Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest SWIFT/BIC code

What BCAOTGTG means for a payment to Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest

The 8-character code BCAOTGTG and the full code BCAOTGTGXXX refer to the same bank: Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest. Banks worldwide use these codes to route international transfers to the correct bank. It comes up mostly for transfers between countries.

This page is meant to help people who receives money at an account at Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest without mistakes. Remember that the BIC only identifies the bank, not the person: the account number or IBAN takes care of that.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest

How fast a transfer reaches Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest depends on several factors: the currency, how many intermediary banks are involved, cut-off times and time zones. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or on a weekend or public holiday often go out the next business day. Sometimes a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment before releasing it.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every gpi transfer carries a unique reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to see where the money is. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms – you will need it for any trace request.

The bank that sent the money is able to start an official trace or a recall; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. Ask the sender for the payment receipt.

How to check BCAOTGTG before you pay

Have the recipient send you the bank details straight from their banking app. Check it against BCAOTGTG on this page and ask if anything does not match.

Mistakes in the BIC tend to be annoying more than fatal – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. Remember the IBAN: a mistake there can be harder to correct than a wrong BIC.

An automatic check in your banking app only confirms that the code is valid. If your bank offers it, a payee name check before sending adds an extra layer of safety. A small test payment can be a sensible step for large sums, even if it costs an extra fee.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

We collect bank codes using public sources and update them from time to time. It is possible that a code here is out of date after a merger or reorganisation. The number of codes on this page are based on what is in our directory.

Treat our directory on this page as a helpful check. GoldexPay has no connection to Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Should you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a message.

Watch out for payment fraud

A common scam goes like this: you receive a message claiming that a company now has new bank details and that the next payment should go there. The fact that BCAOTGTG exists does not mean that the account is genuine.

Never trust a phone number from the same email that contains the change. Be suspicious of urgent requests, unusual wording or an email address that differs by one letter. If money has already gone to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately – speed improves the chance of getting it back.

Scams also work the other way. Someone sends more than agreed and asks you to return the difference to a new account. A screenshot of a transfer proves nothing.

Getting paid from abroad into a Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest account

To receive a transfer from abroad at Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest, the sender has to have not just the BIC. In practice that means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your IBAN or account number, the BIC BCAOTGTGXXX and sometimes your postal address.

Some sending banks also ask for the address of Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest in Lome; it does no harm to include it. A typo in your account number can be harder to fix than it looks.

An incoming payment does not always land for the full amount. Fees for incoming transfers vary from bank to bank – the price list of Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest tells you what applies. On invoices, you can state how the fees are split, so that nobody is left short.

What a transfer from Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest abroad really costs

A bank transfer abroad can cost rather more than the fee suggests. On top of a fixed fee, banks in between can take a cut, and if currencies are converted the bank often uses a rate that is less favourable than the actual market rate.

The markup on the rate tends to be the biggest cost even though it is not listed as a fee. Check their rate against the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites.

Money transfer services often offer a rate near the mid-market rate with clearer fees. GoldexPay compares what recipients receive with different providers. You can still keep your account at Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest; only the conversion and sending happen elsewhere.

Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest: head office code versus branch codes

Our directory lists 2 SWIFT/BIC codes for Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest, spread over 2 locations. Next to the head office code BCAOTGTGXXX, you will find codes for individual branches and departments.

For most incoming transfers, the head office code BCAOTGTGXXX is what you need. Just use a branch code when your contact explicitly asks for it, for example on a letter or invoice.

Unsure which code to use? Check with the recipient, or look at a recent statement from Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest. Codes are sometimes changed or retired over time, so do not rely on old paperwork.

Why Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest has an 8- and an 11-character code

The layout of every SWIFT code is always the same: a bank code of four letters, a two-letter country code and two for the location, sometimes followed by a branch code. For Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest, that core is BCAOTGTG.

XXX at the end of BCAOTGTGXXX does not stand for a missing value or a mistake: it stands for the main office of Banque Centrale des Etats de L'afrique de L'ouest. Some banking apps ask for 11 characters, and then you simply enter XXX behind BCAOTGTG.

Enter the code as one block, in upper case and without spaces, exactly as shown here. A wrong letter may route the money to another bank.