SWIFT/BIC codes in India: banks starting with G

India: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

In India we have 4272 SWIFT/BIC codes, spread over 394 institutions. Every code points to a bank or a specific branch or department.

Select the bank below to view its head office code and any branch codes along with tips for payments to and from that bank. Below the list you can read how codes from India are built, how to send money to India without overpaying and what to check before you pay.

What a transfer to India really costs

What you pay for a payment to India is made up of several parts – not only the fee you see. Besides a fixed fee, intermediary banks can take a cut and, if currencies are converted, the bank often uses a less favourable rate than the actual market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee. An easy check: put the offered rate next to the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

Specialist money transfer services often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate and lower fees. Before your next transfer to India, take a minute to compare what arrives on GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank.

Check the code before you pay

The best place to find the right code remains a document from the bank itself. When the code you were given differs from the code listed here, do not guess.

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes using publicly available data and update them regularly. Institutions merge, close branches and change codes. For a payment of any size, check the code with the recipient’s bank. GoldexPay is not a bank.

Watch out for payment requests with a new account – a common fraud method. A valid BIC says nothing about who owns the account: criminals use real codes too.

Filter: banks in India with :letter

You are looking at a selection: just institutions in India whose name begins with :letter. The totals mentioned above always refer to the whole country.

Some banks are listed under their legal name rather than the name on their app or website. The complete list is one click away when you cannot find the bank here.

What the letters in a India BIC mean

A SWIFT code is either 8 or 11 characters long and follows a fixed pattern. The first four letters stand for the bank, the fifth and sixth characters form the country code and characters seven and eight mark the location.

You can recognise a code from India by the fifth and sixth characters – those always form the country code of India. When those two letters point to another country, you are looking at a bank in another country, so check again.

The long version ends in three characters for a branch. Use a branch code just if the recipient’s bank asks for it; otherwise the head office code is the safe choice.

What a sender needs to pay you in India

A sender in another country needs a few details about your account. In practice that means: your name exactly as it appears on the account, your IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and sometimes your postal address.

The code of your bank is in our list. Some banks may also ask for the name and address of your bank, so keep it at hand.

What lands in your account can be less than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments vary from bank to bank. Agree with the sender who covers the fees before the money is sent.

The largest SWIFT network in India: State Bank of India

In our directory, State Bank of India has the largest number of SWIFT/BIC codes in India. The head office uses SBININBBXXX – the code most transfers need.

Practice differs in whether they register branch codes, so the count is not a ranking of size. Making a payment to State Bank of India? Use SBININBBXXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

SWIFT transfers to India

To pay into India you will almost always need a SWIFT/BIC code. Without the BIC, your bank cannot send the payment.

In some countries, accounts are identified by a domestic account number instead of an IBAN. The receiving bank usually has instructions for payments from abroad, and it is worth following them to the letter. Before it arrives, a payment may go through correspondent banks that charge for their part.

Paying in INR: what conversion costs you

India pays in the Indian Rupee. If you send money in a different currency, it has to be converted somewhere along the way.

Where the conversion happens affects the final amount. Compare how much INR arrives with different services before choosing one. Exchange rates move all the time – some providers let you lock in a rate.

How long does a transfer to India take?

How fast a payment arrives in India is determined by several factors: the currency, how many intermediary banks are involved, cut-off times and time zones. Bank holidays in India or in the sending country add extra days.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every gpi transfer gets a unique reference, the UETR. Money transfer services often show tracking in their app so you can follow the payment.