Financial institution identification codes used for international interbank transfers.
Overview
SWIFT/BIC Codes
SWIFT/BIC codes are unique identifiers for financial institutions used in international interbank transfers. Compliant with ISO 9362 standard, they consist of 8 or 11 alphanumeric characters. SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) is a cooperative organization headquartered in Belgium, with over 11,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries using this network. BIC (Business Identifier Code) is the official name, originally called Bank Identifier Code but renamed to include non-banking financial institutions.
SWIFT
BIC
international transfer
bank code
financial institution
ISO 9362
wire transfer
| code | slug | name | description | example | format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | bic-8 | 8-character BIC (BIC8) | An 8-character BIC code identifying the head office of a financial institution. | BOFAUS3N | AAAABBCC |
| 11 | bic-11 | 11-character BIC (BIC11) | An 11-character BIC code identifying a specific branch. | BOFAUS3NXXX | AAAABBCCDDD |
| BEI | business-entity-identifier | Business Entity Identifier (BEI) | A BIC code assigned to non-financial institutions. | AAAABBCC or AAAABBCCDDD |
- ISO 9362:2014 - Banking — Banking telecommunication messages — Business identifier code (BIC) official
- SWIFT - Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication official
- What Is a SWIFT Code? Format and Examples - PayPal reference
- Important information about BIC and SWIFT codes - Stripe reference