Punjab National Bank SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Punjab National Bank

The 8-character code PUNBINBB and the 11-character code PUNBINBBXXX refer to the same bank: Punjab National Bank, with its head office in Mumbai. A SWIFT code shows the banks handling a payment which institution should receive the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. You will need it mainly when dealing with transfers between countries.

This page is meant to help anyone who sends money to an account at Punjab National Bank. The SWIFT code alone does not identify an individual account holder; for that you need the IBAN or account number is for.

How up to date is this code?

The details here come from publicly available data which we refresh regularly. It is possible that a code here is out of date after a merger or reorganisation. Figures such as the number of codes are from our directory and are not confirmed by Punjab National Bank.

Treat this page as a starting point, not as the final word. We are an independent comparison site for money transfers and not part of Punjab National Bank. Should you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a message via the contact page.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Punjab National Bank

There is no fixed answer for international payments: many arrive the same day or the next, others take several business days. Payments made late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday often go out a business day later. Compliance checks by one of the banks can also add a delay.

If a transfer seems late, ask the sending bank about the status and the transaction reference. Keep the payment confirmation; 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. As a recipient, it helps to check your account to see a slightly lower amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

A common scam goes like this: an email arrives with a message claiming that a company now has a new bank account and that the next payment should go there. That PUNBINBB is a real code does not mean that the account is genuine – fraudsters use real bank codes as well.

Before paying, confirm changed bank details by phone on a number you know, not one from the message. Watch out for time pressure, odd spelling or a sender address that is slightly off. When money has already gone to the wrong account, call your bank right away.

Scams can also target the receiver. Someone sends more than agreed and asks you to return the difference. A screenshot of a transfer proves nothing; only your own account shows what has arrived.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Punjab National Bank

The best place to find the correct BIC is a document from the bank itself. If the code you have differs from PUNBINBB or PUNBINBBXXX, do not guess: check with the recipient or with Punjab National Bank directly.

If the code is wrong, the transfer might get stuck, be returned or end up costing more, and tracing it can take weeks. A mistake in the IBAN or account number can be a bigger problem because it can reach the wrong person, so check that just as carefully.

An automatic check in your banking app only confirms that the code is valid, not that it is the right account. If your bank offers it, a payee name check on the recipient gives extra certainty. For a first payment, many people start with a small amount first and wait for confirmation.

Paying someone abroad from your Punjab National Bank account

When you send money abroad from Punjab National Bank, the fee you see is only part of what you pay. You pay the transfer fee, possibly fees charged by intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate when the money is converted.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert at a rate that includes a margin. A simple test: put the bank’s rate against the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

Money transfer services frequently offer a rate near the mid-market rate with clearer fees. GoldexPay compares the amount that arrives across providers, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot. Using a transfer service does not require closing your account at Punjab National Bank – you pay the provider from your own account.

Punjab National Bank: head office code versus branch codes

We have 214 SWIFT/BIC codes for Punjab National Bank, spread over 95 locations. Next to the head office code PUNBINBBXXX, there are codes for individual branches and departments.

Usually you do not need to look up a branch: transfers addressed to PUNBINBBXXX are routed within Punjab National Bank correctly. Only use a branch code when the account holder gives you that exact code.

Unsure which code to use? Ask the recipient. Branch codes are sometimes changed or retired over time, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

Getting paid from abroad into a Punjab National Bank account

To receive an international payment into your account at Punjab National Bank, the sender has to have more than the SWIFT code. That means: your name as registered with Punjab National Bank, your account number or IBAN, the SWIFT/BIC code PUNBINBBXXX (or PUNBINBB) and sometimes your postal address.

It helps to add Punjab National Bank and its city as well. Double-check the details before you send them, because the sender’s bank usually copies them as is.

The amount you receive is often less than the amount sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin comes on top. On invoices, you can agree how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Indian Rupee (INR) and conversion costs

The currency of India is the Indian Rupee (INR). When you pay money in a different currency gets converted somewhere along the way: by your bank, an intermediary or Punjab National Bank itself. Every conversion eats into the amount – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Which bank converts the money makes a difference, because each party uses its own rate. Often you pay less if you send INR directly via a provider that converts near the mid-market rate, so that the receiving bank does not need to convert again.

Exchange rates change all the time, and some providers let you lock in a rate. If you pay regularly, small differences in the rate add up over a year.

What the XXX in PUNBINBBXXX means

Every SWIFT/BIC code starts with the same eight core characters: four letters for the bank, two letters for the country and a two-character location code. For Punjab National Bank, the 8-character core is PUNBINBB.

XXX at the end of PUNBINBBXXX does not stand for a placeholder or an error: it stands for the head office of Punjab National Bank. Certain payment forms ask for 11 characters, in which case you simply enter XXX behind PUNBINBB.

Do not add spaces, dots when you enter PUNBINBB; the code is always written in one block. Look out for the letter O and the digit 0 and the letter I and the digit 1, a common source of typos.