canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/bankofcanada.ca/bankofcanada

# Bankofcanada Ca Bank of Canada Valet API

The Bank of Canada publishes its own OpenAPI 3.0.3 specification for the Valet API at `https://www.bankofcanada.ca/valet/static/swagger/api-en.yml`, and that document is canonical; the spec behind this entry is a curated, agent-optimized Jentic variant of the same API that pins the JSON response format on each path so an agent never has to supply a format parameter. The Bank of Canada Valet API exposes the central bank's published statistical data, including daily and historical exchange rates, policy and benchmark interest rates, bond yields, and named economic series. Series and groups can be discovered through dedicated list endpoints and queried by code through observation endpoints that return time-series JSON. The API is publicly accessible without authentication, making it suitable for treasury reporting, FX monitoring, and economic dashboards.

## For AI agents

Look up Bank of Canada exchange rates, interest rates, bond yields, and named economic time series without authentication. Useful for any agent that needs official Canadian financial reference data.

## Scope

Does not handle FX execution, trading, or money movement - use for retrieving Bank of Canada published economic and FX reference data only.

## Capabilities

- Retrieve daily USD/CAD and other Bank of Canada published exchange rate observations
- Pull historical time-series for policy interest rates and bond yield benchmarks
- Discover available data series and group codes through the lists endpoints
- Fetch metadata for a specific series, including label, description, and dimension
- Query grouped observations such as the FX_RATES_DAILY group in a single call

## Use cases

### Treasury FX Reporting

Pull official Bank of Canada exchange rate observations into treasury and accounting workflows for revaluation, reporting, and audit. The Valet API exposes daily average exchange rates as named series accessible by code, such as FXUSDCAD for the daily value of the US dollar expressed in Canadian dollars, so finance teams can automate daily FX captures without scraping the central bank website. Because the API is unauthenticated, integration is typically a one-day task.

Example prompt: Fetch the most recent USD/CAD daily exchange rate via `/observations/FXUSDCAD/json` and store the value with its observation date in the finance system.

### Macro Dashboards and Economic Research

Power dashboards and research notebooks with first-party Canadian macroeconomic data, including overnight rates, GoC bond yields, and CPI-linked indicators. The Valet API exposes named series and curated groups, so analysts can chart consistent time series and compare across instruments. Suitable for fintech apps, economic blogs, and internal research platforms that need authoritative Canadian data without third-party feed costs.

Example prompt: Retrieve five years of Bank of Canada policy rate observations via `/observations/V39079/json` and chart them against quarterly GDP growth.

### Cross-Border Pricing and Invoicing

Use Bank of Canada published rates as the reference for cross-border pricing, contract clauses, and invoice conversion. SaaS billing systems, marketplaces, and international service providers can pin pricing to a known central bank rate rather than a private FX provider, improving auditability for Canadian counterparties. Refresh rates daily to stay aligned with the published daily average exchange rate.

Example prompt: Convert a USD 10,000 contract amount to CAD using the latest Bank of Canada FXUSDCAD observation and write the converted value to the invoice record.

### AI Agent Economic Lookup via Jentic

Allow an AI assistant to answer Canadian economic questions on demand by calling the Bank of Canada Valet API through Jentic. The agent searches Jentic for an intent like 'get the bank of canada policy rate', loads the operation schema, and executes the call without managing API keys, since this API requires no authentication. Responses can be summarised in natural language for the end user.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'get bank of canada exchange rate', execute the matched Valet observations operation for FXUSDCAD, and return the rate to the user with the observation date.

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GET | `/lists/series/json` | List all available data series |
| GET | `/lists/groups/json` | List all available data groups |
| GET | `/observations/{seriesCodes}/json` | Get observations for one or more series |
| GET | `/observations/group/{groupCode}/json` | Get observations for all series in a group |
| GET | `/series/{seriesCode}/json` | Get metadata for a specific series |

## Key resources

- **Series** — Named time-series for FX rates, interest rates, bond yields, and other indicators
- **Groups** — Curated bundles of related series, such as daily FX rates
- **Observations** — Time-series data points for a series or group, returned as JSON
- **Lists** — Discovery endpoints that enumerate available series and groups

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** The Bank of Canada Valet API needs no credentials, but wiring it by hand still means composing series and group query URLs, parsing the JSON list and observation formats, and handling backoff yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import the Valet API from the API Directory, and your agent calls it with consistent execution handling.
- **Permission scoping:** This API is read-only and unauthenticated, so scope the agent to the operations it needs, such as listing series or retrieving observations for a series code. You choose that operation set, and there are no write operations to add.
- **Credential handling:** The Bank of Canada Valet API requires no credentials, so there is nothing to store. Requests still run through your own Jentic One instance for consistent error handling and rate-aware backoff.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'get the Canadian dollar exchange rate' or 'list Bank of Canada series', and Jentic returns the matching Valet operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the docs site.

## Related APIs

- **ExchangeRate API** — Aggregated multi-source FX rates rather than a single central bank.
- **Alpha Vantage** — Equity, FX, and economic indicators across global markets.
- **Polygon.io** — Real-time and historical market data for stocks, options, and FX.

## FAQ

### Does the Bank of Canada publish an official OpenAPI spec for the Valet API?

Yes. The Bank of Canada serves an OpenAPI 3.0.3 document at `https://www.bankofcanada.ca/valet/static/swagger/api-en.yml`, which its own Swagger UI at `https://www.bankofcanada.ca/valet/docs` loads, and that document is canonical for the API's full surface. The spec behind this Jentic entry is a curated variant of the same API that pins the JSON response format on each path rather than templating it, so an agent calls a fixed URL. Get started with Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer.

### What authentication does the Bank of Canada Valet API use?

The Valet API is publicly accessible and requires no authentication or API key. When called through Jentic, no credentials are stored or proxied since none are required, and rate limits are enforced by the Bank of Canada directly.

### Can I get historical exchange rates with the Bank of Canada Valet API?

Yes. Call `/observations/{seriesCodes}/json` with a series like FXUSDCAD and optional start_date and end_date query parameters to retrieve historical observations as JSON. The same pattern works for interest rate and bond yield series.

### What are the rate limits for the Bank of Canada Valet API?

The Bank of Canada does not publish hard numeric rate limits for the Valet API but asks consumers to make reasonable use of the service. For high-volume jobs, cache observations locally and refresh on the published update cadence rather than polling repeatedly.

### How do I get the latest USD/CAD exchange rate through Jentic?

Install Jentic One on your own machine and add the Valet API to your workspace, then have your agent search for 'get bank of canada exchange rate' and run the matched observations operation for series FXUSDCAD. The agent receives the latest observation date and rate value as JSON, and there are no credentials to manage because the Valet API is public.

### Is there a Bank of Canada Valet API MCP server?

You do not need an MCP server to give your agent the Bank of Canada Valet API. Jentic connects it directly from the API Directory: add the API to your workspace and your agent calls its operations on demand, without loading another server's tool definitions into its context. Because the Valet API is unauthenticated, you have nothing to store before the first call.

### Does the Valet API expose Canadian bond yields?

Yes. Government of Canada benchmark bond yields are published as named series (for example, BD.CDN.10YR.DQ.YLD for the 10-year benchmark) and can be retrieved via `/observations/{seriesCodes}/json.` Use `/lists/series/json` to enumerate the full set of available series codes.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Bank of Canada Valet API?

Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your own rules decide which operations the agent may call, so you can allow only what it needs, such as listing series and groups or retrieving observations for a specific series code. This API is read-only and unauthenticated, so there are no write operations or credentials for the agent to touch. You control the exact operation set, keeping the agent scoped to reading published economic and FX data.