Fednow Authentication

generated: '2026-07-24'
method: searched
source: https://www.frbservices.org/fedline-solutions/fedline-developer/fednow-apis
docs: https://www.frbservices.org/fedline-solutions/fedline-developer
summary:
  types: [mutualTLS, apiKey]
  api_key_in: [header]
  oauth2_flows: []
  gated: true
  audience: enrolled financial institutions (FedNow / FedLine participants)
schemes:
- name: ClientCertificate
  type: mutualTLS
  description: >-
    Each FedNow / FRFS API call presents a client PKI certificate. A separate
    certificate is required per environment (Test and Production); the same
    certificate may be reused across multiple APIs or a unique certificate may be
    requested per API. Certificates are provisioned through the credential-gated
    FedLine Developer platform.
- name: ClientID
  type: apiKey
  in: header
  description: >-
    A Client ID accompanies the certificate to identify the calling institution
    and its API entitlements.
- name: FedLineSecurityToken
  type: mfa
  description: >-
    FedLine multi-factor authentication security tokens gate access to the FedLine
    Developer platform where API credentials (Client ID + certificate) are managed.
    This layers institution-level MFA on top of the per-request certificate auth.
notes: >-
  FedNow is not a self-serve public API. Authentication is layered: FedLine MFA
  security tokens to reach the developer platform, then Client ID + a
  per-environment PKI client certificate on each API request. No OAuth2/OpenID
  Connect flow and no public API key self-service are published; onboarding is
  restricted to enrolled U.S. financial institutions.