Gulf Bank, K.s.c. SWIFT/BIC code

GULBKWKW – the SWIFT/BIC code of Gulf Bank, K.s.c.

Whether a recipient gives you GULBKWKW or GULBKWKWXXX, it is the same address for Gulf Bank, K.s.c. in Kuwait. A SWIFT code tells the sending bank which institution should receive the money, much like a postcode for banks. In practice you mostly see it on international invoices, in payment forms and in the bank details that Gulf Bank, K.s.c. provides.

Below you will find the practical questions: receiving money at Gulf Bank, K.s.c., sending money abroad and how to verify a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. A SWIFT code identifies an institution, never a single account, which is why you always need the account number too.

Changed bank details? Be careful

Stay wary if someone suddenly asks you to send money to another account abroad. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether the request is genuine – scammers simply use real codes.

Never rely on contact details from the same email that contains the change. Pressure and requests to keep it quiet are red flags – a real supplier can wait a day. Acted too fast? Contact your bank without delay and ask them to try to recall the payment and report the fraud.

Fraud can also target the receiver. Someone sends more than agreed and wants you to refund the difference to a new account. Do not act before the money is actually in your account and check with Gulf Bank, K.s.c. if anything seems off.

How long does an international transfer to Gulf Bank, K.s.c. take?

An international transfer typically takes anywhere from one to several business days. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or just before weekends and holidays usually go out the next business day. Compliance checks on larger or unusual payments can also add some delay, even when all details are correct.

If the money seems delayed, ask your bank for the tracking status or the UETR. Specialist transfer services often provide tracking in their app so you can see where the money is.

A missing payment has to be traced by the sending bank, using the payment confirmation. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation including the reference; that often settles the question quickly.

Incoming international payments to Gulf Bank, K.s.c.

If you expect money from abroad, send the payer all details at once. What they need is: your name, IBAN or account number, GULBKWKWXXX or GULBKWKW and in many cases your home address.

Their bank might request the address of your bank. Check the details before you share them, because the sender’s bank usually copies them as is.

Expect that the incoming amount is below what the sender paid. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees before the money is sent.

Head office or branch code at Gulf Bank, K.s.c.?

Having 4 codes, Gulf Bank, K.s.c. is one of the banks that register individual codes for branches. The main code is GULBKWKWXXX.

If nobody asks you for a branch code, go with GULBKWKWXXX or its short form GULBKWKW. A branch code only makes sense if the account holder specifically asks for it, which is more common for corporate accounts and specialised services.

Unsure which code applies? Ask the recipient or the bank itself. Codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise.

How to check GULBKWKW before you pay

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the bank details provided by the recipient – an invoice, a statement or a screenshot from online banking. Check that code with GULBKWKW here and ask if anything does not match.

If the code is wrong, the transfer might get stuck, be returned or end up costing more. Do not forget the account number: an error there can be more difficult to correct than a wrong BIC.

A validity check by your bank only tells you that the code exists – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. Where available, a name check on the recipient gives an extra layer of safety. A small test payment can be a sensible step for a large first payment, even if it costs an extra fee.

Paying someone abroad from your Gulf Bank, K.s.c. account

What you pay for a payment abroad has more than one component – not just the fee on your screen. You pay the transfer fee, possibly charges from correspondent banks in between and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate.

Many banks do not list their exchange rate markup separately, but you pay it all the same. An easy check: set the bank’s rate next to the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialist money transfer services frequently use rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. GoldexPay compares the amount that arrives across services, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot. Using a transfer service does not mean closing your account at Gulf Bank, K.s.c..

About this information

The codes on this page come from publicly available data which we refresh regularly. Still, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes. The number of codes on this page are based on what is in our directory, not official figures from Gulf Bank, K.s.c..

See our directory here as a handy check, and let the details from the recipient or Gulf Bank, K.s.c. have the final say. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site for money transfers and not part of Gulf Bank, K.s.c.. Found an error? Tell us via our contact form.

What the XXX in GULBKWKWXXX means

The structure of a BIC never changes: a bank code of four letters, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code. The result is GULBKWKW, the short form of the code.

The long version adds three more characters that identify a branch or department. If the last three are XXX, they simply mean the head office.

Enter the code in one piece, in capitals and without spaces. A wrong character may route the money to another bank, so copy it carefully.