Banque Internationale du Congo SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Banque Internationale du Congo

CONICGC1 and CONICGC1XXX are two ways of writing the same bank identifier, and both point to Banque Internationale du Congo in Brazzaville. A SWIFT code tells every bank in the chain exactly which bank is meant to get the money, much like a postcode for banks. You will need it mostly for payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

Below you will find the practical questions: receiving money at Banque Internationale du Congo, paying someone in another country and how to verify a SWIFT code before you hit send. The SWIFT code alone does not identify a personal account; for that you need the IBAN or account number is for.

Which of the 2 codes of Banque Internationale du Congo do you need?

With 2 codes in 2 locations, Banque Internationale du Congo belongs to the banks that use individual codes for parts of the organisation. The head office code is CONICGC1XXX.

If nobody asks you for a branch code, go with CONICGC1XXX. Branch codes are only needed when the account holder explicitly mentions it, which is more common for business accounts and specialised services.

Unsure which code applies? Check with the recipient. Branch codes are more prone to be retired than the head office code when a bank merges or closes offices.

How long does an international transfer to Banque Internationale du Congo take?

An international transfer usually takes anywhere from one to several business days – it depends on currency, route and the banks in between. Transfers sent late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday usually go out a business day later. Occasionally a bank asks about the purpose of a payment, which can hold things up.

If a transfer seems delayed, contact your bank for the tracking status. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms – you will need it for any trace request.

A missing payment is traced from the sending side. As a recipient, you can look at your statements to see a partial amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Watch out for payment fraud

Stay wary when a contact unexpectedly wants you to pay into another account. That CONICGC1 is a real code is no guarantee that a request mentioning it is legitimate.

Never rely on a phone number in the same message that contains the change. Pressure and requests to keep it quiet tend to be warning signs – a real supplier can wait a day. When a payment has already gone to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately – speed improves the chance of getting it back.

Recipients 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 – ask Banque Internationale du Congo if something looks wrong.

Getting paid from abroad into a Banque Internationale du Congo account

If you expect a payment from another country, send the payer everything they need in one go. What they need is: the account holder’s name, IBAN or account number, CONICGC1XXX or CONICGC1 and in many cases your postal address.

Some banks also ask for the bank’s address in Brazzaville, so keep it at hand. Check every detail before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

The amount you receive can be lower than the amount sent. Fees for incoming transfers vary per bank. For business payments, it is common to agree who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

About this information

We gather bank codes from publicly available data and update them regularly. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes and our data may lag behind. Counts and locations come from our directory and are not confirmed by Banque Internationale du Congo.

Treat our directory here as a handy check. GoldexPay is not affiliated with Banque Internationale du Congo. Spotted outdated information? Let us know via our contact form and we will look into it.

Is CONICGC1 still correct? How to check

The best place to find the right code remains paperwork issued by the bank. If the code you have does not match CONICGC1 or CONICGC1XXX, stop and ask: check with the recipient or with Banque Internationale du Congo directly.

With a wrong code, the payment might be delayed, be returned or cost extra – sometimes after weeks of searching. Do not forget the account number: a mistake there can be harder to undo than a wrong code.

Many banking apps validate the format of an IBAN, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. If your bank offers it, a name check before sending gives an extra layer of safety. For a first payment, some people start with a small amount first and wait for confirmation.

International transfers from Banque Internationale du Congo: the real cost

When you transfer money to another country from Banque Internationale du Congo, the fee you see is only part of what you pay. You pay the transfer fee, sometimes fees charged by intermediary banks in between and, above all, the exchange rate markup.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, not in the fee: many banks convert using an exchange rate that includes a margin. Check their rate against the mid-market rate, the midpoint between buy and sell rates you see on financial sites. The difference is your real conversion cost.

Money transfer services often use rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. Before your next transfer, it is worth to compare the total cost on GoldexPay. Using a transfer service does not require closing your account at Banque Internationale du Congo.

What the XXX in CONICGC1XXX means

The layout of every SWIFT code is always the same: four characters for the institution, two for the country and two for the location, plus an optional branch code. That gives you CONICGC1, the short form of the code.

The full version adds a three-character extension that identify a branch or department. If the last three are XXX, the code points to the head office.

Leave out spaces, dots when you enter CONICGC1 or CONICGC1XXX. A single character may route a payment to another bank, so check it twice.