Swifty is a complete database of over 52,000 Swift codes, which are used for international wire transfers. If you need a specific swift code for a bank, this is the database for you. All swift codes are sorted by both bank and country, so you can search for the exact code you need.
Note: We have now launched our BIN Checker over at binlist.org – which lets you search for and confirm the card issuer for a given 6-8 digit BIN number (the first 6-8 digits of your card number).
Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication
The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (“SWIFT”) headquartered in La Hulpe, Belgium, handles the registrations of Swift Codes. SWIFT is trademarked by S.W.I.F.T. SCRL with a registered address at Avenue Adèle 1, B-1310 La Hulpe, Belgium. SWIFT was founded in Brussels in 1973 under the leadership of CEO Carl Reuterskiöld and was supported by 239 banks in fifteen countries.
SWIFT has become the industry standard for the format in financial messages. Many well-known financial processing systems can read and process messages formatted in SWIFT standards, whether the message travels over the SWIFT network or not. SWIFT cooperates with international organizations for defining standards for message format and content.
Financial institutions around the world use the system provided by them to convey and collect data about financial transactions in a safe, qualified and reliable environment. SWIFT also sells software and services to financial institutions, most of it for use on the SWIFTNet Network.
Format of a Swift Code
Swift codes are usually formed of 8 (or) 11 characters. A swift code that refers to a primary office is formatted as an 8-digit code. The codes are arranged in the following manner:
AAAA BB CC DDD
- Bank Code (A-Z) – 4 letter code. The first four letters indicate the shortened version of a bank’s name.
- Country Code (A-Z) – 2 letter code. The second two letters are the country in which the bank is located.
- Location Code (0-9) (A-Z) – A 2 digit code that could be either two letters or numbers. It says where the bank’s head office is located.
- Branch Code – This is an optional 3-digit code. It states a particular branch instead of just the bank’s head office.