Barclays Bank PLC SWIFT/BIC code

What BARCHKHH means for a payment to Barclays Bank PLC

BARCHKHH and BARCHKHHXXX are the short and the long form of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both point to Barclays Bank PLC in Hong Kong. The code does one job: it makes sure that a cross-border transfer ends up at the right bank. You will need it mostly for payments that cross a border or a currency.

We wrote this page to help people who pays into an account at Barclays Bank PLC and wants to get the details right. Keep in mind that the BIC only identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN does that part.

Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) and conversion costs

Most accounts at Barclays Bank PLC are typically held in HKD, the national currency. When you pay money in a different currency, the amount has to be converted somewhere along the way – by your bank, by Barclays Bank PLC or by a bank in between. Each conversion eats into the amount – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Which bank converts the payment makes a difference. Sending the money directly in HKD often avoids an extra conversion by Barclays Bank PLC, provided the rate you get is fair.

The HKD rate fluctuates throughout the day. If you pay regularly, a slightly better rate make a real difference over time.

Tracking a transfer to or from Barclays Bank PLC

An international transfer typically takes one to a few business days. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country add extra days to the journey. Compliance checks on larger or unusual payments can also cause a delay.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every payment carries a unique reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to see where the money is. Money transfer services usually provide a status in their app so you can see how far the money has got.

If a payment has not arrived after a few business days, the sender should contact the bank that sent it, not the receiving bank. Request from the sender the payment receipt – it helps your own bank look for the money.

Barclays Bank PLC: head office code versus branch codes

With 2 codes, Barclays Bank PLC is one of the banks that register individual codes for branches. The main code is BARCHKHHXXX.

In most cases there is no need to pick a branch: transfers addressed to BARCHKHHXXX are routed within Barclays Bank PLC correctly. Branch codes are only needed when the recipient’s bank specifically asks for it.

The best way is to copy the code straight from the recipient’s bank details. Codes for branches are more likely to be retired than BARCHKHHXXX when a bank merges or closes offices.

What the XXX in BARCHKHHXXX means

A BIC is built from fixed blocks: characters one to four stand for the bank, characters five and six give the country and characters seven and eight indicate the location. That gives you BARCHKHH for Barclays Bank PLC.

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

Do not add spaces or dashes when you enter BARCHKHH. A single character can send a payment to another bank, so check it twice.

A note on our data

The codes here come from public sources that we update regularly. Institutions reorganise, change names and retire codes – a directory can be a step behind. The figures we show are based on what is in our directory.

Use this page as a starting point, not as the last word: the recipient’s bank details come first. GoldexPay is independent of Barclays Bank PLC. If you notice a mistake, we appreciate a short note via the contact page.

Changed bank details? Be careful

A common scam goes like this: an email arrives with a message claiming that a company now has a new bank account. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether the request is genuine – scammers simply use real codes.

Do not rely on a phone number from the same email that announces the new account. Be suspicious of time pressure, unusual wording or a sender address that is slightly off. When a payment has already gone to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately.

Fraud also work the other way. Someone claims to have sent more than agreed and asks you to return the difference to a new account. Wait until the money has really arrived and check with Barclays Bank PLC if anything seems off.

Sending money abroad from Barclays Bank PLC

An international bank payment costs rather more than the listed fee. Besides a fixed fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can deduct a fee, and when currencies are converted the bank usually uses a rate below 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. An easy check: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialised transfer providers often use rates closer to the mid-market rate and lower fees. GoldexPay compares these services side by side, showing the amount the recipient gets. You can always keep your account at Barclays Bank PLC, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Barclays Bank PLC

The best place to find the correct BIC remains paperwork issued by the bank like a bank statement or the account page in online banking. If the code you have does not match BARCHKHH or BARCHKHHXXX, stop and ask: check with the recipient or with Barclays Bank PLC directly.

If the code is wrong, the payment may get stuck, bounce back or end up costing more. Do not forget the IBAN: a mistake there is more difficult to undo than a wrong code.

A validity check in your banking app only tells you that the IBAN exists – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. Where available, a payee name check before sending adds an extra layer of safety. When you pay someone new, some people start with a small amount first.

Receiving money from abroad at Barclays Bank PLC

To receive an international payment at Barclays Bank PLC, the person paying you needs not just the BIC. What they need is: your name, IBAN or account number, BARCHKHHXXX and often your home address.

Some sending banks also ask for the name and address of Barclays Bank PLC in Hong Kong; it does no harm to include it. A typo in your account number is harder to fix than it looks, so copy the details from your online banking.

Expect that the incoming amount is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate comes on top. Agree with the sender who pays which costs.