> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.platform.chipper.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create a virtual account

> Provisions a dedicated bank account number your customer can transfer into from any bank. Every deposit is credited to your balance in that currency and fires a `collection.completed` webhook — no polling, no manual reconciliation. Typically one per customer: set `externalReference` to your customer id so deposits map back.



## OpenAPI

````yaml /api-reference/openapi.json post /v1/virtual-accounts
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: Chipper Platform API
  version: '2026-02-20'
  description: >-
    Payouts, collections, and FX across African rails — bank, mobile money, and
    stablecoins — through one API.
servers:
  - url: https://api.platform.chipper.ai
    description: Production (sk_live_ keys)
  - url: https://sandbox-api.platform.chipper.ai
    description: Sandbox (sk_test_ keys — simulated rails, no real money)
security:
  - bearerAuth: []
paths:
  /v1/virtual-accounts:
    post:
      tags:
        - Virtual accounts
      summary: Create a virtual account
      description: >-
        Provisions a dedicated bank account number your customer can transfer
        into from any bank. Every deposit is credited to your balance in that
        currency and fires a `collection.completed` webhook — no polling, no
        manual reconciliation. Typically one per customer: set
        `externalReference` to your customer id so deposits map back.
      requestBody:
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                currency:
                  type: string
                  minLength: 2
                  maxLength: 10
                externalReference:
                  type: string
                  maxLength: 255
                metadata:
                  type: object
                  additionalProperties: {}
              required:
                - currency
      responses:
        '201':
          description: The provisioned account, ready to receive transfers.
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: object
                properties:
                  virtualAccount:
                    allOf:
                      - $ref: '#/components/schemas/VirtualAccount'
                      - type: object
                        properties:
                          metadata:
                            type: object
                            additionalProperties: {}
                          updatedAt:
                            type: string
                            format: date-time
                        required:
                          - metadata
                          - updatedAt
                required:
                  - virtualAccount
        '400':
          description: Invalid request — the body failed validation.
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
              example:
                error: validation_error
                message: Request validation failed
                requestId: req_q7vei435zifs51ia0lqr
        '401':
          description: Missing or invalid API key.
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
              example:
                error: unauthorized
                message: Invalid API key
                requestId: req_q7vei435zifs51ia0lqr
        '403':
          description: The API key lacks the required scope.
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
              example:
                error: forbidden
                message: API key does not have the required scope
                requestId: req_q7vei435zifs51ia0lqr
      security:
        - bearerAuth: []
components:
  schemas:
    VirtualAccount:
      type: object
      properties:
        id:
          type: string
          example: va_k3m9x2pq7wz4t6vbn8hd
        status:
          type: string
          enum:
            - active
            - paused
          description: Toggled via PATCH.
        currency:
          type: string
          example: NGN
        bank:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          description: >-
            Bank holding the account — give this to the customer with the
            number.
          example: Wema Bank
        accountNumber:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          example: '7812345678'
        accountName:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          description: Name shown to the sender at their bank.
          example: Chipper / Acme Ltd
        externalReference:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          description: Your reference, e.g. the customer id this account belongs to.
          example: customer-8841
        createdAt:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          example: '2026-08-01T09:12:44.000Z'
      required:
        - id
        - status
        - currency
        - bank
        - accountNumber
        - accountName
        - externalReference
        - createdAt
    Error:
      type: object
      properties:
        error:
          type: string
          description: Stable machine-readable code.
        message:
          type: string
          description: Human-readable explanation.
        requestId:
          type: string
          description: Echoed in the x-request-id response header — quote it to support.
      required:
        - error
        - message
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      description: 'Your API key: `sk_test_…` (sandbox) or `sk_live_…` (production).'

````