Hang Seng Bank Limited SWIFT/BIC code

HASEHKHH – the SWIFT/BIC code of Hang Seng Bank Limited

The short code HASEHKHH and the full code HASEHKHHXXX identify the same bank: Hang Seng Bank Limited, with its head office in Hong Kong. The code has a single purpose: it ensures that a cross-border transfer reaches the right bank. In practice you usually come across the code on international invoices, in your banking app and on the account details that Hang Seng Bank Limited provides.

Below you will find the practical side: receiving money at Hang Seng Bank Limited, sending money abroad and how to check a SWIFT code before you hit send. Remember that the SWIFT code only identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN does that part.

Sending HKD to Hang Seng Bank Limited

Accounts at Hang Seng Bank Limited are usually held in HKD, the local currency of Hong Kong SAR China. If you send money in a different currency it gets converted somewhere along the way: by your bank, an intermediary or Hang Seng Bank Limited itself. Each conversion costs the amount.

Who does the conversion affects how much arrives. In many cases it is cheaper if you send HKD straight away through a transfer service with a good rate.

The HKD rate fluctuates constantly, so the amount you see is usually only valid for a short time. With bigger transfers, even small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

Tracking a transfer to or from Hang Seng Bank Limited

How quickly a payment arrives at Hang Seng Bank Limited is determined by a few things: the currency, how many intermediary banks are involved, cut-off times and differences in time zone. Bank holidays in either country can add a day or more, since banks do not process on those days. Compliance checks by one of the banks can also add a delay.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask your bank for the status or the UETR; with that reference banks can see where the payment is. Money transfer services usually provide tracking in their app so you can see where the money is.

Only the sending bank is able to start an official trace; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation.

Hang Seng Bank Limited: head office code versus branch codes

Hang Seng Bank Limited has 3 separate SWIFT/BIC codes across 1 cities. One of them is the head office code; the others belong to branches.

For the vast majority of payments to a private or business account, the head office code HASEHKHHXXX works fine. Just use a branch code when the account holder explicitly asks for it.

The safest approach is to copy the code straight from the account holder’s bank details. Branch codes are more likely to change than the head office code when a bank merges or closes offices.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

We gather bank codes using publicly available data and check our list from time to time. Still, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes. The number of codes on this page reflect what is in our directory, not official figures from Hang Seng Bank Limited.

Before any payment of any size, check the BIC with Hang Seng Bank Limited or with the recipient. GoldexPay is not affiliated with Hang Seng Bank Limited, we only compare transfer services. If you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a short note via the contact page.

Paying someone abroad from your Hang Seng Bank Limited account

The price of an international transfer has more than one component, and the transfer fee is only the most visible one. On top of the transfer fee, banks in between can take a cut, and when currencies are converted, the bank usually applies a rate below the actual market rate.

Many banks do not show the margin on the rate separately, but you pay it all the same. An easy check: set the bank’s rate against the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

Specialised transfer providers frequently use a rate near the mid-market rate. GoldexPay compares what recipients receive across providers, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot. Using a transfer service does not require closing your account at Hang Seng Bank Limited – you pay the provider from your own account.

Getting paid from abroad into a Hang Seng Bank Limited account

To receive a transfer from abroad into your account at Hang Seng Bank Limited, the sender has to have not just the SWIFT code. That means: your name exactly as it appears on the account, your IBAN or account number, the SWIFT/BIC code HASEHKHHXXX and usually your postal address.

The sender’s bank may also ask for the bank address of Hang Seng Bank Limited. Double-check the details before you share them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

What lands in your account can be lower than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments vary per bank. For business payments, you can state who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

A common scam goes like this: you receive a request claiming that a supplier now has a new bank account and that the next payment should go there. A valid SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account – scammers simply use real codes.

Do not trust a phone number in the same message that contains the new account. Watch out for time pressure, unusual wording or an email address that differs by one letter. Acted too fast? Call your bank without delay and ask them to start a recall; also report it to the police.

Recipients can be targeted as well: one known trick is an overpayment followed by a request to send back the difference to another account. Do not act before the money is actually in your account – ask Hang Seng Bank Limited if something looks wrong.

Why Hang Seng Bank Limited has an 8- and an 11-character code

The structure of a BIC is always the same: four characters for the institution, two for the country and a two-character location code, sometimes followed by a branch code. The result is HASEHKHH for Hang Seng Bank Limited.

XXX at the end of HASEHKHHXXX is not a placeholder or a mistake: it indicates the head office of Hang Seng Bank Limited. Some banking apps ask for 11 characters, in which case you simply add XXX after HASEHKHH.

In practice the code is typed in capitals. A single character may route a payment to another bank.

How to check HASEHKHH before you pay

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the bank details provided by the recipient. When the code you were given differs from HASEHKHH or HASEHKHHXXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or Hang Seng Bank Limited.

With a wrong code, the transfer might get stuck, bounce back or cost extra – sometimes after weeks of searching. An error in the IBAN or account number is a bigger problem.

An automatic check by your bank merely confirms that the IBAN is valid – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. If your bank offers it, a name check on the recipient adds extra certainty. For a first payment, some people send a small test amount and wait for confirmation.