Alken Asset Management SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Alken Asset Management

AANLGB21 and AANLGB21XXX are two ways of writing the same bank identifier, and both point to Alken Asset Management in London. A SWIFT code shows the sending bank which institution should receive the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. In practice you usually see it on international invoices, in payment forms and in the bank details of Alken Asset Management customers.

Below we go through the practical questions: money coming in from abroad, sending money abroad and how to check a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. Keep in mind that the SWIFT code only identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN does that part.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Criminals regularly send fake invoices with new bank details, sometimes in an email that looks completely genuine. That AANLGB21 is a real code is no guarantee that a request mentioning it is genuine – fraudsters use real bank codes as well.

Before paying, verify changed bank details through a phone call, using a number you already had. Watch out for time pressure, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. Already paid? Contact your bank without delay and ask them to start a recall; also report it to the police.

Fraud can also work the other way. Someone claims to have sent too much and asks you to return the extra via a different route. Do not act before the money has really arrived and check with Alken Asset Management if anything seems off.

International transfers from Alken Asset Management: the real cost

What you pay for an international transfer has several parts – not just the fee on your screen. You pay the fee for the transfer itself, possibly charges from correspondent banks along the way and, most importantly, the exchange rate markup.

The real cost is often in the rate: the bank converts using an exchange rate that includes a margin. Compare the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites.

For a lot of currency pairs, a specialist provider turns out to be cheaper than a traditional bank transfer. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives with different providers, so you can pick the cheapest route. Choosing a specialist does not mean closing your account at Alken Asset Management: you simply pay the service from your account.

About this information

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes using publicly available data and update them from time to time. Institutions merge, change names and change codes. Figures such as the number of codes come from our own dataset and may differ from what Alken Asset Management publishes.

Treat this page as a starting point, not as the final word: the recipient’s bank details come first. GoldexPay is independent of Alken Asset Management. If you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a short note.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Alken Asset Management

Ask the recipient to send you their account details directly from their online banking. Check that code with AANLGB21 on this page and ask if anything does not match.

Errors in the SWIFT code are costly more than disastrous: often the payment comes back, minus fees. Remember the IBAN: an error there can be more difficult to correct than a wrong code.

A validity check in your banking app merely tells you that the IBAN exists. If your bank offers it, a payee name check before sending adds extra certainty. When you pay someone new, some people start with a small amount first before sending the rest.

Do you need AANLGB21 for a SEPA transfer?

United Kingdom is a member of the SEPA area, the zone for standardised euro payments. When you send euros from another SEPA country, you normally only need the IBAN and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

Outside the euro and for senders outside SEPA, AANLGB21XXX or AANLGB21 is still part of the payment details. A few banks and apps also show a field for the BIC; if so, enter AANLGB21.

Instant euro transfers are increasingly available within SEPA; check with Alken Asset Management whether it applies to your account. Provided the payment stays in euros, the transfer tends to be inexpensive; it is the conversion that costs money.

Getting paid from abroad into a Alken Asset Management account

For a transfer from abroad into your account at Alken Asset Management, the person paying you needs more than the BIC. Share your name as the bank knows it, your account number or IBAN, the BIC AANLGB21XXX and your address.

Certain sending banks want the name and address of Alken Asset Management. Check each detail before you send them.

Money from abroad will not always arrive in full. Charges on incoming payments vary from bank to bank; check the price list of Alken Asset Management. On invoices, it is common to agree how the fees are split, so that nobody is left short.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Alken Asset Management

How fast a payment arrives at Alken Asset Management depends on a few things: the currency, the number of banks in between, cut-off times and time zones. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country add a day or more to the journey. Compliance checks on larger or unusual payments can also add a delay, even when all details are correct.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask the sending bank about the tracking status and the transaction reference; with that reference banks can see where the payment is. Specialist transfer services usually show tracking in their app showing where the money has got.

The bank that sent the money is able to request a trace or a recall; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. On the receiving end, it helps to look at your statements for a partial amount.

Head office or branch code at Alken Asset Management?

We have 2 SWIFT/BIC codes for Alken Asset Management. Next to the head office code AANLGB21XXX, you will find codes for individual branches and departments.

Usually there is no need to pick a branch: transfers addressed to AANLGB21XXX reach Alken Asset Management without problems. When you receive a specific code, stick to it rather than replacing it for the head office code.

The safest approach is to take the code directly from the account holder’s invoice. Branch codes are sometimes changed or retired over time.

The British Pound and what conversion costs you

United Kingdom pays in the British Pound, code GBP. When you pay money in a different currency gets converted somewhere along the way – by your bank, by Alken Asset Management or by a bank in between. You rarely see a separate line for that conversion; it is built into the rate.

Which bank converts the money matters, because each party uses its own rate. Transferring the money directly in GBP often prevents an extra conversion.

Exchange rates move all the time. For recurring payments, a slightly better rate make a real difference over a year.

What the XXX in AANLGB21XXX means

The layout of a BIC never changes: four characters for the institution, two for the country and two for the location, sometimes followed by a branch code. For Alken Asset Management, that core is AANLGB21.

Most payment forms work with either length. If yours requires eleven characters, use AANLGB21XXX; if it wants eight, use AANLGB21.

In practice the code is written in capitals, without spaces or dashes. Copying the code is safer than typing it by hand.