SWIFT/BIC codes in Italy: banks starting with W

Bank SWIFT codes for Italy

Here you will find the SWIFT/BIC codes of 3414 banks in Italy. Every code points to an institution or one of its branches, so a payment from abroad reaches the right place.

Search for the bank you need in the list and click through to see the full list of codes and what else a transfer requires. The sections below covers the structure of the codes, the cost of transfers and the checks worth doing.

What a transfer to Italy really costs

What you pay for a payment to Italy has more than one component – not only the fee you see. You pay the transfer fee, possibly charges from intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the exchange rate markup if the money is converted.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee. Compare the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate that you find on financial sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

For a lot of routes, a specialist provider turns out to be cheaper than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the rate. GoldexPay lists transfer services side by side so you can see the amount that reaches the recipient before you commit.

How long does a transfer to Italy take?

How quickly money reaches Italy depends on a few things: which currency you send, how many intermediary banks are involved, cut-off times and time zones. Public holidays in Italy or in the sending country add a day or more.

When a payment takes longer than expected, the sender should contact their own bank – the receiving bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Specialist transfer services often show a status online so you can follow the payment.

Italy and the SEPA area

Within the SEPA zone, euro transfers to Italy follow the same rules, so the IBAN does the job in most cases. The BIC field is often optional in that case.

You still need the BIC for non-euro payments or transfers from countries outside SEPA. Instant payments in euros are increasingly supported across SEPA, though not every bank offers them for every account. Provided no conversion is involved, a SEPA transfer tends to be inexpensive.

Most SWIFT codes in Italy: Unicredit SPA

Unicredit SPA leads the list for Italy in the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. Its main office uses UNCRITM1001; that is usually the right code for a transfer.

A large number of codes usually reflects that the bank registers branches and departments separately. If not the recipient asks for a branch, UNCRITM1001 is fine for a payment to Unicredit SPA.

Paying in EUR: what conversion costs you

Most accounts in Italy are usually held in EUR, the local currency. A payment in a foreign currency will be exchanged into EUR before it reaches the account – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Who converts the money makes a difference. Check how much EUR arrives via different providers before choosing one. On larger amounts, a seemingly small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

The structure of a Italy SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC codes follow one international format: eight characters. Characters one to four identify the bank, characters five and six are the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

You can recognise a bank code from Italy from letters five and six – those always form the country code of Italy. When those two letters do not match Italy, the code belongs to a bank in another country.

The optional last three characters identify a specific branch; XXX means the head office. Use a branch code only if the recipient explicitly gives you one.

Check the code before you pay

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the recipient’s own bank details: an invoice, a statement or their online banking. An incorrect BIC may lead to a delay, a payment being sent back or additional charges, so compare it with the list on this page.

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes from publicly available data and check our list regularly. Institutions merge, change names and change codes. Treat our data as a starting point, not as the final word: the bank details from the recipient come first. GoldexPay is not a bank.

Be wary of invoices containing changed bank details. Before paying, verify changed details by phone, using a number you already had.

Filter: banks in Italy with :letter

Here you see a filtered list: only banks in Italy with a name starting with :letter. The totals on this page apply to all 3414 banks and not only this letter.

If a bank is missing here, check the full list – the registered name can differ from the name people use. Try the full list for Italy when you are not sure how the name is spelled.

What a sender needs to pay you in Italy

To receive an international payment in Italy, the sender needs more than the SWIFT code. In practice that means: your name as your bank knows it, your IBAN or account number, the SWIFT/BIC code of your bank and sometimes your postal address.

The code of your bank is in our list. It helps to include your bank’s name and city.

What lands in your account can be less than the amount sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin comes on top. On invoices, state who bears the costs.