Czech National Bank — Free Exchange Rate API (CNB, Czech Republic, XML)

TL;DR

The Czech National Bank publishes daily foreign exchange rates for the Czech koruna (CZK) against 150+ global currencies. The data comes in XML format and updates every workday after 14:00 local time. This is the official reference rate used by all Czech banks and financial institutions — authoritative for CZK-denominated transactions.

Quick start: https://www.cnb.cz/cs/financni_trhy/devizovy_trh/kurzy_devizoveho_trhu/denni_kurz.xml

No API key needed — just make a request!

Response Format

The API returns an XML document with a <kurzy> root element containing individual <banka> entries for each currency. Each entry includes: currency code (ISO), amount (units per CZK rate), country, and the exchange rate value. Parse the XML to extract specific currency pairs.

API URL: https://www.cnb.cz/cs/financni_trhy/devizovy_trh/kurzy_devizoveho_trhu/denni_kurz.xml
Documentation: CNB Exchange Rates
Category: Finance
Authentication: Not Required
Geographic Coverage: CZ — Czech Republic, but covers 150+ global currencies

How to Use This API

1. Fetch Daily Rates (XML)

https://www.cnb.cz/cs/financni_trhy/devizovy_trh/kurzy_devizoveho_trhu/denni_kurz.xml

2. JavaScript — Parse XML and Find a Rate

async function getRate(currencyCode) {
  const resp = await fetch(
    'https://www.cnb.cz/cs/financni_trhy/devizovy_trh/kurzy_devizoveho_trhu/denni_kurz.xml'
  );
  const xmlText = await resp.text();
  const parser = new DOMParser();
  const xml = parser.parseFromString(xmlText, 'text/xml');
  const rows = xml.querySelectorAll('banka');
  
  for (const row of rows) {
    if (row.getAttribute('kod') === currencyCode) {
      const amount = parseInt(row.getAttribute('mnozstvi'));
      const rate = parseFloat(row.getAttribute('kurz').replace(',', '.'));
      return { code: currencyCode, rate: rate / amount, unit: amount };
    }
  }
  return null;
}

getRate('USD').then(r =>
  console.log(`1 CZK = ${1/r.rate} USD (or ${r.rate} CZK per 1 USD)`));

3. Python — Parse XML Rates

import requests
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET

resp = requests.get(
    'https://www.cnb.cz/cs/financni_trhy/devizovy_trh/kurzy_devizoveho_trhu/denni_kurz.xml'
)
root = ET.fromstring(resp.content)

for banka in root.findall('.//banka'):
    code = banka.get('kod')
    amount = int(banka.get('mnozstvi'))
    rate = float(banka.get('kurz').replace(',', '.'))
    print(f"{code}: {amount} unit(s) = {rate} CZK")

# Also available as a JSON-friendly CSV:
# https://www.cnb.cz/en/financial_markets/foreign_exchange_market/exchange_rate_fixing/daily.txt

Try the daily XML feed: https://www.cnb.cz/cs/financni_trhy/devizovy_trh/kurzy_devizoveho_trhu/denni_kurz.xml

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Frequently Asked Questions

What format does the API return?: XML by default. CNB also offers a CSV/text version at /denni_kurz.txt which is easier to parse. Both contain the same data — exchange rates for 150+ currencies against CZK.
How often are rates updated?: Every workday (Monday to Friday) after 14:00 Prague time (CET/CEST). Weekend and public holiday rates reflect the last available working day.
Is the API rate limited?: There are no documented rate limits, but as a government website, it's designed for moderate usage. Caching the XML for a few hours is recommended if you query frequently.
Can I get historical rates?: Yes! CNB provides historical daily rates via a different endpoint: https://www.cnb.cz/en/financial_markets/foreign_exchange_market/exchange_rate_fixing/year.txt?year=2026. You can also query specific dates.
Is there a JSON endpoint?: The official endpoints return XML or CSV text. However, you can use /denni_kurz.txt and parse the semicolon-separated values, which is straightforward for most programming languages.
What currencies are tracked?: 150+ currencies including all major ones: USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, JPY, CNY, RUB, and many emerging market currencies. The exact list varies slightly depending on what CNB tracks.

What You Can Build

CZK currency converter widget for e-commerce sites targeting Czech customers
Accounting tool that converts invoices to CZK using official central bank rates
Travel expense tracker for trips to the Czech Republic
Historical exchange rate chart for CZK against major currencies
Euro-calculator for Czech businesses trading with EU partners