Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited

The short code HASECNSH and the full code HASECNSHXXX refer to one and the same institution: Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited in Shanghai, China. A SWIFT code tells the sending bank which institution should receive the money. It comes up mostly when dealing with payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

This page is meant to help anyone who sends money to an account at Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited and wants to get the details right. A SWIFT code names an institution, not a specific account; the IBAN or account number does that.

Tracking a transfer to or from Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited

How fast a transfer arrives at Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited is determined by several factors: the currency, how many intermediary banks are involved, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Payments made after the cut-off time or just before a weekend or public holiday often start the next business day. Compliance checks on larger or unusual payments can also add some delay, regardless of the details.

If a transfer is late, ask the sending bank about the tracking status so they can trace it along the chain. Keep the payment confirmation – you will need it for any trace request.

If a payment has not arrived after a few business days, the sender needs to contact the bank that sent it rather than Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation including the reference; that often settles the question quickly.

Changed bank details? Be careful

Fraudsters regularly use fake invoices with new bank details. That HASECNSH is a real code is no guarantee that the account is legitimate; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Do not trust contact details from the same email that contains the new account. Pressure or requests to keep it quiet are red flags – a real supplier can wait a day. Already paid? Call the bank you paid from straight away and have them try to recall the payment; also report it to the police.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: a classic trick is a buyer who pays too much followed by a request to send back the difference abroad. Do not act before the money is actually in your account.

About this information

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes from public sources and update our list from time to time. It is possible that a code here is no longer current. Figures such as the number of codes are from our own dataset and are not confirmed by Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited.

Use this page as a reference, rather than as the last word. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site for money transfers and not affiliated with Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited. Should you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a short note.

Head office or branch code at Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited?

Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited has 24 separate SWIFT/BIC codes across 22 cities. Only one is the head office code; the others identify branches or departments, and sometimes internal departments.

In most cases you do not need to pick a branch: transfers addressed to HASECNSHXXX are routed within Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited correctly. Only use a branch code when the recipient explicitly asks for it, for example on a letter or invoice.

The safest route is to copy the code directly from the account holder’s bank details. Codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise.

Why Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited has an 8- and an 11-character code

A SWIFT code is made up of a few fixed parts: the first four letters stand for the bank, the next two show the country and characters seven and eight indicate the location. That gives you HASECNSH, the short form of the code.

Many banks and apps accept both lengths. If yours asks for eleven characters, enter HASECNSHXXX, otherwise HASECNSH is fine.

Enter the code as one block, in capitals and without spaces. Look out for the letter O and the digit 0 and the letter I and the digit 1.

Incoming international payments to Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited

When you expect a payment from another country, send the payer all details at once. Give them your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, the BIC HASECNSHXXX and your address, which some banks require.

You can add Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited and Shanghai too. Double-check every detail before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

An incoming payment will not always arrive for the full amount. Correspondent banks can take a fee, Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited may charge for incoming payments, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate applies. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs.

The Chinese Yuan and what conversion costs you

China pays in the Chinese Yuan, with the currency code CNY. Money sent in a different currency will be exchanged into CNY before it reaches the account. Each conversion eats into something – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Which bank converts the payment matters, because each party uses its own rate. Sending the money directly in CNY usually prevents a second conversion at the receiving end – as long as your own rate is good.

The rate for CNY fluctuates throughout the day. On larger amounts, a seemingly small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

How to check HASECNSH before you pay

Ask the recipient to copy their account details directly from their online banking. If the code you have does not match HASECNSH or HASECNSHXXX, do not guess: check with the recipient or with Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited directly.

If the code is wrong, the payment may be delayed, bounce back or end up costing more – sometimes after weeks of searching. A mistake in the IBAN or account number is more serious.

An automatic check in your banking app merely tells you that the code is valid, not that it is the right account. More and more banks check the name with the account before you confirm – do not ignore a mismatch warning. Sending a small amount first can be worth it for large sums, even if it costs an extra fee.

Sending money abroad from Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited

The price of a payment abroad has more than one component – not just the fee on your screen. Besides a fixed fee, banks in between may take a cut, and if currencies are converted, the bank usually applies a rate that is less favourable than the actual market rate.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert using an exchange rate that includes a margin. Check the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites. The difference is your real conversion cost.

For many routes, a specialist provider turns out to be less expensive than a traditional bank transfer. On GoldexPay we compare what recipients receive across services. Choosing a specialist does not mean leaving Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited.