First City Monument Bank Limited SWIFT/BIC code

FCMBNGLA – the SWIFT/BIC code of First City Monument Bank Limited

The 8-character code FCMBNGLA and the 11-character code FCMBNGLAXXX refer to the same bank: First City Monument Bank Limited, with its head office in Lagos. A SWIFT code tells every bank in the chain which institution should receive the money, much like a postcode for banks. In daily life you usually see the code on international invoices, in payment forms and on the account details that First City Monument Bank Limited provides.

On this page you can read how the code is put together, when it matters and which other details a transfer to or from First City Monument Bank Limited requires. The BIC names a bank or branch, never a specific account; the IBAN or account number does that.

Changed bank details? Be careful

Be wary if someone suddenly wants you to send money to another account or a bank in another country. The fact that FCMBNGLA exists does not mean that a request mentioning it is legitimate; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Do not trust contact details in the same message that contains the new account. Pressure or secrecy are warning signs – a real supplier can wait a day. Acted too fast? Call the bank you paid from without delay and have them start a recall; also report it to the police.

Fraud can also work the other way. Someone sends too much and asks you to return the difference. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof – check your own account.

Choosing between the 2 SWIFT codes of First City Monument Bank Limited

Our database contains 2 SWIFT/BIC codes for First City Monument Bank Limited. Besides the head office code FCMBNGLAXXX, you will find codes for branches, departments or specific services.

In most cases there is no need to look up a branch: payments addressed to FCMBNGLAXXX reach First City Monument Bank Limited correctly. Just use a branch code when the account holder explicitly asks for it.

Not sure which code to use? Check with the recipient. Codes for branches are more prone to be retired than the head office code when a bank merges or closes offices.

When will the money arrive at First City Monument Bank Limited?

How fast a payment arrives at First City Monument Bank Limited depends on a few things: which currency you send, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Transfers sent late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday often start a business day later. Sometimes a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment, which can hold things up.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every gpi transfer carries a unique reference, the UETR. Save your transfer receipt until the money has arrived; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

If a payment has not arrived within the expected time, the person who paid needs to start with their own bank. Ask the sender for the payment receipt with the date and reference – it helps your own bank look for the money.

Paying someone abroad from your First City Monument Bank Limited account

An international bank payment can cost rather more than the listed fee. On top of the transfer fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can deduct a fee, and if currencies are converted the bank often applies a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, not in the fee: the bank converts using an exchange rate that includes a margin. An easy check: put the rate you get against the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

Specialised transfer providers often offer a rate near the mid-market rate. Next time you send money, take a minute comparing the total cost on GoldexPay. You can still use your account at First City Monument Bank Limited to fund the transfer, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.

What to give a sender who pays you at First City Monument Bank Limited

For an international payment at First City Monument Bank Limited, the sender has to have more than the BIC. The basics are: the account holder’s name, account number or IBAN, FCMBNGLAXXX or FCMBNGLA and, for some countries, your postal address.

Their bank might request the address of your bank. Double-check each detail before you share them.

Do not be surprised if the incoming amount is below what the sender paid. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and if the currency changes, an exchange rate margin applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

The details on this page are taken from public sources. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes. The number of codes we show are based on what is in our directory.

See the information here as a helpful check. We are an independent comparison service for money transfers and not affiliated with First City Monument Bank Limited. Spotted an error? Tell us via our contact form.

8 or 11 characters: FCMBNGLA versus FCMBNGLAXXX

A BIC is built from fixed blocks: the first four letters stand for the bank, characters five and six give the country and the two after that indicate the location. Together, these eight characters form FCMBNGLA – the version you usually see online.

XXX at the end of FCMBNGLAXXX does not stand for a placeholder or an error: it indicates the head office of First City Monument Bank Limited. Certain payment forms insist on 11 characters, and then you can enter XXX behind FCMBNGLA.

As a rule the code is written in capitals and without spaces. Pasting the code is safer than typing it by hand, because one wrong letter changes the bank.

Before you send: check the First City Monument Bank Limited code

The most reliable place for the correct BIC remains paperwork issued by the bank like a bank statement or the account page in online banking. When the code you were given does not match FCMBNGLA or FCMBNGLAXXX, do not guess.

If the code is wrong, the payment may get stuck, be returned or cost extra – sometimes after weeks of searching. Do not forget the account number: a mistake there is harder to undo than a wrong BIC.

Most online banking apps validate the format of IBANs and sometimes look up the BIC automatically. More and more banks compare the payee name against the account; take any warning seriously. Sending a small amount first can be a sensible step for a large first payment despite the extra fee.