SWIFT/BIC codes in China: banks starting with U

China: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

Our directory lists 668 banks and other institutions in China, with 2652 SWIFT/BIC codes in total. A BIC shows the banks handling a transfer exactly which bank should receive the money.

Choose a bank below to view the head office code and its other codes along with tips for payments to and from that bank. Below the list we explain how a code from China is put together, how to send money to China at a fair price and what to check before you pay.

About our data and how to check a code

Ask the recipient to copy their bank details straight from their online banking. When the code you were given does not match the code listed here, do not guess.

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes using public sources and update our list regularly. Institutions merge, close branches and change codes – a directory can be a step behind. Before any payment of any size, confirm the BIC with the recipient. GoldexPay is not a bank and is not affiliated with the banks listed.

Watch out for invoices containing changed bank details, especially when they come by email. Always verify a change of bank details through a separate channel on a number you know.

SWIFT codes in China: banks under :letter

The letter filter narrows the list to banks in China starting with :letter to make searching quicker. The figures for China mentioned here apply to every bank we list and not only this letter.

Many institutions are listed under their legal name rather than the name on their app or website, so the letter can differ from what you expect. The complete list is available if you cannot find the bank here.

When does money sent to China arrive?

There is no fixed answer for transfers to China: many arrive within a day, others take several business days. Bank holidays in either country can add a day or more.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask the sender to contact their own bank for a trace – the receiving bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Money transfer services usually provide a status in their app so you can follow the payment.

How SWIFT codes from China are built

SWIFT/BIC codes follow one international format: eight characters. Characters one to four identify the bank, characters five and six are the country code and characters seven and eight mark the location.

No matter which bank, all China codes have the same fifth and sixth letters, namely the ISO code of China. When the country letters do not match China, the code belongs to a bank in another country.

The last three characters, if present, stand for a branch or department; XXX is used for the head office. For most transfers the head office code is fine unless the recipient asks for a specific branch.

China and the Chinese Yuan

China uses the Chinese Yuan, with the currency code CNY. If you send another currency, the amount gets converted somewhere along the way – by your bank, a bank in between or the recipient’s bank.

Where the conversion happens affects how much arrives, since every bank sets its own rate. Check how much CNY the recipient gets with several services; the difference between options can be larger than you expect. Rates for CNY move during the day, so a quote is usually valid only briefly.

Bank or transfer service for China?

When you send money to China via your bank, the fee you see is rarely all of the cost. You pay the transfer fee, possibly charges from intermediary banks along the way and, most importantly, the exchange rate markup if the money is converted.

That exchange rate margin is often the biggest part of the cost. Compare the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites.

For many currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the rate. GoldexPay lists these providers side by side so you can see what actually arrives in China before you commit.

Which bank in China has the most codes?

In our data, Bank of Communications holds the largest number of SWIFT/BIC codes of all banks in China. Its main office has COMMCNSHXXX.

How many codes a bank has tells you more about how it registers branches and services than about how big it is. Making a payment to Bank of Communications? Go with COMMCNSHXXX unless a specific branch code is requested.

Why a transfer to China needs a SWIFT code

China is not part of the SEPA area, so European euro rules do not apply. Payments from abroad normally travel through the SWIFT network – which is why you need the BIC of the recipient’s bank.

Not all countries use IBAN numbers – where there is none, the local account number is enough. The recipient’s bank usually provides a list of required details for incoming international payments. On the way to China, a transfer may go through intermediary banks.

What a sender needs to pay you in China

If you are waiting for a payment from another country on an account in China, send the payer everything they need in one go. Share the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and your address, which some banks require.

Look up your bank in the list above. It helps to include your bank’s name and city as well because some forms have separate fields for it.

Expect that the amount credited is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Correspondent banks can take a fee, your bank may charge for incoming payments, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate comes on top. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs.