Mashreq Bank SWIFT/BIC code

MSHQEGCA – the SWIFT/BIC code of Mashreq Bank

The 8-character code MSHQEGCA and the 11-character code MSHQEGCAXXX identify the same bank: Mashreq Bank, with its head office in Cairo. A SWIFT code shows the banks handling a payment exactly which bank is meant to get the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. In daily life you mostly come across the code on invoices from abroad, in payment forms and on the account details that Mashreq Bank provides.

Below you will find the practical side: money coming in from abroad, sending money abroad and how to check a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. Remember that the SWIFT code only identifies the bank, not the person: the IBAN or account number does that part.

Paying someone abroad from your Mashreq Bank account

The price of a payment abroad is made up of several parts, and the transfer fee is only the most visible one. Besides 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.

Many banks do not list the margin on the rate as a cost, but you pay it all the same. Check the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

For many routes, a transfer service is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the exchange rate. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives with different services, so you can pick the cheapest route. Using a transfer service does not mean leaving Mashreq Bank – you pay the provider from your own account.

A note on our data

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using public sources and update our list from time to time. Banks merge, close branches and change codes. The figures on this page are based on what is in our directory and not on information from Mashreq Bank itself.

Use our data as a reference, not as the last word. GoldexPay is independent of Mashreq Bank. Found outdated information? Let us know via our contact form and we will look into it.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

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

Always verify changed bank details by phone, using a number you already had. Watch out for urgent requests, unusual wording or a sender address that is slightly off. Already paid? Contact the bank you paid from without delay and have them start a recall and report the fraud.

Fraud also work the other way: someone sends more than agreed and asks you to refund the difference to a new account. A screenshot of a transfer proves nothing.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Mashreq Bank

There is no single delivery time: many land within a day. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country can add a day or more to the journey. Extra checks by one of the banks can also add some delay, regardless of the details.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Each gpi transfer gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Keep your transfer receipt until the money has arrived; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

If a payment has not arrived within the expected time, the sender should start with the bank that sent it rather than Mashreq Bank. As a recipient, you can look at your statements for a slightly lower amount, since fees may have been deducted.

How to check MSHQEGCA before you pay

Ask the recipient to send you their bank details directly from a recent statement. Compare it with MSHQEGCA here.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code tend to be annoying more than disastrous – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. An error in the IBAN or account number is more serious because it can reach the wrong person.

Many banking apps validate the structure of IBANs and some suggest the matching BIC – that confirms the format, not the owner. If your bank offers it, a payee name check on the recipient adds an extra layer of safety. A small test payment can be worth it for large sums, even if it costs an extra fee.

Incoming international payments to Mashreq Bank

For a transfer from abroad into your account at Mashreq Bank, the sender needs not just the SWIFT code. That means: your full name as registered with Mashreq Bank, your account number or IBAN, the BIC MSHQEGCAXXX and sometimes your address.

The sender’s bank might request the bank address of Mashreq Bank, in which case the Cairo head office is the usual answer. Check every detail before you share them.

An incoming payment will not always arrive for the full amount. Correspondent banks can take a fee, Mashreq Bank may charge for incoming payments, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin comes on top. For business payments, you can state how the fees are split.

What the XXX in MSHQEGCAXXX means

A SWIFT code is made up of a few fixed parts: characters one to four stand for the bank, the next two give the country and the two after that mark the location. Together, these eight characters form MSHQEGCA – the version you usually see online.

Many payment forms work with both lengths. If yours requires eleven characters, enter MSHQEGCAXXX, otherwise MSHQEGCA is fine.

As a rule the code is typed in capitals, without spaces or dashes. Pasting the code is safer than typing it by hand: a typo can point to another bank.

Mashreq Bank: head office code versus branch codes

With 4 codes, Mashreq Bank is one of the banks that use separate codes for parts of the organisation. The head office code is MSHQEGCAXXX.

Usually there is no need to pick a branch: transfers sent to MSHQEGCAXXX are routed within Mashreq Bank without problems. Only use a branch code when the recipient explicitly asks for it, for example on an invoice or in their bank details.

The safest route is to copy the code straight from the account holder’s bank details. Branch codes are more prone to be retired than MSHQEGCAXXX when a bank merges or closes offices.