Bank of China SWIFT/BIC code

BKCHAU2S – the SWIFT/BIC code of Bank of China

BKCHAU2S and BKCHAU2SMEL are two ways of writing the same bank identifier, and both point to Bank of China in Melbourne. A SWIFT code shows the banks handling a payment exactly which bank should receive the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. You will need it mainly when dealing with transfers between countries and payments in foreign currencies.

Further down you will find the practical questions: receiving money at Bank of China, paying someone in another country and how to check the code before you confirm a payment. The BIC names a bank or branch, not a single account.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Be alert if a contact unexpectedly asks you to pay into a different account abroad. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether the request is genuine – scammers simply use real codes.

Do not rely on a phone number in the same message that announces the change. Watch out for time pressure, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. Already paid? Call your bank without delay and ask them to try to recall the payment and report the fraud.

Fraud also work the other way: someone claims to have sent too much and asks you to return the extra to a new account. Do not act before the money is actually in your account and check with Bank of China if anything seems off.

Receiving money from abroad at Bank of China

For an international payment into your account at Bank of China, the sender has to have not just the SWIFT code. Give them your name as the bank knows it, your account number or IBAN, the BIC BKCHAU2SMEL and your address.

It helps to add Bank of China and its city as well, because some payment forms have separate fields for them. Double-check each detail before you share them.

Expect that the incoming amount is below what the sender paid. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and when currencies differ, an exchange rate margin comes on top. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.

BKCHAU2S or BKCHAU2SMEL – which one to use?

Each SWIFT/BIC code has the same eight core characters: a four-letter bank code, two letters for the country and two characters for the location. The result is BKCHAU2S for Bank of China.

The long version has a three-character extension that identify a branch or department. If the last three are XXX, they simply mean the head office, so BKCHAU2SMEL and BKCHAU2S are interchangeable.

In practice the code is typed in capitals and without spaces. Look out for O versus 0 or the letter I and the digit 1; they are easy to mix up.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Bank of China

How quickly a transfer reaches Bank of China is determined by a few things: which currency you send, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Bank holidays in the sending or receiving country can add a day or more, since banks do not process on those days. Extra checks on larger or unusual payments may also cause a delay.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Every gpi transfer carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Money transfer services usually show tracking in their app so you can see where the payment is.

A delayed transfer has to be investigated by the sending bank on the basis of the transfer details. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation including the reference – it helps your own bank look for the money.

Before you send: check the Bank of China code

Have the recipient send you their bank details directly from their online banking. Check that code with BKCHAU2S on this page.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code tend to be costly rather than disastrous – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. A mistake in the account number is more serious because it can reach the wrong person; check it just as carefully.

A validity check in your banking app merely tells you that the IBAN is valid, not that it is the right account. Where available, a payee name check before sending adds an extra layer of safety. Sending a small amount first is a sensible step for large sums, even if it costs an extra fee.

Paying someone abroad from your Bank of China account

If you send money to another country through Bank of China, the fee you see is only part of what you pay. Besides a fixed fee, banks in between may deduct a fee, and when currencies are converted, the bank usually applies a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the biggest item. An easy check: put the bank’s rate against the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

Money transfer services often use rates closer to the mid-market rate. Next time you send money, it is worth to compare what arrives on GoldexPay. You can always keep your account at Bank of China as the source of the money; only the conversion and sending happen elsewhere.

Which of the 2 codes of Bank of China do you need?

Our directory lists 2 SWIFT/BIC codes for Bank of China. Besides the head office code BKCHAU2SMEL, you will find codes for regional offices and specialised units.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, go with BKCHAU2SMEL or its short form BKCHAU2S. When you receive a specific code, use it as it is instead of swapping it with the head office code.

The safest approach is to copy the code straight from the recipient’s statement. Branch codes can change over time, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes using public sources and update them from time to time. Even so, banks merge or change codes. Figures such as the number of codes are from our directory and are not confirmed by Bank of China.

Before a payment of any size, always check the BIC with the recipient’s bank or the recipient. GoldexPay is not affiliated with Bank of China. If you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a message.

Paying into Bank of China in AUD

Australia pays in the Australian Dollar, code AUD. Money sent in a different currency will be exchanged into AUD before it reaches the account. There is rarely a separate charge for the conversion; it is built into the rate.

Which bank converts the money matters, because each party uses its own rate. In many cases it is cheaper to send AUD straight away through a transfer service that converts near the mid-market rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert.

Exchange rates change all the time. On larger amounts, a small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.