Alternatifbank A.s. SWIFT/BIC code

What ALFBTRIS means for a payment to Alternatifbank A.s.

ALFBTRIS and ALFBTRISXXX are two spellings of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both point to Alternatifbank A.s. in Istanbul. The code does one job: it ensures that an international payment reaches the right bank. In practice you mostly see the code on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and in the bank details of Alternatifbank A.s. customers.

We wrote this page to help anyone who pays into an account at Alternatifbank A.s. and wants to get the details right. The BIC identifies an institution, not a specific account, which is why you always need the account number too.

Alternatifbank A.s.: head office code versus branch codes

We have 4 SWIFT/BIC codes for Alternatifbank A.s.. Next to the head office code ALFBTRISXXX, there are codes for branches, departments or specific services.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, use ALFBTRISXXX or its short form ALFBTRIS. If you have been given a branch code, stick to it rather than replacing it for the head office code.

The safest route is to copy the code straight from the recipient’s invoice. Branch codes are more likely to change than ALFBTRISXXX when a bank merges or closes offices.

ALFBTRIS or ALFBTRISXXX – which one to use?

A BIC is built from a few fixed parts: characters one to four stand for the bank, characters five and six show the country and characters seven and eight mark the location. Together, these eight characters make up ALFBTRIS – the version you usually see online.

Most payment forms work with either length. If yours asks for eleven characters, use ALFBTRISXXX.

Leave out spaces when you enter ALFBTRIS or ALFBTRISXXX. Look out for O versus 0 or I versus 1, a common source of typos.

How long does an international transfer to Alternatifbank A.s. take?

An international transfer usually takes one to a few business days – it depends on currency, route and the banks in between. Bank holidays in either country can add extra days to the journey. Occasionally a bank wants to know what the payment is for.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask your bank for the status. Keep the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

If the money does not arrive after a few business days, the sender needs to contact the bank that sent it, not the receiving bank. On the receiving end, you can look at your account for a partial amount, since fees may have been deducted.

Changed bank details? Be careful

Criminals regularly send fake invoices with new bank details. That ALFBTRIS is a real code does not mean that a request mentioning it is legitimate; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Verify changed payment details via a separate channel, such as a phone number you already know, not by replying to the message. Watch out for urgent requests, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. When money was sent to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately.

Recipients are targeted too: one known trick is a buyer who pays too much and then sends a request to send back the difference. Wait until the money is actually in your account.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

Our SWIFT/BIC directory draws on publicly available sources. Even so, banks merge or change codes and our data may lag behind. The figures we show reflect what is in our directory.

For any payment that matters, check the code with the recipient’s bank or the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and not affiliated with Alternatifbank A.s.. If you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a message.

Paying into Alternatifbank A.s. in TRY

The national currency of Türkiye is the Turkish Lira (TRY). A payment in a foreign currency is exchanged into TRY – and the bank that does it picks the rate. Every conversion eats into the amount – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Which bank converts the money makes a difference, because each party uses its own rate. In many cases it is cheaper if you send TRY straight away through a transfer service with a good rate, so that the receiving bank does not need to convert again.

Exchange rates move all the time, and some providers let you lock in a rate. For recurring payments, small differences in the rate make a real difference over time.

What to give a sender who pays you at Alternatifbank A.s.

Someone abroad who wants to pay you needs several details about your account. In practice that means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your IBAN or account number, the SWIFT/BIC code ALFBTRISXXX and sometimes your address.

Their bank might also ask for the bank address of Alternatifbank A.s., in which case the Istanbul head office is the usual answer. A typo in the IBAN can be more trouble than it looks; copy them from your banking app rather than typing.

The amount you receive is often less than the amount sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the currency changes, a markup on the rate applies. For business payments, you can state how the fees are split, so that nobody is left short.

Paying someone abroad from your Alternatifbank A.s. account

What you pay for an international transfer is made up of several parts. On top of a fixed fee, correspondent or intermediary banks may deduct a fee, and if the money changes currency, the bank usually uses a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

That exchange rate margin is often the biggest cost, and it is easy to miss. A simple test: put the rate you get against 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 with clearer fees. Next time you send money, it is worth to compare what arrives on GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank. Using a transfer service does not mean closing your account at Alternatifbank A.s.: you simply pay the service from your account.

Is ALFBTRIS still correct? How to check

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the recipient’s own bank details – an invoice, a statement or a screenshot from online banking. If the code you have does not match ALFBTRIS or ALFBTRISXXX, do not guess – contact the recipient or Alternatifbank A.s..

Errors in the SWIFT code tend to be costly more than fatal. Do not forget the account number: a mistake there is harder to correct than a wrong code.

An automatic check by your bank only tells you that the code exists. More and more banks check the name with the account – do not ignore a mismatch warning. For a first payment, some people start with a small amount first and wait for confirmation.