SWIFT/BIC codes in Russia: banks starting with B

Bank SWIFT codes for Russia

Our directory lists 785 banks and financial institutions in Russia and 1646 SWIFT/BIC codes between them. A BIC tells the banks handling a transfer exactly which bank should receive the money.

Search for the recipient’s bank in the list and open its page for all codes we have and what else a transfer requires. The sections below covers how the codes work, the cost of transfers and how to avoid mistakes before a payment.

Filter: banks in Russia with :letter

You are looking at a filtered list: just institutions in Russia whose name begins with :letter. The figures for Russia mentioned here apply to all 785 banks and not only this letter.

Many institutions appear under their official name. Use the full list for Russia when you are not sure the exact name.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Russia

The most reliable source for the BIC is the bank details provided by the recipient. An incorrect BIC may lead to delays, a payment being sent back or additional charges.

This list draws on publicly available sources. Still, banks merge or retire codes and our data may lag behind. For any payment of any size, confirm the code with the recipient’s bank. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and has no link to the banks in this list.

Watch out for invoices with a new account. Before paying, confirm a change of bank details by phone, using a number you already had.

Bank or transfer service for Russia?

If you transfer money to Russia through a regular bank, the fee you see is only part of what you pay. On top of a fixed fee, intermediary banks may deduct a charge, and when the money is converted the bank often uses a rate below the real market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee – the bank builds a margin into its rate. Compare the bank’s rate against the mid-market rate.

For many currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the rate. GoldexPay lists transfer services next to each other so you can see the amount that reaches the recipient before you commit.

Why a transfer to Russia needs a SWIFT code

Since Russia is outside SEPA, an international payment normally goes as a SWIFT payment. This means you always need the BIC of the recipient’s bank.

Not all countries use the IBAN – where there is none, the local account number is enough. Check with the recipient exactly which details their bank requires for payments from abroad. On the way to Russia, a transfer can pass through correspondent banks.

Getting paid from abroad into an account in Russia

To receive a transfer from abroad into a Russia account, the person paying you has to have more than the BIC. In practice that means: your name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the SWIFT/BIC code of your bank and, often, your address.

The code of your bank is in our list. Certain sending banks may also ask for the name and address of your bank, so keep it at hand.

The amount you receive is often less than what was sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee, your bank may charge for incoming payments, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate applies. Agree with the sender who pays which costs, especially for larger amounts.

Most SWIFT codes in Russia: JSC Rosselkhozbank

JSC Rosselkhozbank tops our list of Russia banks when it comes to the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. Its main office has RUAGRUMMXXX.

Practice differs in how many codes they register, so the count is not a ranking of size. Paying someone at JSC Rosselkhozbank? Go with RUAGRUMMXXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

Recognising a SWIFT code from Russia

SWIFT/BIC codes follow the same format worldwide: 8 characters, sometimes followed by three more. The first four letters identify the bank, the fifth and sixth characters are the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

No matter which bank, every code from Russia share the same country code in positions five and six. Codes with other letters in that position belong to another country.

The optional last three characters identify a branch or department; XXX means the head office. In most cases the head office code is what you need unless the recipient asks for a specific branch.

Tracking a payment to Russia

A SWIFT payment to Russia usually needs one to a few business days. Bank holidays in Russia or in the sending country add extra days to the journey.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi. Each payment gets a unique reference, the UETR that banks can use to see where the money is. Specialist transfer services usually provide tracking in their app, which makes it easier to see where the money is.