Banco Popular-Colombia SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Banco Popular-Colombia

If an invoice shows BPOPCOBB or BPOPCOBBXXX, it is the same identifier for Banco Popular-Colombia in Colombia. The code does one job: it makes sure that an international payment reaches the right bank. It comes up mostly when dealing with transfers between countries.

On this page we explain how the code is put together, when you need it and what else a transfer to or from Banco Popular-Colombia requires. Remember that the SWIFT code just identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN takes care of that.

Tracking a transfer to or from Banco Popular-Colombia

How quickly a transfer reaches Banco Popular-Colombia is determined by several factors: the currency, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Bank holidays in the sending or receiving country add a day or more to the journey. Extra checks by one of the banks may also add a delay, regardless of the details.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each gpi transfer carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Save your transfer receipt until the recipient confirms; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

If the money does not arrive after a few business days, the sender needs to start with the bank that sent it, not the receiving bank. As a recipient, you can look at your account for a partial amount.

About this information

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes using public sources and check our list from time to time. Even so, banks merge or change codes, so information can be out of date. Counts and locations are from our own dataset.

See our directory here as a helpful check. GoldexPay is not affiliated with Banco Popular-Colombia; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Should you notice a mistake, we appreciate a message.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Stay wary if someone unexpectedly asks you to pay into another account or a bank in another country. A correct SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account.

Never trust contact details from the same email that announces the new account. Watch out for time pressure, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. When money has already gone to a fraudster, call your bank right away – speed improves the chance of getting it back.

Scams can also target the receiver. Someone sends more than agreed and asks you to return the difference. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof – check your own account.

What a transfer from Banco Popular-Colombia abroad really costs

The price of a payment abroad is made up of several parts. On top of the transfer fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can deduct a fee, and if the money changes currency the bank often uses a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee: the bank converts using an exchange rate with a margin built in. A simple test: set the rate you get against the mid-market rate for the same moment and work out the difference on your amount.

For many routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a bank – mostly thanks to the rate. GoldexPay compares transfer providers side by side, showing what actually arrives before you commit. You can always keep your account at Banco Popular-Colombia.

Incoming international payments to Banco Popular-Colombia

For a transfer from abroad into your account at Banco Popular-Colombia, the person paying you has to have more than the BIC. In practice that means: your name as registered with Banco Popular-Colombia, your account number or IBAN, the BIC BPOPCOBBXXX and sometimes your postal address.

Certain banks also ask for the name and address of Banco Popular-Colombia; it does no harm to include it. A mistake in your account number can be harder to fix than it looks; copy them from your banking app rather than typing.

The amount you receive can be lower than what was sent. Charges on incoming payments differ per bank; check the price list of Banco Popular-Colombia. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

Banco Popular-Colombia: head office code versus branch codes

Banco Popular-Colombia uses 14 separate SWIFT/BIC codes across 11 cities. Only one is the head office code, BPOPCOBBXXX; the rest belong to branches, and sometimes internal departments.

For the vast majority of payments to a private or business account, the head office code BPOPCOBBXXX is the right choice. A branch code only makes sense if the account holder explicitly mentions it.

The safest route is to copy the code directly from the recipient’s bank details. Branch codes are more prone to change than the head office code.

Why Banco Popular-Colombia has an 8- and an 11-character code

The layout of every SWIFT code is always the same: four characters for the institution, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code, plus an optional branch code. Combined, those parts form BPOPCOBB – the version you usually see online.

XXX at the end of BPOPCOBBXXX does not stand for a placeholder or an error: it indicates the main office of Banco Popular-Colombia. Certain payment forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you can add XXX behind BPOPCOBB.

Leave out spaces or dashes when you type BPOPCOBB or BPOPCOBBXXX. A single character can send a payment to a different institution, so copy it carefully.

Before you send: check the Banco Popular-Colombia code

The best place to find the right code is a document from the bank itself. When the code you were given differs from BPOPCOBB or BPOPCOBBXXX, do not guess.

With a wrong code, the payment may get stuck, be returned or cost extra, and tracing it can take weeks. An error in the IBAN or account number is a bigger problem, because the money may be credited to someone else.

Many banking apps check the structure of IBANs and some suggest the matching BIC, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. Some banks now check the payee name with the account before you confirm – do not ignore a mismatch warning. A small test payment is worth it for large sums, even if it costs an extra fee.