State Bank of India SWIFT/BIC code

What SBINBE2X means for a payment to State Bank of India

The 8-character code SBINBE2X and the full code SBINBE2XXXX refer to the same bank: State Bank of India in Antwerpen, Belgium. Every bank on the SWIFT network uses these codes to direct payments between countries to the correct bank. In daily life you usually see the code on international invoices, in payment forms and on the account details of State Bank of India customers.

Further down 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 hit send. The SWIFT code on its own cannot identify a personal account; for that you need the IBAN or account number is for.

How up to date is this code?

We gather bank codes from publicly available data and check our list regularly. Institutions merge, close branches and retire codes – a directory can be a step behind. Figures such as the number of codes are from our directory and may differ from what State Bank of India publishes.

For a payment of any size, always confirm the BIC with State Bank of India or the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and not affiliated with State Bank of India. Should you notice a mistake, we appreciate a message.

Getting paid from abroad into a State Bank of India account

For an international payment at State Bank of India, the person paying you has to have not just the SWIFT code. That means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the SWIFT/BIC code SBINBE2XXXX and, often, your postal address.

Certain sending banks want the address of State Bank of India in Antwerpen, so keep it at hand. A typo in your account number is harder to fix than you might think, so copy the details from your online banking.

An incoming payment will not always arrive for the full amount. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin comes on top. Agree with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

What a transfer from State Bank of India abroad really costs

An international bank payment costs rather more than the fee suggests. There is the fee for the transfer itself, possibly charges from correspondent banks along the way 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 that includes a margin. Compare their rate with the mid-market rate. The difference is your real conversion cost.

Specialist money transfer services often offer a rate near the mid-market rate with clearer fees. Before your next transfer, it is worth to compare the total cost via GoldexPay rather than accepting the bank’s rate by default. You can always use your account at State Bank of India as the source of the money; only the conversion and sending happen elsewhere.

Which of the 2 codes of State Bank of India do you need?

State Bank of India has 2 separate SWIFT/BIC codes across 1 locations. Only one is the head office code, SBINBE2XXXX; the rest belong to branches, and sometimes specific services.

For the vast majority of payments to a private or business account, the head office code SBINBE2XXXX is what you need. When you receive a branch code, use it as it is rather than swapping it for the head office code.

The best way is to copy the code straight from the recipient’s invoice. Branch codes are sometimes changed or retired over time.

The Euro and what conversion costs you

Belgium uses the Euro, code EUR. A payment in a foreign currency is exchanged into EUR before it reaches the account – and the bank that does it picks the rate. There is rarely a separate line for that conversion; it is built into the rate.

Where the conversion happens has an effect on how much arrives. Sending the amount directly in EUR often prevents a second conversion – as long as your own rate is good.

The EUR rate fluctuates throughout the day, so the amount you see is usually only valid for a short time. If you pay regularly, a slightly better rate add up over time.

Paying State Bank of India in euros within SEPA

Belgium is part of the SEPA area. When you send euros within SEPA, the IBAN is usually enough and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

The BIC still matter for payments in other currencies, and for transfers from outside SEPA. If a payment form has a field for the BIC anyway, adding SBINBE2X does no harm.

Euro payments within SEPA usually arrive within one business day, and instant transfers in seconds where both banks support them. Charges on SEPA transfers tend to be low, as long as no currency conversion is involved.

When will the money arrive at State Bank of India?

A SWIFT payment usually needs anywhere from one to several business days – it depends on currency, route and the banks in between. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or just before a weekend or public holiday usually start a business day later. Sometimes a bank wants to know what the payment is for, which can hold things up.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every payment gets a unique reference, the UETR. Money transfer services often show a status online showing where the payment is.

A missing payment has to be traced from the sending side, using the payment confirmation. Request from the sender the payment receipt.

SBINBE2X or SBINBE2XXXX – which one to use?

A SWIFT code is built from fixed blocks: the first four letters identify the bank, characters five and six give the country and the two after that indicate the location. In this case, that core is SBINBE2X.

XXX at the end of SBINBE2XXXX does not stand for a missing value or a mistake: it indicates the main office of State Bank of India. Certain payment forms ask for 11 characters, and then you can add XXX behind SBINBE2X.

Leave out spaces when you enter SBINBE2X; the code is always written in one block. Copying the code beats retyping it, because one wrong letter changes the bank.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Stay alert if someone unexpectedly asks you to pay into a different account abroad. That SBINBE2X is a real code does not mean that the account is legitimate – fraudsters use real bank codes as well.

Check new bank details through a different channel, such as a phone number you already know. Watch out for urgent requests, unusual wording or an email address that differs by one letter. When a payment has already gone to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately: the sooner they act, the better the chance of a recall.

Recipients are targeted too: a classic trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to refund the difference. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof – check your own account.

Before you send: check the State Bank of India code

Ask the recipient to send you the bank details straight from their banking app. When the code you were given does not match SBINBE2X or SBINBE2XXXX, do not guess.

With a wrong code, the transfer may be delayed, bounce back or cost extra, and tracing it can take weeks. Remember the IBAN: an error there can be more difficult to undo than a wrong code.

An automatic check in your banking app merely tells you that the code is valid, not that it is the right account. Some banks now compare the name against the account before you confirm – do not ignore a mismatch warning. For a first payment, some people send a small amount first.