---
name: bank-of-canada-valet-ingestion
description: "How to get Bank of Canada Valet API data into a pandas DataFrame and Parquet: access, the request, the format, limits, quirks and terms."
---

# Load Bank of Canada Valet series into pandas and Parquet

Source entry: https://signal-lab-jet.vercel.app/datasets/bank-of-canada-valet
Provider: https://www.bankofcanada.ca/valet/docs
Checked against the provider's documentation: 2026-10-29

## Access
- No registration and no access key.

## Request
```bash
curl 'https://www.bankofcanada.ca/valet/observations/FXUSDCAD/json?recent=5'
```

## Format
JSON (also CSV and XML): seriesDetail plus observations, each {"d": date, "<SERIES>": {"v": value}}. Values arrive as strings.

## Load into pandas and Parquet
Needs Python 3 with requests, pandas and pyarrow.
```python
"""Bank of Canada Valet API (daily USD/CAD) -> pandas -> Parquet. No key or registration."""
import requests
import pandas as pd

SERIES = "FXUSDCAD"
r = requests.get(f"https://www.bankofcanada.ca/valet/observations/{SERIES}/json",
                 params={"start_date": "2017-01-03"}, timeout=60)
r.raise_for_status()
obs = r.json()["observations"]          # [{"d": "2026-10-28", "FXUSDCAD": {"v": "1.3925"}}, ...]
df = pd.DataFrame({"date": [o["d"] for o in obs],
                   "usd_cad": [o.get(SERIES, {}).get("v") for o in obs]})
df["date"] = pd.to_datetime(df["date"])
df["usd_cad"] = pd.to_numeric(df["usd_cad"])  # values arrive as strings
df.to_parquet("boc_fxusdcad.parquet", index=False)
print(len(df), "rows", df["date"].min().date(), "to", df["date"].max().date())
```
Run by us on 2026-10-29 (python 3.13.5 | pandas 3.1.0 | pyarrow 26.0.0 | requests 2.34.2). Result: 2,451 daily rows, 2017-01-03 to 2026-10-29.

## Limits
- Rate limit: Not stated. The Bank asks you to start slow at peak times, back off on errors and cache daily data instead of calling again.

## Quirks
- The daily FX series (FXUSDCAD and others) start on 2017-01-03; older noon rates are a separate legacy series.
- Exchange rates are published once per business day, so cache them.
- The rates are indicative, for statistical and analytical use, not for executing trades.

## Terms and attribution
- Free to use, copy and distribute: attribute the Bank of Canada as the source and indicate if changes were made, without suggesting endorsement.
- Terms page: https://www.bankofcanada.ca/terms/

## Sources
- https://www.bankofcanada.ca/valet-api-how-to/: "No registration is required to use the Valet API. You do not need an access key."
- https://www.bankofcanada.ca/valet-api-how-to/: "For data that updates only once a day, such as exchange rates, store the response instead of calling the API again."
- https://www.bankofcanada.ca/terms/: "You must attribute the Bank of Canada as the source of the content, and indicate if changes were made."

Information for educational purposes only. Free tiers, limits and licenses belong to the providers and may change; check the provider's own terms before using the data.