BNP Paribas Australia SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of BNP Paribas Australia

BNPAAU2S and BNPAAU2SXXX are two ways of writing the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both lead to BNP Paribas Australia in Sydney. Every bank on the SWIFT network uses these codes to direct international transfers to the correct institution. In daily life you mostly come across the code on international invoices, in payment forms and on the account details that BNP Paribas Australia provides.

Below you will find the practical questions: receiving money at BNP Paribas Australia, paying someone in another country and how to verify a SWIFT code before you hit send. Remember that the BIC only identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN takes care of that.

Incoming international payments to BNP Paribas Australia

To receive a transfer from abroad into your account at BNP Paribas Australia, the sender has to have not just the BIC. That means: your full name as registered with BNP Paribas Australia, your IBAN or account number, the SWIFT/BIC code BNPAAU2SXXX and sometimes your postal address.

It helps to add BNP Paribas Australia and Sydney as well. A mistake in your account number can be more trouble than it looks.

Do not be surprised if the amount credited is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Charges on incoming payments differ per bank – the price list of BNP Paribas Australia tells you what applies. For business payments, it is common to agree how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Sending money abroad from BNP Paribas Australia

A bank transfer abroad can cost more than the fee suggests. There is the fee for the transfer itself, possibly fees charged by intermediary banks in between and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate if the currency changes.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. Compare their rate with the mid-market rate, the midpoint between buy and sell rates you see on financial sites.

For many routes, a transfer service is cheaper than a traditional bank transfer – mostly thanks to the rate. Before your next transfer, it is worth comparing what arrives via GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank. Using a transfer service does not mean leaving BNP Paribas Australia.

What the XXX in BNPAAU2SXXX means

The layout of a BIC is always the same: four characters for the institution, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code. That gives you BNPAAU2S, the short form of the code.

XXX at the end of BNPAAU2SXXX does not stand for a missing value or a mistake: it stands for the head office of BNP Paribas Australia. Some forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you can add XXX behind BNPAAU2S.

Leave out spaces, dots when you type BNPAAU2S. A single character can send a payment to another bank, so check it twice.

Verifying the SWIFT code of BNP Paribas Australia

Ask the recipient to send you the bank details straight from their banking app. Check that code against BNPAAU2S here; if they differ, ask before you pay.

If the code is wrong, the payment might get stuck, bounce back or end up costing more – sometimes after weeks of searching. Do not forget the IBAN: a mistake there can be more difficult to undo than a wrong code.

Most online banking apps check the structure of IBANs and some suggest the matching BIC. Where available, a name check before sending adds an extra layer of safety. For a first payment, some people send a small amount first.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Be alert if someone unexpectedly asks you to send money to a different account or a bank in another country. That BNPAAU2S is a real code is no guarantee that a request mentioning it is legitimate.

Check changed payment details via a separate channel, not by replying to the message. Be suspicious of urgent requests, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. Already paid? Contact your bank without delay and ask them to start a recall; also report it to the police.

Recipients are targeted too: a classic trick is an overpayment followed by a request to refund the difference to another account. Wait until the money has really arrived and check with BNP Paribas Australia if anything seems off.

About this information

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using publicly available data and check them from time to time. Even so, banks merge or retire codes. The figures on this page are based on our own data and not on information from BNP Paribas Australia itself.

For any payment of any size, confirm the code with BNP Paribas Australia or with the recipient. GoldexPay is a comparison site for money transfers and not affiliated with BNP Paribas Australia. Spotted outdated information? Let us know via our contact form.

The Australian Dollar and what conversion costs you

The national currency in Australia is the Australian Dollar (AUD). If you send money in a different currency has to be converted somewhere along the way: by your bank, an intermediary or BNP Paribas Australia itself. Each conversion eats into the amount.

Where the conversion happens has an effect on how much arrives, since every bank sets its own rate. In many cases it is cheaper if you send AUD straight away via a provider with a good rate, so that the receiving bank does not need to convert again.

Rates for AUD move all the time, and some providers let you lock in a rate. With bigger transfers, a seemingly small gap in the rate adds up quickly.

When will the money arrive at BNP Paribas Australia?

A SWIFT payment typically takes one to a few business days. Payments made after the cut-off time or on a weekend or public holiday often start the next business day. Extra checks on larger or unusual payments may also cause a delay, regardless of the details.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask the sending bank for the tracking status and the transaction reference so they can trace it along the chain. Keep the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

A missing payment has to be investigated by the sending bank, using the payment confirmation. On the receiving end, you can check your account for a slightly lower amount.

Which of the 3 codes of BNP Paribas Australia do you need?

BNP Paribas Australia uses 3 different SWIFT/BIC codes. One of them is the head office code; the others belong to branches, and sometimes specific services.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, go with BNPAAU2SXXX. Only use a branch code when your contact explicitly asks for it.

If you are not sure, ask the person you are paying which code their bank gave them. Branch codes are more prone to change than the head office code.