State Bank of India SWIFT/BIC code

State Bank of India SWIFT code: SBINLKLX

Whether you are given SBINLKLX or SBINLKLXXXX, you are looking at the same address for State Bank of India in Sri Lanka. Banks worldwide use BIC codes to direct international transfers to the right institution. It comes up mainly for payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

This page is meant to help anyone who sends money to an account at State Bank of India. The BIC names a bank or branch, never a single account.

Getting paid from abroad into a State Bank of India account

A sender in another country will ask for a few details from you, and missing ones are a common cause of delays. Give them your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, SWIFT code SBINLKLXXXX and your address, which some banks require.

Some banks want the address of State Bank of India in Colombo. A mistake in the IBAN is harder to fix than you might think, so copy the details from your online banking.

What lands in your account is often lower than what was sent. Charges on incoming payments differ per bank. Agree with the sender who pays which costs.

State Bank of India: head office code versus branch codes

Having 4 codes, State Bank of India belongs to the banks that register individual codes for parts of the organisation. The main code is SBINLKLXXXX.

For most incoming transfers, the head office code SBINLKLXXXX works fine. If you have been given a branch code, stick to it rather than swapping it with the head office code.

When in doubt, ask the person you are paying for the exact BIC in their bank details. Branch codes are more prone to be retired than the head office code when a bank merges or closes offices.

Why State Bank of India has an 8- and an 11-character code

A BIC is built from fixed blocks: the first four letters identify the bank, the next two give the country and the two after that indicate the location. That gives you SBINLKLX for State Bank of India.

XXX at the end of SBINLKLXXXX does not stand for a missing value or a mistake: it stands for the head office of State Bank of India. Certain payment forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you can add XXX after SBINLKLX.

As a rule the code is typed in capitals and without spaces. A single letter can send the money to another bank, so copy it carefully.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Be wary when someone suddenly asks you to send money to a different account abroad. A correct SWIFT code says nothing about who owns the account: scammers use real codes of real banks.

Always verify a change of bank details through a phone call on a number you know, not one from the message. Be suspicious of urgent requests, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. When a payment was sent to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately.

People receiving money are targeted too: one known trick is an overpayment followed by a request to send back the difference abroad. Do not act before the money has really arrived.

Before you send: check the State Bank of India code

The best place to find the correct BIC is paperwork issued by the bank. If the code you have differs from SBINLKLX or SBINLKLXXXX, do not guess: check with the recipient or with State Bank of India directly.

With a wrong code, the transfer may get stuck, be returned or cost extra – sometimes after weeks of searching. A mistake in the account number can be a bigger problem.

Most online banking apps check the structure of an IBAN. More and more banks compare the payee name with the account. When you pay someone new, some people send a small amount first and wait for confirmation.

What a transfer from State Bank of India abroad really costs

An international bank payment can cost rather more than the listed fee. There is the transfer fee, possibly fees charged by intermediary banks in between and, above all, the exchange rate markup if the currency changes.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee: the bank converts using an exchange rate that includes a margin. An easy check: put the bank’s rate against the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

For many routes, a transfer service turns out to be less expensive than a traditional bank transfer – mostly thanks to the rate. GoldexPay lists transfer providers side by side so you can see what actually arrives for the same amount sent. You can always use your account at State Bank of India as the source of the money, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to State Bank of India

There is no fixed delivery time for every transfer: some arrive the same day or the next, others take several business days. Payments made after the cut-off time or on weekends and holidays often start the next business day. Occasionally a bank asks what the payment is for before releasing it.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment carries a unique reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services usually provide a status in their app showing where the money has got.

Only the sending bank can start an official trace or a recall. As a recipient, it helps to look at your account for a partial amount, since fees may have been deducted.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

We collect bank codes from public sources and update our list regularly. Banks merge, change names and change codes – a directory can be a step behind. Counts and locations are from our directory.

Treat our data as a reference, not as the last word: the recipient’s bank details come first. GoldexPay is not affiliated with State Bank of India, we only compare transfer services. Spotted an error? Tell us through the contact page.