Seylan Bank PLC SWIFT/BIC code

Seylan Bank PLC SWIFT code: SEYBLKLX

The 8-character code SEYBLKLX and the full code SEYBLKLXXXX identify the same bank: Seylan Bank PLC, with its head office in Colombo. A BIC has a single purpose: it makes sure that an international payment ends up at the right bank. You will need it mainly when dealing with payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

This page is meant to help people who receives money at an account at Seylan Bank PLC. The SWIFT code alone cannot identify an individual account holder; that is what the account number or IBAN .

Head office or branch code at Seylan Bank PLC?

Seylan Bank PLC uses 2 separate SWIFT/BIC codes across 1 cities. Only one is the head office code; the rest belong to branches or departments, and sometimes specific services.

For the vast majority of payments to a private or business account, the head office code SEYBLKLXXXX is what you need. If you have been given a branch code, use it as it is instead of replacing it with the head office code.

The best way is to take the code directly from the account holder’s invoice. Codes can change over time, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

How long does an international transfer to Seylan Bank PLC take?

There is no fixed delivery time for international payments: many land within a day while others need several business days. Bank holidays in either country add extra days. Occasionally a bank asks about the purpose of a payment, which can hold things up.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi. Each gpi transfer carries a unique reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services often provide a status in their app so you can see where the payment has got.

If the money does not arrive within the expected time, the person who paid needs to contact the bank that sent it, not the receiving bank. Ask the sender for the payment receipt.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Seylan Bank PLC

The safest source for a SWIFT code is the bank details provided by the recipient. Compare it against SEYBLKLX here and ask if anything does not match.

With a wrong code, the transfer might be delayed, be returned or cost extra – sometimes after weeks of searching. Remember the IBAN: an error there is harder to correct than a wrong BIC.

A format check by your bank merely tells you that the IBAN is valid. If your bank offers it, a name check on the recipient gives an extra layer of safety. A small test payment can be worth it for large sums.

SEYBLKLX or SEYBLKLXXXX – which one to use?

A BIC is built from fixed blocks: characters one to four identify the bank, characters five and six show the country and characters seven and eight mark the location. In this case, that core is SEYBLKLX.

XXX at the end of SEYBLKLXXXX does not stand for a placeholder or an error: it stands for the head office of Seylan Bank PLC. Certain payment forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you can enter XXX behind SEYBLKLX.

In practice the code is written in capitals, without spaces or dashes. Copying the code beats retyping it, because one wrong letter changes the bank.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

The codes on this page are taken from publicly available data which we refresh regularly. It is possible that a code here is no longer current after a merger or reorganisation. Figures such as the number of codes come from our own dataset.

Treat the information here as a handy check, and let the details from the recipient or Seylan Bank PLC have the final say. We are an independent comparison service for money transfers and not affiliated with Seylan Bank PLC. If you notice a mistake, we welcome a message via the contact page.

Getting paid from abroad into a Seylan Bank PLC account

If you expect money from abroad, send the payer a complete set of details. That means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the BIC SEYBLKLXXXX (or SEYBLKLX) and, often, your address.

It helps to add the bank name and Colombo as well. A typo in your account number can be more trouble than you might think, so copy the details from your online banking.

An incoming payment will not always arrive for the full amount. Correspondent banks can take a fee, Seylan Bank PLC may charge for incoming payments, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate comes on top. Agree with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

A common scam goes like this: you receive a request saying that a company has a new bank account and asking you to pay there from now on. The fact that SEYBLKLX exists is no guarantee that the account is legitimate.

Never rely on contact details in the same message that announces the change. Urgency or secrecy are warning signs; a genuine business can wait for you to check. When money has already gone to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately – speed improves the chance of getting it back.

Fraud can also work the other way: someone claims to have sent more than agreed and asks you to refund the difference via a different route. Do not act before the money has really arrived.

Paying someone abroad from your Seylan Bank PLC account

What you pay for an international transfer is made up of several parts, and the transfer fee is only the most visible one. On top of the transfer fee, banks in between can take a cut, and when currencies are converted, the bank often applies a rate below the real market rate.

That exchange rate margin is often the largest cost. Compare their rate against the mid-market rate; the gap is what conversion costs you.

For many currency pairs, a specialist provider is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer – mostly thanks to the rate. Before your next transfer, take a minute comparing what arrives via GoldexPay rather than accepting the bank’s rate by default. Choosing a specialist does not require closing your account at Seylan Bank PLC: you simply pay the service from your account.