The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited SWIFT/BIC code

What HSBCAU2S means for a payment to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

The short code HSBCAU2S and the full code HSBCAU2SXXX refer to one and the same institution: The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Sydney, Australia. The code does one job: it makes sure that an international payment reaches the right bank. You will need it mainly for payments that cross a border or a currency.

Further down you will find the practical questions: receiving money at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, sending money abroad and how to check a SWIFT code before you hit send. A SWIFT code names a bank or branch, not a single account; the IBAN or account number does that.

International transfers from The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited: the real cost

An international bank payment costs rather more than the listed fee. You pay the transfer fee, sometimes fees charged by intermediary banks in between and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate if the currency changes.

The markup on the rate is often the biggest item. Check their rate with the mid-market rate; the gap is what conversion costs you.

For many routes, a transfer service is less expensive than a bank. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives with different services. Using a transfer service does not mean closing your account at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited: you simply pay the service from your account.

Before you send: check the The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited code

The best place to find the correct BIC is paperwork issued by the bank. Check that code with HSBCAU2S here and ask if anything does not match.

Errors in the BIC tend to be annoying rather than fatal – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. A mistake in the IBAN or account number can be more serious; 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. If your bank offers it, a payee name check before sending adds an extra layer of safety. When you pay someone new, some people send a small amount first and wait for confirmation.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

How fast a payment arrives at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited depends on a few things: which currency you send, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Weekends and public holidays in either country can add extra days to the journey. Compliance checks by one of the banks may also cause some delay.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi. Each gpi transfer gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to see where the money is. Money transfer services usually show a status online so you can see where the payment has got.

Only the sending bank can start an official trace – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. On the receiving end, it helps to check your account to see a slightly lower amount.

Choosing between the 3 SWIFT codes of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

Having 3 codes in 1 cities, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited belongs to the banks that use individual codes for branches. The main code is HSBCAU2SXXX.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, use HSBCAU2SXXX or its short form HSBCAU2S. Just use a branch code when the account holder explicitly asks for it, for example on an invoice or in their bank details.

When in doubt, check with the recipient for the exact BIC in their bank details. Branch codes are more likely to change than the head office code.

How up to date is this code?

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes from publicly available data and update our list from time to time. Still, banks merge or retire codes. Counts and locations come from our own dataset and are not confirmed by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.

Use this page as a starting point, rather than as the last word. We are a comparison service and not part of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. Spotted outdated information? Let us know via our contact form so we can correct it.

Watch out for payment fraud

Be alert when someone unexpectedly wants you to pay into a different account or a bank in another country. A correct SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account.

Check changed payment details through a separate channel, such as a phone number you already know, never via the email that asked for the change. Pressure or secrecy are red flags; a genuine business can wait for you to check. Already paid? Call your bank without delay and ask them to try to recall the payment and report the fraud.

Recipients can be targeted as well: one known trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to send back the difference. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing – check your own account.

8 or 11 characters: HSBCAU2S versus HSBCAU2SXXX

The layout of every SWIFT code is always the same: a bank code of four letters, two for the country and a two-character location code, plus an optional branch code. In this case, the 8-character core is HSBCAU2S.

XXX at the end of HSBCAU2SXXX does not stand for a placeholder or an error: it stands for the main office of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. Some forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you simply add XXX after HSBCAU2S.

Leave out spaces, dots when you enter HSBCAU2S; the code is always written in one block. Look out for the letter O and the digit 0 and the letter I and the digit 1, a common source of typos.

What to give a sender who pays you at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

When you expect money from abroad, give the sender a complete set of details. Share the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, the BIC HSBCAU2SXXX and your address.

The sender’s bank might request the address of your bank, in which case the Sydney head office is the usual answer. Double-check each detail before you share them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

Do not be surprised if the amount credited is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Correspondent banks can take a fee, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited may charge for incoming payments, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin comes on top. On invoices, it is common to state how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Sending AUD to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

The currency of Australia is the Australian Dollar (AUD). Money sent in a different currency will be exchanged into AUD before it reaches the account. Every conversion costs the amount.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount, as rates and margins differ per bank. Often you pay less if you send AUD directly through a provider that converts near the mid-market rate.

Exchange rates change all the time, and some providers let you lock in a rate. With bigger transfers, a small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.