Arab Bank PLC SWIFT/BIC code

What ARABAEAD means for a payment to Arab Bank PLC

Whether a recipient gives you ARABAEAD or ARABAEADXXX, you are looking at the same address for Arab Bank PLC in United Arab Emirates. A SWIFT code tells every bank in the chain exactly which bank is meant to get the money. You will need it mainly when dealing with transfers between countries or a currency.

On this page you can read what the code means, when it matters and what else a transfer to or from Arab Bank PLC requires. A SWIFT code names a bank or branch, never a single account.

Paying into Arab Bank PLC in AED

The currency of United Arab Emirates is the United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED). When you pay money in a different currency, the amount has to be converted somewhere along the way: by your bank, an intermediary or Arab Bank PLC itself. You rarely see a separate line for the conversion – the cost sits in the rate.

Where the conversion happens affects how much arrives, since every bank sets its own rate. Check how much AED the recipient gets with several providers.

Exchange rates change during the day, and some providers let you lock in a rate. If you pay regularly, a slightly better rate add up over a year.

Getting paid from abroad into a Arab Bank PLC account

Someone abroad who wants to pay you needs a few details from you. What they need is: the account holder’s name, account number or IBAN, ARABAEADXXX or ARABAEAD and, for some countries, your home address.

It helps to include the bank name and its city too. Check every detail before you share them.

Do not be surprised if the incoming amount is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Correspondent banks can take a fee, Arab Bank PLC may charge for incoming payments, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.

International transfers from Arab Bank PLC: the real cost

An international bank payment costs rather more than the fee suggests. There is the transfer fee, possibly charges from correspondent banks in between and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate when the money is converted.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the largest item, and it is easy to miss. A simple test: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

Money transfer services often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives across providers, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot. Using a transfer service does not mean closing your account at Arab Bank PLC.

Why Arab Bank PLC has an 8- and an 11-character code

Each SWIFT/BIC code has the same eight core characters: a four-letter bank code, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code. The result is ARABAEAD for Arab Bank PLC.

XXX at the end of ARABAEADXXX is not a placeholder or a mistake: it stands for the head office of Arab Bank PLC. Some forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you simply add XXX after ARABAEAD.

In practice the code is written in capitals, without spaces or dashes. Watch for the letter O and the digit 0 or the letter I and the digit 1.

Before you send: check the Arab Bank PLC code

Ask the recipient to copy the bank details straight from their banking app. If the code you have does not match ARABAEAD or ARABAEADXXX, do not guess: check with the recipient or with Arab Bank PLC directly.

With a wrong code, the transfer might be delayed, bounce back or cost extra, and tracing it can take weeks. An error in the IBAN or account number is a bigger problem; check it just as carefully.

A validity check by your bank only tells you that the IBAN exists – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. Some banks now check the payee name with the account – do not ignore a mismatch warning. A small test payment can be worth it for a large first payment despite the extra fee.

Which of the 13 codes of Arab Bank PLC do you need?

Arab Bank PLC has 13 separate SWIFT/BIC codes. One of them is the head office code, ARABAEADXXX; the others belong to branches, and sometimes specific services.

If nobody asks you for a branch code, use ARABAEADXXX. A branch code only makes sense when the account holder specifically mentions it, which is more common for corporate accounts and trade services.

The safest route is to take the code directly from the account holder’s statement. Codes for branches are more prone to be retired than ARABAEADXXX.

Tracking a transfer to or from Arab Bank PLC

How quickly a transfer reaches Arab Bank PLC is determined by several factors: which currency you send, how many intermediary banks are involved, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Bank holidays in either country can add extra days, since banks do not process on those days. Sometimes a bank wants to know what the payment is for.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi. Each gpi transfer gets a unique reference, the UETR. Money transfer services often show a status in their app showing how far the money is.

If a payment has not arrived within the expected time, the person who paid needs to start with the bank that sent it rather than Arab Bank PLC. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation including the reference.

About this information

This directory is compiled from publicly available sources and we update it periodically. Still, banks merge or change codes, so information can be out of date. Counts and locations are from our own dataset and may differ from what Arab Bank PLC publishes.

Before a payment of any size, always check the code with the recipient’s bank or with the recipient. We are a comparison site and not part of Arab Bank PLC. Found outdated information? Let us know through the contact page so we can correct it.

Changed bank details? Be careful

Criminals often use fake invoices containing new bank details, sometimes in an email that looks completely genuine. The fact that ARABAEAD exists does not mean that the account is genuine – fraudsters use real bank codes as well.

Do not trust a phone number in the same message that contains the new account. Pressure and secrecy are warning signs; a genuine business can wait for you to check. If a payment has already gone to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: a classic trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to refund the difference to another account. A payment confirmation from the sender is no proof.