Banco de Occidente SWIFT/BIC code

Banco de Occidente SWIFT code: OCCICOBC

Whether you are given OCCICOBC or OCCICOBCXXX, you are looking at the same address for Banco de Occidente in Colombia. The code does one job: it makes sure that a cross-border transfer reaches the right bank. In daily life you mostly come across it on international invoices, in your banking app and on the account details of Banco de Occidente customers.

We wrote this page to help anyone who receives money at an account at Banco de Occidente without mistakes. The BIC identifies a bank or branch, not a single account.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using publicly available data and check them from time to time. Institutions reorganise, close branches and retire codes, and a directory never catches every change immediately. Figures such as the number of codes come from our own dataset and may differ from what Banco de Occidente publishes.

See the information here as a handy check, and let the details from the recipient or Banco de Occidente have the final say. GoldexPay has no connection to Banco de Occidente, we only compare transfer services. Should you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a message via the contact page.

Receiving money from abroad at Banco de Occidente

A sender in another country will ask for a few details about your account – incomplete details often cause delays. The basics are: your name, IBAN or account number, OCCICOBCXXX and, for some countries, your home address.

Some sending banks want the bank’s address in Cali; it does no harm to include it. Check each detail before you share them.

What lands in your account can be lower than what was sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin comes on top. Agree with the sender who covers the fees before the money is sent.

Paying someone abroad from your Banco de Occidente account

When you send money to another country from Banco de Occidente, the fee you see is rarely all of what you pay. You pay the fee for the transfer itself, sometimes fees charged by intermediary banks in between and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate when the money is converted.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert using an exchange rate with a margin built in. Compare their rate against the mid-market rate.

Money transfer services often offer a rate near the mid-market rate and lower fees. Next time you send money, take a minute comparing the total cost on GoldexPay rather than accepting the bank’s rate by default. Choosing a specialist does not require leaving Banco de Occidente.

Choosing between the 8 SWIFT codes of Banco de Occidente

Our database contains 8 SWIFT/BIC codes for Banco de Occidente in 7 cities. Next to the head office code OCCICOBCXXX, there are codes for regional offices and specialised units.

If nobody asks you for a branch code, go with OCCICOBCXXX or its short form OCCICOBC. Branch codes are only needed when the account holder specifically mentions it.

The best way is to take the code directly from the account holder’s bank details. Codes for branches are more likely to be retired than OCCICOBCXXX.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Banco de Occidente

There is no single answer for international payments: many arrive the same day or the next while others need several business days. Weekends and public holidays in either country add extra days to the journey. Sometimes a bank asks about the purpose of a payment before releasing it.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask your bank about the tracking status or the UETR. Money transfer services often show tracking in their app showing where the money has got.

If the money does not arrive within the expected time, the sender needs to contact the bank that sent it. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation – it helps your own bank look for the money.

8 or 11 characters: OCCICOBC versus OCCICOBCXXX

The layout of every SWIFT code is always the same: a bank code of four letters, a two-letter country code and two for the location, plus an optional branch code. The result is OCCICOBC.

Many banks and apps accept either length. If a form requires eleven characters, use OCCICOBCXXX; if it wants eight, use OCCICOBC.

Enter the code as one block, in capitals and without separators. Copying the code beats typing it by hand: a typo can point to another bank.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Stay wary if someone unexpectedly wants you to pay into a different account abroad. That OCCICOBC is a real code does not mean 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. Urgency and requests to keep it quiet are red flags. Already paid? Call your bank without delay and ask them to start a recall; also report it to the police.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: a classic trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to send back the difference abroad. A payment confirmation from the sender is no proof – check your own account.

Before you send: check the Banco de Occidente code

Ask the recipient to send you the account details directly from their banking app. If the code you have differs from OCCICOBC or OCCICOBCXXX, do not guess: check with the recipient or with Banco de Occidente directly.

Errors in the BIC are costly rather than fatal. Do not forget the account number: a mistake there can be more difficult to correct than a wrong BIC.

An automatic check by your bank merely tells you that the IBAN is valid. Some banks now compare the payee name against the account. A small test payment is a sensible step for a large first payment.