SWIFT/BIC codes in Philippines: banks starting with B

SWIFT/BIC codes in Philippines

Here you will find the SWIFT/BIC codes of 411 institutions in Philippines, 456 codes in all. A BIC shows every bank in the chain exactly which bank should receive an international payment.

Select a bank below to see its head office code and its other codes, plus practical notes for sending and receiving money. Further down we explain how a code from Philippines is put together, how to send money there at a fair price and what to check before you pay.

Receiving money in Philippines from abroad

For a transfer from abroad into a Philippines account, the person paying you needs more than the SWIFT code. In practice that means: your name as your bank knows it, your IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and usually your postal address.

Look up your bank in the list above to check its code – your bank statement is the final word. It helps to include your bank’s name and city as well.

The amount you receive can be less than what was sent. Fees for incoming transfers differ per bank – your bank’s price list tells you what applies. On invoices, state who bears the costs, so nobody is left short.

Banks in Philippines beginning with the letter :letter

Here you see a filtered list: just banks in Philippines whose name begins with :letter. The figures for Philippines mentioned here cover all 411 banks.

Cannot find the bank? The registered name might begin with another word. The full overview for Philippines is one click away if the letter filter does not help.

How reliable is this list?

The best place to find the correct BIC remains paperwork issued by the bank, such as a statement or the account page in online banking. An incorrect BIC can cause a delay, a payment being sent back or extra fees – compare it with the code in our list.

Our SWIFT/BIC directory is compiled from publicly available sources that we update periodically. Banks reorganise, change names and retire codes. For a payment of any size, confirm the BIC with the recipient. GoldexPay is not a bank and is not affiliated with the banks listed.

Watch out for invoices containing changed bank details, especially when they come by email. A valid BIC tells you nothing about whether a request is genuine.

Bank or transfer service for Philippines?

If you transfer money to Philippines through a regular bank, the fee you see is rarely all of the cost. Besides a fixed fee, intermediary banks can deduct a charge, and when the money is converted the bank usually applies a less favourable rate than the actual market rate.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the biggest part of the cost because it is hidden in the rate. Compare the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate. The difference is your real cost.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service is cheaper than a bank, mainly because of the rate. Before you send money to Philippines, it is worth comparing the total cost on GoldexPay rather than accepting the first rate you see.

The largest SWIFT network in Philippines: Asiatrust Bank

Of all banks in Philippines, Asiatrust Bank is listed with the most codes. The head office uses ATDBPHM1XXX.

Many codes often reflects that the bank registers branches and departments separately. If not the recipient asks for a branch, ATDBPHM1XXX is fine for a payment to Asiatrust Bank.

How SWIFT codes from Philippines are built

Each SWIFT/BIC code consists of 8 or 11 characters in a fixed order. First comes four letters for the bank, followed by two letters for the country and two characters for the location.

No matter which bank, all Philippines codes share the same fifth and sixth letters, namely the ISO code of Philippines. A code with a different country code come from another country.

If the last three are XXX, it means the main office. For most transfers the head office code is fine, unless the recipient gives you a branch code.

Philippines and the Philippine Peso

Philippines pays in the Philippine Peso, with the currency code PHP. If you send another currency, it has to be converted somewhere along the way – by your bank, a bank in between or the recipient’s bank.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount. In many cases it is cheaper to send PHP straight away via a provider that converts near the mid-market rate so the receiving bank does not need to convert again. With bigger transfers, a seemingly small gap in the rate adds up quickly.

Why a transfer to Philippines needs a SWIFT code

Because Philippines does not belong to SEPA, a transfer from abroad is usually sent through SWIFT. That means the payment always needs the BIC of the receiving bank.

In some countries, the account is identified by a domestic account number rather than an IBAN and sometimes a local routing or branch code. Check with the recipient which details their bank needs for payments from abroad; banks often publish instructions for this. International transfers sometimes go via correspondent banks and fees can be taken along the way.

When does money sent to Philippines arrive?

An international transfer to Philippines usually takes one to a few business days – it depends on currency, route and the banks in between. Payments made late in the day or on weekends and holidays usually start a business day later.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi. Every payment carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms – you will need it if something goes wrong.