United Overseas Bank Limited SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of United Overseas Bank Limited

UOVBSGSG and UOVBSGSGXXX are the short and the long form of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both lead to United Overseas Bank Limited in Singapore. A SWIFT code tells the banks handling a payment which institution should receive the money. In daily life you usually come across the code on international invoices, in payment forms and in the bank details that United Overseas Bank Limited provides.

Further down we go through the practical side: money coming in from abroad, paying someone in another country and how to verify a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. A SWIFT code identifies a bank or branch, not a single account, which is why you always need the account number too.

Which of the 5 codes of United Overseas Bank Limited do you need?

Having 5 codes, United Overseas Bank Limited belongs to the banks that register separate codes for parts of the organisation and departments. The head office code is UOVBSGSGXXX.

For the vast majority of incoming transfers, the head office code UOVBSGSGXXX is what you need. Just use a branch code when your contact gives you that exact code, for example on an invoice or in their bank details.

Unsure which code applies? Check with the recipient. Branch codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise.

Sending money abroad from United Overseas Bank Limited

A bank transfer abroad can cost rather more than the listed fee. On top of a fixed fee, banks in between may deduct a fee, and if the money changes currency the bank usually uses a rate below the real market rate.

The real cost is often in the rate, not in the fee: the bank converts at a rate with a margin built in. Check their rate against the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites.

Specialist money transfer services often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate. Next time you send money, take a minute to compare the total cost via GoldexPay rather than accepting the bank’s rate by default. Using a transfer service does not mean closing your account at United Overseas Bank Limited.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to United Overseas Bank Limited

There is no fixed answer: many land the same day or the next, others take several business days. Payments made late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday usually start the next business day. Sometimes a bank asks about the purpose of a payment.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every gpi transfer gets a unique reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Specialist transfer services often show a status in their app so you can see where the money has got.

If the money does not arrive after a few business days, the person who paid should contact the bank that sent it rather than United Overseas Bank Limited. Ask the sender for the payment receipt including the reference; that often settles the question quickly.

A note on our data

The details here come from public sources which we refresh regularly. Still, banks merge or change codes and our data may lag behind. Figures such as the number of codes come from our own dataset and are not confirmed by United Overseas Bank Limited.

See the information here as a helpful check. GoldexPay is not affiliated with United Overseas Bank Limited; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Should you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a short note via the contact page.

Singapore Dollar (SGD) and conversion costs

Accounts at United Overseas Bank Limited are typically held in SGD, the local currency of Singapore. If you send another currency gets converted at some point – by your bank, by United Overseas Bank Limited or by a bank in between. You rarely see a separate charge for the conversion.

Where the conversion happens has an effect on the final amount, since every bank sets its own rate. Check how much SGD the recipient gets with several services.

Exchange rates change during the day. On larger amounts, even small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

Is UOVBSGSG still correct? How to check

Ask the recipient to copy their account details directly from a recent statement. When the code you were given does not match UOVBSGSG or UOVBSGSGXXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or United Overseas Bank Limited.

Errors in the BIC are costly rather than disastrous – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. A mistake in the IBAN or account number can be a bigger problem.

A validity check by your bank merely confirms that the code is valid. Some banks now check the name with the account before you confirm. A small test payment is worth it for a large first payment, even if it costs an extra fee.

What the XXX in UOVBSGSGXXX means

A BIC is built from a few fixed parts: the first four letters identify the bank, the next two give the country and the two after that indicate the location. That gives you UOVBSGSG for United Overseas Bank Limited.

Many payment forms accept either length. If yours requires eleven characters, use UOVBSGSGXXX.

Do not add spaces when you enter UOVBSGSG or UOVBSGSGXXX. Pasting the code is safer than retyping it: a typo can point to another bank.

Getting paid from abroad into a United Overseas Bank Limited account

If you are waiting for a payment from another country, send the payer all details at once. Give them the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, the BIC UOVBSGSGXXX and your address.

Certain banks also ask for the bank’s address in Singapore, so keep it at hand. A mistake in your account number is harder to fix than it looks; copy them from your banking app rather than typing.

An incoming payment will not always land in full. Charges on incoming payments differ from bank to bank; check the price list of United Overseas Bank Limited. Agree with the sender who pays which costs.

Watch out for payment fraud

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. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether the request is genuine: scammers use real codes of real banks.

Check new payment details through a different channel. Pressure or requests to keep it quiet tend to be red flags. If money was sent to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately.

Scams also target the receiver: someone claims to have sent too much and wants you to return the difference. A screenshot of a transfer proves nothing – check your own account.