Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited SWIFT/BIC code

What MPBLPKKA means for a payment to Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited

The 8-character code MPBLPKKA and the full code MPBLPKKAXXX refer to one and the same institution: Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited in Karachi, Pakistan. The code has a single purpose: it ensures that money from abroad ends up at the right bank. It comes up mainly when dealing with payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

This page is meant to help people who pays into an account at Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited and wants to get the details right. A SWIFT code names an institution, never a specific account.

Is MPBLPKKA still correct? How to check

The most reliable source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details. If the code you have does not match MPBLPKKA or MPBLPKKAXXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited.

Errors in the BIC tend to be annoying rather than disastrous. Remember the account number: a mistake there is harder to correct than a wrong code.

A validity check by your bank merely tells you that the IBAN exists, not that it is the right account. If your bank offers it, a payee name check on the recipient adds an extra layer of safety. When you pay someone new, many people start with a small amount first and wait for confirmation.

What a transfer from Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited abroad really costs

When you transfer money abroad via Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited, the fee you see is only part of the cost. You pay the fee for the transfer itself, sometimes charges from correspondent banks along the way and, most importantly, the exchange rate markup when the money is converted.

Banks do not show the margin on the rate separately – you only notice it if you compare. An easy check: put the rate you get against the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

For a lot of routes, a transfer service is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer. GoldexPay compares what recipients receive across services, so you can pick the cheapest route. You can still use your account at Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited to fund the transfer; only the conversion and sending happen elsewhere.

When will the money arrive at Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited?

How quickly a payment arrives at Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited is determined by a few things: which currency you send, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country can add a day or more. Extra checks by one of the banks can also add some delay.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask your bank about the status and the transaction reference. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

A delayed transfer is traced from the sending side on the basis of the transfer details. On the receiving end, you can look at your statements to see a slightly lower amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Getting paid from abroad into a Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited account

If you expect money from abroad, give the sender all details at once. Share your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, SWIFT code MPBLPKKAXXX and your address.

You can add the bank name and Karachi as well. Check every detail before you send them, because the sender’s bank usually copies them as is.

An incoming payment will not always arrive in full. Charges on incoming payments vary per bank. Agree with the sender who covers the fees before the money is sent.

Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited: head office code versus branch codes

With 88 codes, Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited is one of the banks that use individual codes for parts of the organisation and departments. The head office code is MPBLPKKAXXX.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, use MPBLPKKAXXX or its short form MPBLPKKA. A branch code only makes sense when the recipient’s bank specifically asks for it.

When in doubt, check with the recipient which code their bank gave them. Codes can change over time, so do not rely on old paperwork.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

One of the most common tricks works like this: an email arrives with a message saying that a contact now has a new bank account and asking you to pay there from now on. A correct SWIFT code says nothing about who owns the account.

Always verify changed bank details by phone on a number you know, not one from the message. Watch out for urgent requests, unusual wording or an email address that differs by one letter. If money was sent to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately – speed improves the chance of getting it back.

Scams can also work the other way: someone sends too much and wants you to refund the difference via a different route. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing – check your own account.

A note on our data

The details on this page come from publicly available data which we refresh regularly. It can happen that information here is out of date, for example after a merger. The figures on this page are based on our own data and not on information from Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited itself.

Before any payment of any size, confirm the BIC with Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited or with the recipient. GoldexPay has no connection to Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Found an error? Let us know via our contact form so we can correct it.

What the XXX in MPBLPKKAXXX means

The structure of every SWIFT code is always the same: a bank code of four letters, two for the country and two for the location, sometimes followed by a branch code. For Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited, the 8-character core is MPBLPKKA.

XXX at the end of MPBLPKKAXXX does not stand for a missing value or an error: it indicates the main office of Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited. Some banking apps ask for 11 characters, in which case you simply enter XXX behind MPBLPKKA.

Do not add spaces or dashes when you enter MPBLPKKA. A single letter can send the money to another bank, so copy it carefully.