Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited

OCBCSGSG and OCBCSGSGXXX are two spellings of the same bank identifier, and both point to Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited in Singapore. A SWIFT code shows every bank in the chain exactly which bank is meant to get the money. In practice you mostly come across the code on international invoices, in your banking app and on the account details that Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited provides.

We wrote this page to help people who receives money at an account at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited and wants to get the details right. The SWIFT code on its own does not identify an individual account holder; that is what the account number or IBAN is for.

Head office or branch code at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited?

With 3 codes, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited belongs to the banks that use individual codes for parts of the organisation. The head office code remains OCBCSGSGXXX.

Usually there is no need to look up a branch: transfers sent to OCBCSGSGXXX reach Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited without problems. Just use a branch code when the account holder gives you that exact code.

When in doubt, ask the person you are paying which code their bank gave them. Codes can change over time, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

Incoming international payments to Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited

When you are waiting for a payment from another country, give the sender everything they need in one go. Share your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, SWIFT code OCBCSGSGXXX and your address, which some banks require.

You can add Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited and Singapore too, because some payment forms have separate fields for them. A typo in your account number is harder to fix than it looks.

What lands in your account is often less than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments differ per bank. On invoices, it is common to state how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

The Singapore Dollar and what conversion costs you

Singapore uses the Singapore Dollar (SGD). Money sent in a different currency is converted into SGD before it reaches the account – and the bank that does it picks the rate. You rarely see a separate charge for that conversion – the cost sits in the rate.

Which bank converts the payment matters. Sending the amount already in SGD often avoids a second conversion by Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, provided the rate you get is fair.

Rates for SGD move during the day, and some providers let you lock in a rate. On larger amounts, a seemingly small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

Why Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited has an 8- and an 11-character code

Each SWIFT/BIC code starts with an 8-character core: a four-letter bank code, two letters for the country and a two-character location code. In this case, the 8-character core is OCBCSGSG.

Most payment forms work with either length. If a form asks for eleven characters, enter OCBCSGSGXXX.

In practice the code is typed in capitals. Pasting the code is safer than retyping it, because one wrong letter changes the bank.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited

How fast a payment arrives at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited depends on several factors: the currency, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or just before a weekend or public holiday usually start the next business day. Extra checks on larger or unusual payments can also cause some delay.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask the sending bank for the status or the UETR; with that reference banks can see where the payment is. Specialist transfer services usually provide tracking online showing where the payment has got.

If the money does not arrive after a few business days, the sender needs to contact the bank that sent it, not the receiving bank. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation with the date and reference.

A note on our data

The codes on this page are taken from public sources. Still, banks merge or retire codes. The number of codes on this page reflect what is in our directory.

Treat our data as a starting point, rather than as the final word – the bank details from the recipient are leading. GoldexPay is an independent comparison service for money transfers and not affiliated with Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited. Should you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a message via the contact page.

Sending money abroad from Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited

An international bank payment can cost more than the fee suggests. There is the fee for the transfer itself, possibly charges from correspondent banks in between and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate when the money is converted.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert at a rate that includes a margin. An easy check: set the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

Money transfer services often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate. GoldexPay compares what recipients receive with different providers, so you can pick the cheapest route. Choosing a specialist does not mean closing your account at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited.

How to check OCBCSGSG before you pay

Have the recipient copy the account details directly from their banking app. Check it against OCBCSGSG here.

An incorrect BIC can cause a delay, a returned payment or additional charges for investigation. Remember the IBAN: a mistake there is harder to undo than a wrong code.

Most online banking apps validate the structure of an IBAN and some suggest the matching BIC, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. Where available, a name check before sending gives extra certainty. When you pay someone new, many people start with a small amount first.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Stay wary when a contact unexpectedly asks you to pay into another account abroad. A valid SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account – scammers simply use real codes.

Never trust contact details in the same message that announces the new account. Urgency or requests to keep it quiet are red flags. Already paid? Contact the bank you paid from without delay and ask them to start a recall.

Recipients can be targeted as well: a classic trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to refund the difference abroad. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing.