SWIFT/BIC codes in Spain: banks starting with B

Finding a SWIFT code in Spain

On this page you find the SWIFT/BIC codes of 581 banks in Spain. A BIC shows every bank in the chain which institution should receive an international payment.

Search for the recipient’s bank below and open its page for the full list of codes. The sections below explain how the codes work, the cost of transfers and the checks worth doing.

Receiving money in Spain from abroad

If you expect a payment from another country in Spain, give the sender everything they need in one go. That means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and usually your postal address.

Look up the bank in the list above, but take the code from your own bank details when in doubt. You can add your bank’s name and city.

Expect that the incoming amount is below what the sender paid. Fees for incoming transfers differ from bank to bank – your bank’s price list tells you what applies. For business payments, agree who bears the costs.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Spain

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the bank details provided by the recipient: an invoice, a statement or their online banking. When the code you were given does not match the code listed here, do not guess: check with the recipient or the bank.

This list draws on publicly available sources. Still, banks merge or retire codes. For any payment of any size, check the code with the recipient. GoldexPay is not a bank and has no link to the banks in this list.

Be wary of payment requests with a new account, especially when they come by email. Always confirm changed details by phone on a number you know.

SWIFT codes in Spain: banks under :letter

You are looking at a filtered list: only institutions in Spain whose name begins with :letter. The counts in the introduction always refer to the whole country.

If the bank you need is missing under :letter, try another letter. The complete list remains available when the letter filter does not help.

What the letters in a Spain BIC mean

Bank identifier codes follow one international format: eight characters plus an optional three-character extension. First comes a four-letter bank code, followed by a two-letter country code and a two-character location code.

You can spot a bank code from Spain from letters five and six. When those two letters do not match Spain, you are looking at a bank in another country – worth double-checking.

When a code ends in XXX, it means the head office and the short version works just as well. Use a branch code only if the recipient explicitly gives you one.

SEPA transfers to Spain

Inside SEPA, euro transfers to Spain follow common rules and in most cases need only the IBAN. The BIC field is usually optional in that case.

You still need a SWIFT code for payments in other currencies or money from outside the SEPA area. Instant euro transfers have become widely supported across SEPA. Provided the payment stays in euros, a SEPA transfer is usually inexpensive.

BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain and its SWIFT codes

BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain leads the list of Spain banks in the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. Its main office uses PARBESMHXXX.

How many codes a bank has says more about how it organises its payments than about its size. Paying someone at BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain? Use PARBESMHXXX except when a specific branch code is requested.

Tracking a payment to Spain

There is no fixed answer for payments to Spain: many arrive within a day while others need several business days. Bank holidays in Spain or in the sending country can add a day or more, because banks do not process payments on those days.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each gpi transfer carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services usually show a status online, which makes it easier to see where the money is.

Sending EUR to Spain

Most accounts in Spain are typically held in EUR – the Euro. Money sent in a different currency will be exchanged into EUR on its way to the recipient – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Who does the conversion has an effect on how much arrives. In many cases it is cheaper if you send EUR straight away through a transfer service with a good rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert. Exchange rates move all the time, so a quote is usually valid only briefly.

Sending money to Spain for less

When you send money to Spain through a regular bank, the fee you see is only part of what you pay. There is a transfer fee, possibly charges from intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, not in the fee: banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. An easy check: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

Money transfer services often use rates closer to the mid-market rate. GoldexPay lists transfer services side by side so you can see the amount that reaches the recipient before you commit.