SWIFT/BIC codes in China: banks starting with L

Finding a SWIFT code in China

On this page you find codes for 668 institutions in China. You need such a code mainly when making international transfers and for payments in a foreign currency.

Select the bank below to see the head office code and its other codes, plus practical notes for sending and receiving money. The sections below covers the structure of the codes, the cost of transfers and how to avoid mistakes before a payment.

What a sender needs to pay you in China

To receive an international payment in China, the sender has to have more than the SWIFT code. In practice that means: your name exactly as it appears on the account, your IBAN or account number, the SWIFT/BIC code of your bank and usually your address.

The code of your bank is in the list on this page. You can include your bank’s name and city.

Expect that the amount credited is smaller than what the sender paid. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin applies. For business payments, agree who bears the costs.

How SWIFT codes from China are built

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long and the parts always come in the same order. It starts with a four-letter bank code, then a two-letter country code and a two-character location code.

No matter which bank, every code from China share the same country code in positions five and six. If the country letters do not match China, you are looking at a bank somewhere else, so check again.

An 11-character code adds a branch code – XXX stands for the head office. For most transfers the head office code is fine, unless the recipient gives you a branch code.

Filter: banks in China with :letter

This page shows only banks in China beginning with :letter in alphabetical order. The totals mentioned here apply to every bank we list, not just the ones under :letter.

Cannot find the bank? The registered name may start with a different letter. Use the full list for China when you do not know how the name is spelled.

Verifying a SWIFT code from China

The most reliable place for the correct BIC remains a document from the bank itself, such as a statement or the account page in online banking. An incorrect BIC may lead to a delay, a returned payment or extra fees, so compare it with the list on this page.

This list is based on public sources and is updated regularly. Still, banks merge, rename themselves or retire codes and our data may lag behind. Treat this list as a reference rather than the last word; the recipient’s bank details are leading. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site for money transfers.

Fraudsters regularly use fake invoices with new bank details that look completely genuine. Before paying, confirm changed details by phone.

The Chinese Yuan (CNY) and conversion costs

Bank accounts in China are typically held in CNY, the local currency. Money sent in a different currency will be exchanged into CNY – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount, as rates and margins differ per bank. Often you pay less if you send CNY straight away through a transfer service that converts near the mid-market rate so the receiving bank does not need to convert again. Exchange rates change all the time, so a quote is usually valid only briefly.

Which bank in China has the most codes?

Bank of Communications tops our list of China banks when it comes to SWIFT/BIC codes. Its main office has COMMCNSHXXX; that is usually the right code for a transfer.

A large number of codes often means that the bank registers branches and departments separately, not necessarily that the bank is the biggest in the country. If not the recipient asks for a branch, COMMCNSHXXX is fine for transfers to this bank.

How long does a transfer to China take?

An international transfer to China typically needs one to a few business days. Payments made late in the day or on a weekend or public holiday usually go out a business day later.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask the sender to contact their own bank and ask for the status or the UETR – the receiving bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Specialist transfer services usually provide tracking in their app.

Sending money to China for less

What you pay for a payment to China is made up of more than one component. You pay a transfer fee, sometimes charges from intermediary banks and, above all, the exchange rate markup when currencies differ.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate: banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. Compare the bank’s rate with the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be less expensive than a bank, mainly because of the rate. Before your next transfer to China, take a minute to compare what arrives via GoldexPay rather than accepting the first rate you see.

SWIFT transfers to China

China is outside the SEPA area, the European zone for uniform euro payments. International transfers to China normally go through the SWIFT network.

Depending on the country, the account is identified by a local account number rather than an IBAN and sometimes a local routing or branch code. The recipient’s bank often has a list of required details for incoming international payments, and it is worth following them to the letter. SWIFT payments can pass through correspondent banks, each of which may deduct a fee.