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Payments Architecture

Celar provides a unified API surface for handling payment operations across pay-ins, payouts, routing, and reporting.

Instead of exposing multiple operation-specific endpoints, Celar now uses a single Transfers API that supports different payment behaviors through explicit configuration.

Unified Transfers Model​

All payment flows are handled through the Transfers endpoint.

The behavior of each transfer is determined by an operationType, which defines how the system processes the transaction.

This includes:

  • Fiat Payouts – sending funds to bank or mobile money rails
  • Crypto Pay-ins (incoming) – receiving funds on-chain
  • Internal Routing & Settlement – orchestrating movement between wallets and PSPs
  • Future Flows – additional payment types introduced without breaking existing integrations

This model allows Celar to:

  • Maintain a consistent integration surface
  • Extend functionality without introducing new endpoints
  • Keep routing, settlement, and compliance logic abstracted behind a single interface

Supporting APIs​

While Transfers is the core entry point, supporting endpoints remain for auxiliary functions:

  • Statuses & Reports – tracking, reconciliation, and audit trails
  • Rates – fiat ↔ crypto exchange rate retrieval
  • Institutions – available payout partners and rails

These endpoints complement Transfers but do not handle transaction execution directly.

What This Means for Integrators​

  • All payment operations should be initiated through the Transfers endpoint
  • You must specify the correct operationType for each flow
  • New capabilities will be introduced within the same endpoint without requiring integration changes

Celar’s architecture is designed to provide a stable, extensible interface while abstracting the complexity of multi-rail payments, routing, and settlement.