Askaribank Limited SWIFT/BIC code

What ASCMPKKA means for a payment to Askaribank Limited

ASCMPKKA and ASCMPKKAXXX are the short and the long form of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both lead to Askaribank Limited in Karachi. The code does one job: it makes sure that a cross-border transfer ends up at the right bank. In daily life you mostly see the code on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and on the account details that Askaribank Limited provides.

We wrote this page to help people who sends money to an account at Askaribank Limited. Keep in mind that the BIC only identifies the bank, not the account: the IBAN or account number takes care of that.

What to give a sender who pays you at Askaribank Limited

A sender in another country needs a few details from you, and missing ones are a common cause of delays. Share your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, SWIFT code ASCMPKKAXXX and your address.

Some sending banks also ask for the bank’s address; it does no harm to include it. Double-check the details before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

The amount you receive can be lower than what was sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, and if the currency changes, a markup on the rate comes on top. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.

How up to date is this code?

The details here come from publicly available data which we refresh regularly. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or retire codes and our data may lag behind. Counts and locations come from our directory and may differ from what Askaribank Limited publishes.

For any payment that matters, confirm the BIC with Askaribank Limited or the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site for money transfers and not affiliated with Askaribank Limited. If you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a short note via the contact page.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

One of the most common tricks works like this: you receive a request saying that a contact now has a new bank account and asking you to pay there from now on. The fact that ASCMPKKA exists is no guarantee that the account is legitimate; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Always confirm a change of bank details through a phone call on a number you know, not one from the message. Be suspicious of urgent requests, odd spelling or a sender address that is slightly off. Already paid? Call the bank you paid from straight away and have them try to recall the payment.

Fraud also target the receiver. Someone claims to have sent too much and asks you to refund the difference. Do not act before the money is actually in your account.

8 or 11 characters: ASCMPKKA versus ASCMPKKAXXX

A BIC is made up of fixed blocks: the first four letters stand for the bank, characters five and six show the country and the two after that indicate the location. That gives you ASCMPKKA for Askaribank Limited.

The long version adds a three-character extension for a branch or department. If the last three are XXX, the code points to the head office, so ASCMPKKAXXX and ASCMPKKA are interchangeable.

Enter the code as one block, in capitals and without separators. Look out for O versus 0 and I versus 1.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Askaribank Limited

The most reliable source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details: an invoice, a bank statement or their online banking. If the code you have does not match ASCMPKKA or ASCMPKKAXXX, stop and ask: check with the recipient or with Askaribank Limited directly.

An incorrect BIC can cause delays, a payment being sent back or extra fees. A mistake in the account number is a bigger problem because it can reach the wrong person, so check that just as carefully.

An automatic check in your banking app merely confirms that the IBAN exists, not that it is the right account. Where available, a payee name check on the recipient adds extra certainty. For a first payment, many people send a small test amount.

Askaribank Limited: head office code versus branch codes

With 23 codes, Askaribank Limited is one of the banks that register separate codes for branches and departments. The main code is ASCMPKKAXXX.

For the vast majority of incoming transfers, the head office code ASCMPKKAXXX is what you need. When you receive a specific code, use it as it is instead of swapping it with the head office code.

Not sure which code to use? Check with the recipient, or look at a recent statement from Askaribank Limited. Codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

How long does an international transfer to Askaribank Limited take?

How fast a payment arrives at Askaribank Limited depends on several factors: which currency you send, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country add extra days. Sometimes a bank wants to know what the payment is for.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every payment carries a unique reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to see where the money is. Money transfer services often provide a status online showing how far the payment has got.

If a payment has not arrived after a few business days, the sender needs to contact the bank that sent it. As a recipient, it helps to check your account to see a partial amount.

What a transfer from Askaribank Limited abroad really costs

The price of a payment abroad is made up of several parts – not just the fee on your screen. On top of the transfer fee, banks in between can deduct a fee, and if currencies are converted, the bank usually applies a rate below the actual market rate.

Banks rarely list the margin on the rate separately. Compare their rate with the mid-market rate, the midpoint between buy and sell rates you see on financial sites.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the exchange rate. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives across services, so you can pick the cheapest route. Choosing a specialist does not require leaving Askaribank Limited.