Bank of India SWIFT/BIC code

BKIDKEM1 – the SWIFT/BIC code of Bank of India

Whether a recipient gives you BKIDKEM1 or BKIDKEM1XXX, it is the identical address for Bank of India in Kenya. Banks worldwide use BIC codes to route payments between countries to the right bank. In practice you usually see it on international invoices, in payment forms and on the account details that Bank of India provides.

Further down you will find the practical side: receiving money at Bank of India, sending money abroad and how to check a SWIFT code before you hit send. The SWIFT code alone cannot identify a personal account; that is what the account number or IBAN .

Watch out for payment fraud

Be alert if someone suddenly wants you to send money to a different account or a bank in another country. The fact that BKIDKEM1 exists does not mean that a request mentioning it is genuine.

Verify changed bank details via a different channel, such as a phone number you already know, never via the email that asked for the change. Urgency or secrecy tend to be red flags – a real supplier can wait a day. When money has already gone to a fraudster, call your bank right away: the sooner they act, the better the chance of a recall.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: one known trick is an overpayment followed by a request to refund the difference abroad. Wait until the money is actually in your account and check with Bank of India if anything seems off.

Which of the 8 codes of Bank of India do you need?

Bank of India uses 8 different SWIFT/BIC codes across 4 cities. One of them is the head office code; the others belong to branches or departments, and sometimes internal departments.

In most cases there is no need to pick a branch: transfers sent to BKIDKEM1XXX reach Bank of India without problems. When you receive a specific code, stick to it instead of swapping it for the head office code.

Unsure which code to use? Check with the recipient or the bank itself. Branch codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise.

Tracking a transfer to or from Bank of India

An international transfer typically takes one to a few business days. Payments made late in the day or just before weekends and holidays usually go out the next business day. Extra checks on larger or unusual payments may also cause some delay, regardless of the details.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each gpi transfer gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms.

If the money does not arrive within the expected time, the person who paid needs to contact their own bank, not the receiving bank. As a recipient, you can check your account for a partial amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Incoming international payments to Bank of India

When you are waiting for money from abroad, give the sender everything they need in one go. That means: your full name as registered with Bank of India, your IBAN or account number, the BIC BKIDKEM1XXX (or BKIDKEM1) and, often, your address.

Some banks also ask for the bank’s address in Mombasa, so keep it at hand. Double-check each detail before you send them.

What lands in your account can be less than what was sent. Fees for incoming transfers differ per bank; check the price list of Bank of India. On invoices, it is common to agree how the fees are split, so that nobody is left short.

Sending money abroad from Bank of India

If you send money to another country from Bank of India, the fee you see is rarely all of what you pay. There is the transfer fee, possibly fees charged by intermediary banks in between and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate when the money is converted.

Banks do not list the margin on the rate as a cost. Compare their rate with the mid-market rate.

For many routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a bank. Next time you send money, it is worth to compare what arrives on GoldexPay. Choosing a specialist does not require leaving Bank of India.

BKIDKEM1 or BKIDKEM1XXX – which one to use?

Each SWIFT/BIC code has an 8-character core: a four-letter bank code, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code. In this case, that core is BKIDKEM1.

Most payment forms accept both lengths. If a form asks for eleven characters, use BKIDKEM1XXX; if it wants eight, use BKIDKEM1.

In practice the code is written in capitals. Copying the code beats retyping it: a typo can point to another bank.

A note on our data

The codes on this page come from public sources which we refresh regularly. It can happen that a code here is out of date. Counts and locations are from our directory and are not confirmed by Bank of India.

See the information on this page as a handy check, and let the details from the recipient or Bank of India have the final say. GoldexPay is independent of Bank of India, we only compare transfer services. Should you notice a mistake, we appreciate a short note.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Bank of India

Ask the recipient to send you their bank details straight from their banking app. Check that code against BKIDKEM1 here; if they differ, ask before you pay.

A wrong SWIFT code can cause a delay, a payment being sent back or additional charges. A mistake in the account number is a bigger problem because it can reach the wrong person.

Many banking apps check the format of IBANs and sometimes look up the BIC automatically – that confirms the format, not the owner. More and more banks compare the payee name with the account – do not ignore a mismatch warning. When you pay someone new, some people start with a small test amount before sending the rest.