SWIFT/BIC codes in Ghana

Bank SWIFT codes for Ghana

In Ghana we have 97 SWIFT/BIC codes. A SWIFT code tells every bank in the chain exactly which bank should receive an international payment.

Each bank has its own page showing the head office code and, where available, branch codes. Below the list we explain how a code from Ghana is put together, how to send money to Ghana at a fair price and what to check before you pay.

Receiving money in Ghana from abroad

Someone abroad who wants to pay you needs several details about your account – incomplete details often cause delays. Share the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address.

Find your bank in the list on this page, but take the code from your own bank details when in doubt. Certain sending banks may also ask for the name and address of your bank; it does no harm to include it.

What lands in your account can be less than what was sent. Fees for incoming transfers differ from bank to bank. Agree with the sender who covers the fees before the money is sent.

International payments to Ghana and the BIC

For Ghana you usually need the BIC – Ghana is not a SEPA country. Without it, your bank cannot process the payment.

Depending on the country, the account is identified by a local account number instead of an IBAN. Ask the recipient which details their bank needs for incoming international payments. International transfers can pass through correspondent banks and fees can be taken along the way.

Tracking a payment to Ghana

How quickly money arrives in Ghana depends on a few things: which currency you send, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or on a weekend or public holiday usually start a business day later.

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

The structure of a Ghana SWIFT/BIC code

A SWIFT code is either 8 or 11 characters long. It starts with four letters for the bank, followed by two letters for the country and a two-character location code.

No matter which bank, every code from Ghana share the same fifth and sixth letters: the ISO code of the country. When those two letters point to another country, you are looking at a bank in another country.

The optional last three characters identify a branch or department; XXX is used for the head office. Use a branch code just when the recipient’s bank asks for it.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Ghana

Ask the recipient to copy their bank details directly from their banking app. A wrong code may lead to delays, a returned payment or extra fees – compare it with the code in our list.

Our SWIFT/BIC directory is compiled from publicly available sources and is updated regularly. Even so, banks merge or retire codes, so information can be out of date. Treat our data as a reference rather than the last word; the recipient’s bank details are leading. GoldexPay is a comparison site for money transfers, not a bank.

Be wary of payment requests containing a new account, especially when they come by email. A valid BIC tells you nothing about who owns the account – scammers use the codes of real banks.

The cheapest way to send money to Ghana

When you send money to Ghana through a regular bank, the stated fee is only part of what you pay. Besides the fee, intermediary banks can take a cut, and when the money is converted the bank usually applies a rate below the actual market rate.

That exchange rate margin is often the biggest part of the cost. An easy check: put the rate you get against the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a bank. GoldexPay compares what recipients in Ghana receive across services, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot.

Agricultural Development Bank and its SWIFT codes

Of all banks in Ghana, Agricultural Development Bank has the largest number of codes. The head office of Agricultural Development Bank has ADNTGHACXXX; that is usually the right code for a transfer.

The number of codes says something about how it organises its payments than about its size. Making a payment to Agricultural Development Bank? Go with ADNTGHACXXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.