SWIFT/BIC codes in Norway: banks starting with M

Norway: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

Here you will find codes for 306 institutions in Norway. You need a SWIFT/BIC code mainly for payments across borders.

Each bank is listed with its own page with its main code and if there are any, branch codes. The rest of this page covers how the codes work, the cost of transfers and the checks worth doing before a payment.

Getting paid from abroad into an account in Norway

A sender in another country will ask for a few details about your account – incomplete details often cause delays. In practice that means: your name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and, often, your postal address.

Find your bank in the list on this page. Certain sending banks may also ask for your bank’s address, so keep it at hand.

What lands in your account is often less than what was sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate applies. For business payments, agree who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

What the letters in a Norway BIC mean

Every SWIFT/BIC code has 8 or 11 characters, always in the same order. Characters one to four stand for the bank, the fifth and sixth characters form the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

You can spot a code from Norway from the fifth and sixth characters: they always show the ISO country code of Norway. Codes with other letters in that position belong to a bank abroad.

An 11-character code ends in three characters for a branch, where XXX means the head office. In most cases the head office code is what you need unless the recipient asks for a specific branch.

Transfer times to Norway

There is no fixed answer for transfers to Norway: some arrive the same day or the next. Payments made late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday usually go out the next business day.

When a payment takes longer than expected, the sender should contact their own bank for a trace; only the sending side can start an official trace. Keep your transfer receipt until the recipient confirms; a bank needs it to start a trace.

Euro payments to Norway: is a BIC needed?

Because Norway is part of the SEPA zone, a euro transfer to an account in Norway normally only needs the IBAN. Many banks do not require the BIC in that case.

You will still need a SWIFT code when sending non-euro payments or transfers from countries outside SEPA. Instant payments in euros have become widely supported across SEPA. Costs stay low provided everything stays in euros – conversion is what costs money.

Bank or transfer service for Norway?

If you transfer money to Norway via your bank, the stated fee is only part of the cost. On top of a fixed fee, correspondent banks may deduct a charge and, if currencies are converted, the bank usually uses a less favourable rate than the real market rate.

That exchange rate margin is often the largest part of the cost. A simple test: put the rate you get against the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service is cheaper than a traditional bank transfer – mostly thanks to the exchange rate. Before your next transfer to Norway, take a minute to compare the total cost via GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank.

Check the code before you pay

The most reliable place for the correct BIC is a document from the bank itself. If the code you have does not match the code listed here, do not guess.

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using publicly available data and check them regularly. Banks merge, close branches and retire codes. Before a payment that matters, check the code with the recipient. We are an independent comparison site.

Scammers often send fake invoices with new bank details from what looks like a familiar address. Before paying, confirm changed details by phone.

Banks in Norway beginning with the letter :letter

This filter limits the list to banks from Norway that begin with :letter to make searching quicker. The figures for Norway on this page cover all 306 banks.

Bank not listed? The registered name may begin with another word – think of the full legal name instead of the brand. Use the full list for Norway if you are not sure how the name is spelled.

The largest SWIFT network in Norway: Storebrand Kapitalforvaltning

Storebrand Kapitalforvaltning tops the list for Norway when it comes to the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. Its main office uses STKTNOK1000; that is usually the right code for a transfer.

Many codes often reflects that the bank registers branches and departments separately, not necessarily that the bank is the biggest in the country. Making a payment to Storebrand Kapitalforvaltning? Go with STKTNOK1000 except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

Paying in NOK: what conversion costs you

Norway uses the Norwegian Krone, with the currency code NOK. If you send another currency, the amount has to be converted at some point.

Which bank converts the money makes a difference. In many cases it is cheaper to send NOK straight away via a provider that converts near the mid-market rate so the receiving bank does not need to convert again. Exchange rates move during the day – some providers let you lock in a rate.