> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.fonbnk.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.fonbnk.com/fiat-payment-channels.md).
# Fiat payment channels
The ways a user can pay, or be paid, in local currency.
A payment channel is how the local currency moves. Which channels exist depends on the country, and several work in only one direction.
| Channel | On-ramp | Off-ramp | Where |
| ---------------- | ------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `bank` | yes | yes | NG, ZA, BR, PH — and KE for off-ramp only |
| `mobile_money` | yes | yes | KE, GH, TZ, UG, ZM and most of West and Central Africa |
| `digital_wallet` | yes | yes | CI, SN, GM |
| `airtime` | no | yes | most countries |
| `paybill` | no | yes | KE |
| `buy_goods` | no | yes | KE |
Which are live per country is on [Supported countries and cryptocurrencies](/supported-countries-and-cryptocurrencies.md); the live answer is [Get available currencies](/server-to-server/api-endpoints/get-available-currencies.md).
{% hint style="info" %}
**Do not hard-code the fields a channel needs.** Every quote returns `fieldsToCreateOrder` for both legs, and that is the contract — it changes with the country and with which provider routes the order. The lists below are what you will typically see, not a promise.
The same goes for the transfer type. A channel is not tied to one — which one you get depends on the provider routing that country, so read `transferInstructions.type` and branch on it rather than on the channel.
{% endhint %}
### Bank
**Flows:** on-ramp and off-ramp
[**Transfer types**](/fiat-transfer-types.md)**:** `manual`, `redirect`
Typical fields: `bankCode` (an enum of banks — its `options` may carry `iconUrl` and `featured`), `bankAccountNumber`, `phoneNumber`, and depending on the provider `fullName` or `bankAccountHolderName`. A `redirect` bank offer also asks for `redirectUrl` — the page to send the user back to once they finish on the provider's site.
Both types are live: Nigeria, Brazil and the Philippines are `manual` today, South Africa is `redirect`.
For a `manual` on-ramp we return the bank account to pay into and a **transfer narration**. The narration is how we recognise the payment: a transfer without it, or from a different account than the one the user gave, will not be matched.
Nigeria bank on-ramp:
{% embed url="" %}
Nigeria bank off-ramp:
{% embed url="" %}
### Mobile money
**Flows:** on-ramp and off-ramp
[**Transfer types**](/fiat-transfer-types.md)**:** `stk_push`, `redirect`, `otp_stk_push`
Mobile money is digital cash held against a phone number. It is regulated like a bank account: you can pay in, send, and withdraw as physical cash. It is not the same as airtime, which is prepaid credit for calls, SMS and data.
Typical fields: `phoneNumber`, `carrierCode`, and often `fullName`.
Most mobile money on-ramps are an **STK push** — a prompt from the user's carrier asking them to approve the transfer with their PIN, which you drive through [Trigger order intermediate action](/server-to-server/api-endpoints/trigger-order-intermediate-action.md). But not all: Ivorian mobile money is a `redirect` channel today, where the user finishes on the provider's page and there is no prompt to re-send. `otp_stk_push`, where the user confirms a code by SMS or WhatsApp before the prompt arrives, sits on one held-back offer — see [Fiat transfer types](/fiat-transfer-types.md).
Kenya mobile money on-ramp:
{% embed url="" %}
Kenya mobile money off-ramp:
{% embed url="" %}
### Digital wallet
**Flows:** on-ramp and off-ramp
[**Transfer types**](/fiat-transfer-types.md)**:** `redirect`
Wallets like Wave that are not carrier mobile money. Live in Ivory Coast, Senegal and Gambia.
Typical fields: `phoneNumber` and `fullName`, plus `redirectUrl` on some on-ramp offers. Some digital wallet offers carry no `carriers` list at all, so do not build a wallet picker that requires one — take the field list from the quote.
On-ramp always goes through the provider's own page, so the transfer type is `redirect`: send the user to `transferInstructions.paymentUrl` and they come back when they are done.
### Airtime
**Flows:** off-ramp only
Typical fields: `phoneNumber`, `carrierCode`.
Once the user's crypto arrives, the equivalent value is topped up to their mobile line automatically. There is no confirmation step for them.
Nigeria airtime off-ramp:
{% embed url="" %}
### Paybill and Buy goods
**Flows:** off-ramp only, Kenya only
These pay a Kenyan M-PESA merchant instead of a personal wallet, so a user can settle a bill or pay a till directly from crypto.
* `paybill` takes `payBillNumber` and `bankAccountNumber` (the account reference at that paybill).
* `buy_goods` takes `buyGoodsNumber` (the till number).
---
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