Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu) SWIFT/BIC code

Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu) SWIFT code: ARABBHBM

ARABBHBM and ARABBHBMXXX are two spellings of the same bank identifier, and both lead to Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu) in Manama. A BIC does one job: it makes sure that money from abroad ends up at the right bank. It comes up mostly when dealing with transfers between countries.

Below you will find the practical questions: money coming in from abroad, paying someone in another country and how to check a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. The BIC identifies a bank or branch, never a single account, which is why you always need the account number too.

Is ARABBHBM still correct? How to check

The safest source for the BIC is the bank details provided by the recipient: an invoice, a bank statement or their online banking. Check it against ARABBHBM here and ask if anything does not match.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code are annoying rather than disastrous – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. Remember the account number: a mistake there can be more difficult to correct than a wrong BIC.

Many banking apps check the structure of IBANs and sometimes look up the BIC automatically, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. If your bank offers it, a payee name check before sending adds extra certainty. Sending a small amount first is a sensible step for large sums.

Sending money abroad from Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu)

An international bank payment costs rather more than the listed fee. Besides the transfer fee, banks in between can take a cut, and when the money changes currency, the bank often applies a rate below the actual market rate.

Many banks rarely list their exchange rate markup separately – you only notice it if you compare. Check their rate against the mid-market rate.

For many currency pairs, a specialist provider turns out to be cheaper than a traditional bank transfer. Next time you send money, it is worth to compare the total cost on GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank. Choosing a specialist does not mean leaving Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu).

What to give a sender who pays you at Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu)

A sender in another country needs several details about your account. Give them your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, the BIC ARABBHBMXXX and your address, which some banks require.

Some banks want the name and address of Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu) in Manama, so keep it at hand. Double-check every detail before you send them.

An incoming payment will not always land for the full amount. Fees for incoming transfers differ from bank to bank. On invoices, you can agree how the fees are split.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Stay wary if someone unexpectedly asks you to pay into another account. The fact that ARABBHBM exists does not mean that a request mentioning it is genuine.

Always confirm changed bank details by phone, using a number you already had. Watch out for urgent requests, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. Acted too fast? Call the bank you paid from without delay and ask them to start a recall and report the fraud.

Fraud also target the receiver: someone sends too much and asks you to refund the difference via a different route. Wait until the money has really arrived – ask Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu) if something looks wrong.

About this information

We gather bank codes from public sources and check our list regularly. Banks reorganise, change names and retire codes – a directory can be a step behind. Figures such as the number of codes come from our own dataset.

Use this page as a reference, rather than as the last word: the recipient’s bank details come first. GoldexPay has no connection to Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu), we only compare transfer services. If you notice a mistake, we welcome a short note.

Head office or branch code at Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu)?

Our directory lists 5 SWIFT/BIC codes for Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu), spread over 1 cities. Next to the head office code ARABBHBMXXX, there are codes for branches, departments or specific services.

In most cases there is no need to pick a branch: payments addressed to ARABBHBMXXX reach Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu) without problems. Branch codes are only needed if the account holder specifically mentions it.

Unsure which code applies? Check with the recipient, or look at a recent statement from Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu). Branch codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

8 or 11 characters: ARABBHBM versus ARABBHBMXXX

The structure of every SWIFT code never changes: four characters for the institution, two for the country and a two-character location code, sometimes followed by a branch code. In this case, the 8-character core is ARABBHBM.

XXX at the end of ARABBHBMXXX does not stand for a placeholder or an error: it stands for the main office of Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu). Certain payment forms ask for 11 characters, and then you simply add XXX behind ARABBHBM.

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

How long does an international transfer to Arab Bank PLC, Offshore Banking Unit (Obu) take?

An international transfer typically needs anywhere from one to several business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country can add a day or more to the journey. Sometimes a bank asks about the purpose of a payment, which can hold things up.

When a payment takes longer than expected, contact your bank for the tracking status and the transaction reference so they can trace it along the chain. Specialist transfer services usually provide tracking online so you can see where the money is.

A delayed transfer is investigated from the sending side on the basis of the transfer details. On the receiving end, it helps to look at your statements for a partial amount because fees can reduce the amount.