Hellenic Exchanges S.A. SWIFT/BIC code

What HCSDGRAA means for a payment to Hellenic Exchanges S.A.

Whether you are given HCSDGRAA or HCSDGRAAXXX, you are looking at the identical address for Hellenic Exchanges S.A. in Greece. The code does one job: it ensures that a cross-border transfer reaches the right bank. In daily life you mostly come across it on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and on the account details of Hellenic Exchanges S.A. customers.

Further down we go through the practical questions: receiving money at Hellenic Exchanges S.A., sending money abroad and how to verify a SWIFT code before you hit send. The SWIFT code alone cannot identify a personal account; for that you need the IBAN or account number .

Why Hellenic Exchanges S.A. has an 8- and an 11-character code

A SWIFT code is made up of fixed blocks: the first four letters stand for the bank, characters five and six give the country and characters seven and eight indicate the location. The result is HCSDGRAA for Hellenic Exchanges S.A..

Most banks and apps accept either length. If a form requires eleven characters, use HCSDGRAAXXX.

Do not add spaces when you type HCSDGRAA or HCSDGRAAXXX. A single character can send a payment to a different institution, so check it twice.

Tracking a transfer to or from Hellenic Exchanges S.A.

There is no fixed delivery time: many arrive within a day, others take several business days. Payments made after the cut-off time or on weekends and holidays usually go out a business day later. Occasionally a bank wants to know what the payment is for.

If the money seems late, ask your bank for the status or the UETR so they can trace it along the chain. Specialist transfer services usually provide a status in their app so you can see where the money is.

The bank that sent the money is able to start an official trace – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. As a recipient, it helps to look at your account to see a slightly lower amount, since fees may have been deducted.

About this information

The details on this page are taken from publicly available data that we update regularly. Banks reorganise, close branches and retire codes – a directory can be a step behind. Counts and locations are from our own dataset and are not confirmed by Hellenic Exchanges S.A..

Use our data as a reference, rather than as the last word: the recipient’s bank details come first. We are an independent comparison site for money transfers and not affiliated with Hellenic Exchanges S.A.. Spotted an error? Let us know via our contact form so we can correct it.

Hellenic Exchanges S.A.: head office code versus branch codes

With 2 codes in 1 cities, Hellenic Exchanges S.A. is one of the banks that use individual codes for parts of the organisation. The head office code is HCSDGRAAXXX.

Usually you do not need to look up a branch: transfers addressed to HCSDGRAAXXX are routed within Hellenic Exchanges S.A. correctly. Only use a branch code when your contact explicitly asks for it, for example on an invoice or in their bank details.

Unsure which code applies? Check with the recipient. Branch codes are more likely to change than HCSDGRAAXXX when a bank merges or closes offices.

SEPA payments and the Hellenic Exchanges S.A. BIC

Greece belongs to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). For a standard euro transfer from another SEPA country, the IBAN is usually enough; many banks no longer ask for the BIC.

A SWIFT code like HCSDGRAA does come into play when the currency is not euros. Some banks and apps also show a field for the BIC; in that case, fill in HCSDGRAA.

SEPA transfers usually arrive by the next business day. As long as no currency is converted, a SEPA transfer is cheap; costs rise once a conversion is involved.

The Euro and what conversion costs you

Greece pays in the Euro (EUR). A payment in a foreign currency is exchanged into EUR on its way to Hellenic Exchanges S.A.. There is rarely a separate line for that conversion – the cost sits in the rate.

Which bank converts the money matters, because each party uses its own rate. Often it is cheaper to send EUR straight away via a transfer service with a good rate, so that the receiving bank does not need to convert again.

The EUR rate fluctuates throughout the day, so the amount you see is usually only valid for a short time. With bigger transfers, even seemingly small difference in the rate adds up quickly.

Receiving money from abroad at Hellenic Exchanges S.A.

To receive an international payment into your account at Hellenic Exchanges S.A., the sender needs more than the BIC. The basics are: the account holder’s name, IBAN or account number, HCSDGRAAXXX and often your home address.

Their bank may also ask for the address of your bank, in which case the Athens head office is the usual answer. Check each detail before you send them, because the sender’s bank usually copies them as is.

An incoming payment will not always land in full. Charges on incoming payments vary per bank – the price list of Hellenic Exchanges S.A. tells you what applies. For business payments, it is common to agree how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Sending money abroad from Hellenic Exchanges S.A.

What you pay for a payment abroad has more than one component. On top of a fixed fee, banks in between may deduct a fee, and when currencies are converted the bank often applies a rate below the actual market rate.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the largest item even though it is not listed as a fee. An easy check: set the bank’s rate against the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

Specialised transfer providers often offer a rate near the mid-market rate. Next time you send money, it is worth comparing what arrives on GoldexPay. Using a transfer service does not require closing your account at Hellenic Exchanges S.A.: you simply pay the service from your account.

Watch out for payment fraud

One of the most common tricks goes like this: an email arrives with a message claiming that a contact has a new bank account and asking you to pay there from now on. The fact that HCSDGRAA exists is no guarantee that the account is legitimate.

Do not rely on contact details in the same message that announces the new account. Watch out for urgent requests, unusual wording or an email address that differs by one letter. If money has already gone to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: a classic trick is an overpayment followed by a request to send back the difference. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing – check your own account.

Is HCSDGRAA still correct? How to check

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the bank details provided by the recipient. Check that code against HCSDGRAA on this page; if they differ, ask before you pay.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code tend to be costly rather than fatal. Do not forget the account number: a mistake there is harder to undo than a wrong BIC.

Many banking apps validate the structure of IBANs and sometimes look up the BIC automatically. Some banks now compare the payee name against the account before you confirm; take any warning seriously. Sending a small amount first can be worth it for large sums despite the extra fee.