SWIFT/BIC codes

A SWIFT code — sometimes also called a BIC number — is a standard format for Business Identifier Cod. It’s used to identify banks and financial institutions globally. It says who and where they are — a sort of international bank code or ID.These codes are used when transferring money between banks, in particular for international wire transfers or SEPA payments. Banks also use these codes to exchange messages between each other.

A SWIFT/BIC is an 8-11 character code that identifies your country, city, bank, and branch.

Bank code -4 letters representing the bank. It usually looks like a shortened version of that bank's name.

Country code -2 letters representing the country the bank is in.

Location code-2 characters made up of letters or numbers. It says where that bank's head office is.

Branch Code-3 digits specifying a particular branch. 'XXX' represents the bank’s head office.

When do you need a SWIFT/BIC code?

If you’re sending or receiving money internationally between banks, particularly international wire transfers or SEPA payments, you may be asked for a SWIFT code. SWIFT codes help banks to process transfers from abroad.

A SWIFT code usually consists of 8 or 11 characters. If you come across 8-digit SWIFT code, note that it is the main branch/office of the bank. For further clarification a simple skeleton of its feature is shown below. Every character has a significance which has been explained below for a quick understanding:

• First 4 characters - Represents the bank code (alphabetic)

• Next 2 characters - ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (alphabetic)

• Next 2 characters - location code (alphanumeric) (passive participants have 1 in the second character)

• Last 3 characters - Determines the branch code, optional (XXX for main branch/office) (alphanumeric)

This makes it so logical and synchronized to easily spot the bank and its branch with the help of the code.

What is BankSwiftCode.ORG?

BankSwiftCode is a website that has been designed exclusively for offering free BIC Codes / Swift Codes directory for searching any financial institution's Bank Identification Code. You have all the convenience of choosing from two kinds of searches- Alphabetical search and Keyword search, to have quick and convenient access. It is a simple process. You just need to add the bank's name and you will be provided with all the information about that bank that is available in our database.

SWIFT Code, BIC

The following countries are the 24th largest economies based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as listed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

1.	UNITED STATES						13.	SPAIN
2.	CHINA						14.	CANADA
3.	JAPAN						15.	INDONESIA
4.	INDIA						16.	TURKEY
5.	GERMANY						17.	IRAN
6.	RUSSIA						18.	AUSTRAILA
7.	BRAZIL						19.	TAWIAN
8.	UNITED KINGDOM						20.	POLAND
9.	FRANCE						21.	ARGENTINA
10.	ITALY						22.	NETHERLANDS
11.	MEXICO						23.	SOUDI ARABIA
12.	SOUTH KOREA						24.	THAILAND

What are Domestic Bank Codes?

Some countries also implement domestic bank code or clearing system to transfer money within their own border. Examples are, Routing Number in United States (USA), Routing Number or Transit Number in Canada, Sort Codes in United Kingdom (UK), National Sort Codes (NSC) in Ireland, Bankleitzahl (BLZ Codes) in Germany, Bankenclearing-Nummer (BC) & SIX Interbank Clearing Codes (SIC) in Switzerland, Code Banque & Code Guichet In France, Codice ABI (ABI) & Codice di Avviamento Bancario (CAB Code) in Italy, Registreringsnummer (Reg. nr.) in Denmark, Bank State Branch (BSB number) in Australia, Bank State Branch (BSB number) in New Zealand and Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) in India.

Code, ISO 9362

SWIFT Code or BIC code are part of ISO 9362 standards. It is a standard format of Business Identifier Codes (BIC). BIC sometimes also refers to Bank Identifier Code.

SWIFT Code or BIC Code is a unique code to identify financial and non-financial institutions. These codes are mostly used when transferring money between banks, especially for international wire transfers or telegraphic transfer (TT). The codes are also used in exchanging messages between banks.

For individual users, SWIFT Code normally used to transmit money across the international border.

