SWIFT/BIC codes in Spain: banks starting with G

Spain: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

For Spain our database holds 933 SWIFT/BIC codes from 581 banks. A SWIFT code shows the banks handling a transfer exactly which bank should receive the money.

Pick the bank below to view the head office code and any branch codes, plus practical notes for sending and receiving money. The sections below covers how the codes work, the cost of transfers and how to avoid mistakes.

Spain and the SEPA area

Since Spain is in the SEPA zone, a euro transfer to a bank in Spain usually only needs an IBAN. Many banks no longer ask for the BIC for these payments.

A SWIFT code does come into play when the currency is not euros and when the money comes from outside SEPA. Instant payments in euros have become widely available within SEPA, though not every bank offers them for every account. Costs stay low as long as no currency is converted – conversion is what costs money.

Paying in EUR: what conversion costs you

Bank accounts in Spain are typically held in EUR – the Euro. A payment in a foreign currency is converted into EUR before it reaches the account, and whoever converts it chooses the rate.

Who converts the payment makes a difference, because each party uses its own rate. Compare what EUR the recipient gets via different providers. Exchange rates move all the time, so a quote is usually valid only briefly.

Banks in Spain beginning with the letter :letter

This filter narrows the list down to banks in Spain starting with :letter, so you can find a bank faster. The totals mentioned here apply to every bank we list.

Some banks appear under their official name rather than the name on their app or website. The complete list is available if the letter filter does not help.

Getting paid from abroad into an account in Spain

To receive a transfer from abroad into a Spain account, the sender needs more than the SWIFT code. That means: your name as your bank knows it, your IBAN or account number, the SWIFT/BIC code of your bank and usually your address.

Your bank’s code appears in our list, yet the version on your own statement or in your banking app is leading. Some sending banks may also ask for the name and address of your bank; it does no harm to include it.

The amount you receive is often less than what was sent. Charges on incoming payments vary from bank to bank – your bank’s price list tells you what applies. For business payments, state how the fees are split.

What a transfer to Spain really costs

If you send money to Spain with your bank, the stated fee is only part of what you pay. There is the transfer fee, sometimes charges from intermediary banks and, above all, the exchange rate markup when currencies differ.

The real cost is often in the rate – the bank builds a margin into its rate. Check the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

Specialised transfer providers often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. GoldexPay lists these providers next to each other so you can see what actually arrives in Spain for the same amount sent.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Spain

The best place to find the correct BIC is a document from the bank itself. When the code you were given differs from the code listed here, do not guess: check with the recipient or the bank.

We collect bank codes using publicly available data and update our list from time to time. Banks merge, close branches and change codes, and no directory catches every change immediately. Treat our data as a reference, not as the final word; the recipient’s bank details are leading. GoldexPay is not a bank.

Be wary of invoices containing a new account – a common fraud method. Always verify a change of bank details through a separate channel.

How SWIFT codes from Spain are built

SWIFT/BIC codes use the same format worldwide: 8 characters plus an optional three-character extension. The first four letters stand for the bank, the fifth and sixth characters form the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

You can recognise a bank code from Spain by the fifth and sixth characters – those always form the country code of Spain. Codes with other letters in that position belong to another country.

The optional last three characters identify a specific branch; XXX is used for the head office. For most transfers the head office code is fine.

Which bank in Spain has the most codes?

Among the 581 institutions we list, BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain holds the largest number of SWIFT/BIC codes in Spain. The head office of BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain uses PARBESMHXXX.

Banks differ in whether they register branch codes, so the count is not a ranking of size. Making a payment to BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain? Go with PARBESMHXXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

When does money sent to Spain arrive?

How quickly money reaches Spain is determined by a few things: the currency, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Public holidays in Spain or in the sending country can add a day or more to the journey.

If a transfer is delayed, the sender should contact the sending bank and ask for the status or the UETR – the receiving bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Save your transfer receipt until the money has arrived.