Clsa Limited SWIFT/BIC code

What CLSAHKHH means for a payment to Clsa Limited

CLSAHKHH and CLSAHKHHXXX are two ways of writing the same bank identifier, and both lead to Clsa Limited in Hong Kong. Every bank on the SWIFT network uses BIC codes to direct payments between countries to the correct bank. In practice you mostly see it on international invoices, in your banking app and in the bank details that Clsa Limited provides.

On this page you can read what the code is put together, when it matters and which other details a transfer to or from Clsa Limited requires. The BIC identifies a bank or branch, never a single account.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Clsa Limited

The best place to find the right code is a document from the bank itself. When the code you were given does not match CLSAHKHH or CLSAHKHHXXX, do not guess: check with the recipient or with Clsa Limited directly.

Errors in the SWIFT code are annoying rather than disastrous. Remember the IBAN: a mistake there is more difficult to undo than a wrong BIC.

Most online banking apps check the format of IBANs. More and more banks compare the name against the account; take any warning seriously. Sending a small amount first can be a sensible step for a large first payment.

How up to date is this code?

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using publicly available data and check them from time to time. Banks merge, change names and retire codes – a directory can be a step behind. The figures on this page are based on what is in our directory.

See the information on this page as a handy check and rely on the recipient or Clsa Limited for the final confirmation. GoldexPay is a comparison service for money transfers and not affiliated with Clsa Limited. Spotted an error? Let us know via our contact form.

What to give a sender who pays you at Clsa Limited

If you are waiting for money from abroad, give the sender everything they need in one go. The basics are: your name, IBAN or account number, CLSAHKHHXXX or CLSAHKHH and often your postal address.

Some sending banks also ask for the address of Clsa Limited, so keep it at hand. A typo in your account number is harder to fix than you might think, so copy the details from your online banking.

Do not be surprised if the incoming amount is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Fees for incoming transfers differ from bank to bank – the price list of Clsa Limited tells you what applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Fraudsters regularly use payment requests with changed bank details, sometimes in an email that looks completely genuine. A correct SWIFT code says nothing about whether the request is genuine.

Before paying, confirm a change of bank details through a phone call on a number you know, not one from the message. Pressure and secrecy tend to be warning signs – a real supplier can wait a day. Acted too fast? Call the bank you paid from straight away and have them try to recall the payment.

Scams also work the other way: someone sends more than agreed and wants you to refund the extra. Do not act before the money is actually in your account – ask Clsa Limited if something looks wrong.

Why Clsa Limited has an 8- and an 11-character code

The structure of every SWIFT code never changes: a bank code of four letters, a two-letter country code and two for the location, plus an optional branch code. That gives you CLSAHKHH.

The 11-character version has three more characters that identify a branch or department. When those three characters are XXX, the code points to the head office, which is why CLSAHKHHXXX and CLSAHKHH lead to the same place.

Leave out spaces or dashes when you enter CLSAHKHH; the code is always written in one block. A wrong letter can send the money to a different institution.

Sending money abroad from Clsa Limited

An international bank payment can cost more than the listed fee. Besides the transfer fee, banks in between can take a cut, and when the money changes currency the bank usually uses a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

Many banks rarely show their exchange rate markup separately. Compare the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate, the midpoint between buy and sell rates you see on financial sites. The difference is your real conversion cost.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be less expensive than a bank. Next time you send money, it is worth to compare what arrives via GoldexPay rather than accepting the bank’s rate by default. You can still use your account at Clsa Limited; only the conversion and sending happen elsewhere.

Which of the 4 codes of Clsa Limited do you need?

With 4 codes in 1 cities, Clsa Limited is one of the banks that use individual codes for branches. The main code remains CLSAHKHHXXX.

In most cases there is no need to look up a branch: transfers sent to CLSAHKHHXXX reach Clsa Limited correctly. If you have been given a specific code, use it as it is instead of replacing it with the head office code.

The safest approach is to copy the code directly from the recipient’s statement. Codes for branches are more prone to be retired than CLSAHKHHXXX.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Clsa Limited

A SWIFT payment usually needs one to a few business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Transfers sent late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday often go out a business day later. Sometimes a bank wants to know what the payment is for, which can hold things up.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi. Every payment gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

The bank that sent the money can start an official trace or a recall – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. On the receiving end, you can check your account for a partial amount.

Sending HKD to Clsa Limited

The currency in Hong Kong SAR China is the Hong Kong Dollar (HKD). If you send money in a different currency gets converted somewhere along the way. Each conversion costs the amount – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Where the conversion happens affects the final amount, since every bank sets its own rate. In many cases you pay less if you send HKD directly via a transfer service with a good rate, so that the receiving bank does not need to convert again.

Rates for HKD move during the day – some services let you fix a rate in advance. On larger amounts, even seemingly small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.