1. BIC是银行识别码，意思是 Bank Indentifier code,SWIFT是Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication ,我们一般不用BIC,基本上都不用这个.用swift代码是最常见的。

2. 而一般情况下每个银行都有自己单独的BIC代码与SWIFT CODE

3. 而且他们俩是不一样的.当然也有一些银行只有BIC代码,或者只有SWIFT CODE。

4. 其实无论是BIC代码与SWIFT CODE,.他们的作用就相对于银行这个单位的身份证一样.确认这个银行到底是哪一个银行的.

值得注意的是汇款到欧洲SWIFT和IBAN必须同时拥有，只有一个都不行。汇款是通过SWIFT先进全球的系统，再划到欧洲区，到了欧洲区再由IBAN确定具体的某家银行.所以一般我们汇款到英国和美国只需要swift代码,汇款到欧洲一般就相对麻烦一些了。

银行国际代码(SWIFT Code)是由SWIFT协会提出并被ISO通过的银行识别代码，凡该协会的成员银行都有自己特定的SWIFT代码.在电汇时，汇出行按照收款行的SWIFT CODE发送付款电文，就可将款项汇至收款行。该号相当于各个银行的身份证号。其原名是BIC(Bank Identifier Code)，但是BIC这个名字意思太泛，担心有人理解成别的银行识别代码系统，故渐渐大家约定俗成地把BIC叫作SWIFT Code了。

SWIFT是（Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications）环球银行间金融通信协会是一个由金融机构共同拥有的私营股份公司，按比利时的法律登记注册，由会员银行和其他金融机构协同管理。

银行国际代码（SWIFT Code）一般用于发电汇，信用证电报，每个银行都有，用于快速处理银行间电报往来。SWIFT是一个国际银行间非盈利性的国际合作组织，总部设在比利时的布鲁塞尔，同时在荷兰阿姆斯特丹和美国纽约分别设立交换中心(Swifting Center），并为各参加国开设集线中心(National Concentration），为国际金融业务提供快捷、准确、优良的服务。SWIFT运营着世界级的金融电文网络，银行和其他金融机构通过它与同业交换电文（Message）来完成金融交易。除此之外，SWIFT还向金融机构销售软件和服务，其中大部分的用户都在使用SWIFT网络。

3）银行识别代码（Bank Identifier Code---BIC）是由电脑可以自动判读的八位或是十一位英文字母或阿拉伯数字组成，用于在SWIFT电文中明确区分金融交易中相关的不同金融机构。凡该协会的成员银行都有自己特定的SWIFT代码，即SWIFT Code。在电汇时，汇出行按照收款行的SWIFT Code发送付款电文，就可将款项汇至收款行。该号相当于各个银行的身份证号。

十一位数字或字母的BIC可以拆分为银行代码、国家代码、地区代码和分行代码四部分。以中国银行北京分行为例，其银行识别代码为BKCHCNBJ110。其含义为：BKCH（银行代码）、CN（国家代码）、BJ（地区代码）、110（分行代码）。
（1）银行代码（Bank Code）：由四位英文字母组成，每家银行只有一个银行代码，并由其自定，通常是该行的行名字头缩写，适用于其所有的分支机构。
（2）国家代码(Country Code)：由两位英文字母组成，用以区分用户所在的国家和地理区域。
（3）地区代码(Location Code)：由0、1以外的两位数字或两位字母组成，用以区分位于所在国家的地理位置，如时区、省、州、城市等。
（4）分行代码(Branch Code)：由三位字母或数字组成，用来区分一个国家里某一分行、组织或部门。如果银行的BIC只有八位而无分行代码时，其初始值订为“XXX”。
同时，SWIFT还为没有加入SWIFT组织的银行，按照此规则编制一种在电文中代替输入其银行全称的代码。所有此类代码均在最后三位加上“BIC”三个字母，用来区别于正式SWIFT会员银行的SWIFT地址代码。