 9 digits)
Pass optional metadata on the verify request for Till/Paybill validation.

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Response data

  • A real name (e.g. "JOHN DOE") — use that exact string as accountName on the order.
  • "OK" — account treated as valid but name lookup is unavailable for that corridor (common for some KES/GHS/UGX/MWK mobile flows). Provide your own accountName on the order.
The same checks run again when you create an order; calling verify first improves checkout UX.

Body

application/json
​
institution
string
required

Institution code (SWIFT code or custom PayCrest code ending with 'PC'). See Code Standards for details.

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accountIdentifier
string
required

Bank account number, mobile wallet MSISDN, Till/Paybill identifier, or other account identifier.

For mobile_money institutions, the API normalizes phone numbers before verification: strips +, removes a leading domestic 0, and adds the country dial code when missing (KES 254, UGX 256, TZS 255, GHS 233, MWK 265). Examples for KES M-Pesa — 0712345678, +254712345678, and 254712345678 all normalize to 254712345678.

KES Till/Paybill identifiers are not normalized when metadata indicates Till/Paybill, or when the value looks like Paybill (business|reference) or Till (fewer than 9 digits).

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metadata
object

Optional. Used for KES Till/Paybill verify so phone normalization is not applied. Same semantics as recipient metadata on order create (e.g. channel Till or Paybill, businessNumber).

Response

Account verified

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status
string
Example:

"success"

​
message
string
Example:

"Account name was fetched successfully"

​
data
string

Resolved account name, or "OK" when valid but name lookup is unavailable

Example:

"JOHN DOE"