SWIFT/BIC codes in China: banks starting with D

China: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

In China our database holds 2652 SWIFT/BIC codes, spread over 668 banks. Each code identifies an institution or a specific branch or department and tells other banks where an international payment should go.

Every bank is listed with its own page with the head office code and if there are any, branch codes. The rest of this page explain how the codes work, the cost of transfers and the checks worth doing before a payment.

Filter: banks in China with :letter

This filter limits the list down to banks from China that begin with :letter to make searching quicker. The figures for China on this page apply to every bank we list and not only this letter.

Cannot find the bank? The registered name might start with a different letter, for example the full legal name rather than a brand name. The complete list remains available when the letter filter does not help.

About our data and how to check a code

The safest source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details. If the code you have does not match our list, do not guess: check with the recipient or the bank.

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes from public sources and check them regularly. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or retire codes, so information can be out of date. Treat our data as a starting point rather than the last word: the bank details from the recipient come first. We are a comparison site.

Fraudsters regularly use fake invoices with changed bank details that look completely genuine. A valid BIC says nothing about who owns the account.

Bank or transfer service for China?

An international bank payment to China often costs more than the fee suggests. You pay a transfer fee, sometimes fees from correspondent banks and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate if the money is converted.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee. An easy check: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialist money transfer services frequently offer rates closer to the mid-market rate. On GoldexPay we compare the amount that arrives in China with different services, so you can pick the cheapest route.

Receiving money in China from abroad

When you expect money from abroad in China, give the sender a complete set of details. Share your name as registered with the bank, the IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and your address, which some banks require.

Look up the bank in the list on this page, but take the code from your own bank details when in doubt. Certain banks also ask for your bank’s address; it does no harm to include it.

What lands in your account is often lower than the amount sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate applies. On invoices, agree who bears the costs.

SWIFT transfers to China

China is outside the SEPA area, so European euro rules do not apply. International transfers to China usually travel through the SWIFT network, and the BIC of the receiving bank is required.

Not every country uses the IBAN – where there is none, the local account number is enough. The recipient’s bank usually has a list of required details for incoming international payments, and it is worth following them to the letter. On the way to China, a payment may pass through correspondent banks that take a fee.

How SWIFT codes from China are built

A BIC is either 8 or 11 characters long and follows a fixed pattern. First comes a four-letter bank code, then a two-letter country code and a two-character location code.

Whatever the bank, every code from China share the same country code in positions five and six. A code with a different country code belong to another country, even if the bank name looks familiar.

The optional last three characters identify a specific branch; XXX is used for the head office. For most transfers the head office code is what you need, unless the recipient gives you a branch code.

Sending CNY to China

Most accounts in China are typically held in CNY – the Chinese Yuan. Money sent in a different currency is exchanged into CNY on its way to the recipient, and whoever converts it chooses the rate.

Who does the conversion has an effect on how much arrives. Often you pay less if you send CNY directly through a transfer service with a good rate. Exchange rates move all the time, so a quote is usually valid only briefly.

The largest SWIFT network in China: Bank of Communications

In our directory, Bank of Communications holds the most SWIFT/BIC codes in China. The head office of Bank of Communications uses COMMCNSHXXX and that code covers most payments.

A large number of codes often reflects that the bank registers branches and departments separately. If not a branch code is given, the head office code COMMCNSHXXX works for a payment to Bank of Communications.

How long does a transfer to China take?

How fast a payment arrives in China is determined by several factors: which currency you send, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Public holidays in China or in the sending country add a day or more, because banks do not process payments on those days.

If the money seems delayed, the sender should contact the sending bank for a trace. Money transfer services usually show tracking in their app.