HSBC Bank PLC SWIFT/BIC code

What MIDLESMM means for a payment to HSBC Bank PLC

The 8-character code MIDLESMM and the 11-character code MIDLESMMXXX refer to the same bank: HSBC Bank PLC in Madrid, Spain. A SWIFT code shows the sending bank exactly which bank is meant to get the money. You will need it mostly for payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

Further down we go through the practical questions: receiving money at HSBC Bank PLC, paying someone in another country and how to check the code before you confirm a payment. The BIC names an institution, never a single account; the IBAN or account number does that.

Verifying the SWIFT code of HSBC Bank PLC

The safest source for a SWIFT code is the recipient’s own bank details: an invoice, a bank statement or their online banking. When the code you were given differs from MIDLESMM or MIDLESMMXXX, stop and ask: check with the recipient or with HSBC Bank PLC directly.

An incorrect BIC can cause delays, a payment being sent back or additional charges along the way. Remember the IBAN: a mistake there is more difficult to undo than a wrong BIC.

Most online banking apps check the structure of an IBAN and some suggest the matching BIC, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. Some banks now compare the name with the account – do not ignore a mismatch warning. Sending a small amount first can be a sensible step for large sums despite the extra fee.

Do you need MIDLESMM for a SEPA transfer?

Spain is a member of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), where euro transfers follow common rules. When you send euros within SEPA, you normally only need the IBAN; many banks no longer ask for the BIC.

You will still need MIDLESMMXXX for payments in other currencies or transfers from countries outside SEPA. If your banking app has a field for the BIC anyway, adding MIDLESMM does no harm.

Instant payments in euros have become widely supported across SEPA – whether HSBC Bank PLC offers them for your account is worth checking. Charges on SEPA payments tend to be low as long as everything stays in euros.

A note on our data

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes using publicly available data and update our list regularly. Banks reorganise, close branches and retire codes. Counts and locations come from our directory and may differ from what HSBC Bank PLC publishes.

For any payment of any size, always confirm the code with HSBC Bank PLC or with the recipient. GoldexPay is independent of HSBC Bank PLC, we only compare transfer services. Spotted outdated information? Tell us through the contact page.

Watch out for payment fraud

Fraudsters often send payment requests with changed bank details. The fact that MIDLESMM exists is no guarantee that the account is legitimate.

Always confirm a change of bank details through a phone call on a number you know, not one from the message. Watch out for urgent requests, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. When money has already gone to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately: the sooner they act, the better the chance of a recall.

Recipients are targeted too: one known trick is a buyer who pays too much and then sends a request to send back the difference to another account. Do not act before the money is actually in your account.

Which of the 3 codes of HSBC Bank PLC do you need?

With 3 codes in 1 locations, HSBC Bank PLC is one of the banks that use separate codes for parts of the organisation. The head office code remains MIDLESMMXXX.

Usually you do not need to look up a branch: payments sent to MIDLESMMXXX are routed within HSBC Bank PLC without problems. Only use a branch code when your contact gives you that exact code.

Unsure which code applies? Check with the recipient, or look at a recent statement from HSBC Bank PLC. Codes for branches are more likely to change than the head office code when a bank merges or closes offices.

8 or 11 characters: MIDLESMM versus MIDLESMMXXX

Each SWIFT/BIC code has an 8-character core: four letters for the bank, two letters for the country and two characters for the location. In this case, the 8-character core is MIDLESMM.

XXX at the end of MIDLESMMXXX is not a placeholder or a mistake: it stands for the head office of HSBC Bank PLC. Some banking apps ask for 11 characters, and then you simply enter XXX behind MIDLESMM.

In practice the code is written in capitals and without spaces. A single character can send the money to another bank, so copy it carefully.

Paying someone abroad from your HSBC Bank PLC account

When you send money to another country through HSBC Bank PLC, the fee you see is only part of what you pay. There is the fee for the transfer itself, possibly charges from correspondent banks along the way and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate when the money is converted.

Many banks rarely list the margin on the rate as a cost – you only notice it if you compare. An easy check: set the bank’s rate next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

Specialised transfer providers frequently offer rates closer to the mid-market rate and lower fees. Before your next transfer, take a minute comparing the total cost via GoldexPay. You can always use your account at HSBC Bank PLC as the source of the money.

Euro (EUR) and conversion costs

Most accounts at HSBC Bank PLC are usually held in EUR, the national currency. When you pay another currency, the amount gets converted somewhere along the way – by your bank, by HSBC Bank PLC or by a bank in between. You rarely see a separate line for that conversion; it is built into the rate.

Who does the conversion has an effect on the final amount. Check what EUR arrives with several providers; the difference between options can be larger than you expect.

Rates for EUR move all the time – some services let you fix a rate in advance. With bigger transfers, a seemingly small gap in the rate adds up quickly.

What to give a sender who pays you at HSBC Bank PLC

Someone abroad who wants to pay you needs a few details from you – incomplete details often cause delays. What they need is: your name, account number or IBAN, MIDLESMMXXX and, for some countries, your home address.

Some sending banks want the bank’s address in Madrid. Double-check every detail before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

Expect that the amount credited is below what the sender paid. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin applies. Agree with the sender who pays which costs, especially for larger amounts.

When will the money arrive at HSBC Bank PLC?

There is no single delivery time for international payments: many land the same day or the next. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or on weekends and holidays usually start a business day later. Extra checks by one of the banks may also add some delay.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi. Every payment gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to see where the money is. Money transfer services often provide a status in their app showing where the payment is.

A missing payment is traced by the sending bank. Ask the sender for the payment receipt.