SWIFT/BIC codes in Singapore: banks starting with S

Singapore: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

In Singapore we have 880 SWIFT/BIC codes, spread over 504 institutions. Each code points to an institution or a specific branch or department.

Pick a bank below to see its head office code and its other codes. The sections below explain how the codes work, the cost of transfers and the checks worth doing.

Banks in Singapore starting with :letter

This page shows only the banks in Singapore beginning with :letter, sorted alphabetically. The totals mentioned above always cover all banks in Singapore, not just this letter.

If a bank does not appear under :letter, try the full list. Use the full list for Singapore when you are not sure how the name is spelled.

How reliable is this list?

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

We collect bank codes using public sources and check them from time to time. Banks reorganise, close branches and retire codes, and no directory catches every change immediately. For any payment of any size, check the code with the recipient’s bank. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and has no link to the banks in this list.

Be wary of invoices with changed bank details, especially when they come by email. Before paying, verify a change of bank details through a separate channel on a number you know.

Paying a bank in Singapore from abroad

For Singapore you will usually need the BIC – Singapore is not a SEPA country. Without the BIC, most banks will not send the payment.

Not every country uses IBAN numbers; in that case the local account number is used instead. Check with the recipient which details their bank requires for payments from abroad – many banks give clear instructions for this. International transfers sometimes go via one or more intermediary banks and fees can be taken along the way.

Transfer times to Singapore

An international transfer to Singapore typically takes one to a few business days. Public holidays in either country can add extra days, because banks do not process payments on those days.

When a payment takes longer than expected, the sender should contact their own bank. Save your transfer receipt.

Sending SGD to Singapore

Singapore pays in the Singapore Dollar, code SGD. When you pay another currency, it has to be converted at some point.

Where the conversion happens has an effect on the final amount, since every bank sets its own rate. Check what SGD arrives with several services. With bigger transfers, even a small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

The largest SWIFT network in Singapore: BNP Paribas Securities Services SA

Of all banks in Singapore, BNP Paribas Securities Services SA is listed with the largest number of SWIFT codes. The head office of BNP Paribas Securities Services SA uses BPTSSGSGXXX.

How many codes a bank has tells you something about how it organises its payments than about how big it is. Paying someone at BNP Paribas Securities Services SA? Go with BPTSSGSGXXX except when a specific branch code is requested.

Recognising a SWIFT code from Singapore

A BIC is either 8 or 11 characters long and follows a fixed pattern. Characters one to four stand for the bank, characters five and six form the country code and characters seven and eight mark the location.

No matter which bank, all Singapore codes have the same country code in positions five and six: the ISO code of the country. A code with other letters in that position belong to another country.

The last three characters, if present, stand for a specific branch; XXX is used for the head office. In most cases the head office code is fine unless the recipient asks for a specific branch.

Incoming international payments in Singapore

When you expect money from abroad in Singapore, give the sender a complete set of details. Give them your name as registered with the bank, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and your address, which some banks require.

Look up the bank in the list above to check its code, but take the code from your own bank details when in doubt. Some banks may also want your bank’s address; it does no harm to include it.

What lands in your account can be lower than what was sent. Fees for incoming transfers vary per bank; check the price list of your bank. On invoices, state who bears the costs.

The cheapest way to send money to Singapore

An international bank payment to Singapore can cost more than the fee suggests. Besides the fee, correspondent banks can deduct a charge and, if currencies are converted, the bank usually applies a less favourable rate than the real market rate.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee. A simple test: put the offered rate against the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

For many currency pairs, a specialist provider turns out to be cheaper than a traditional bank transfer. GoldexPay compares these providers side by side, showing the amount that reaches the recipient.