China Construction Bank (London) Limited SWIFT/BIC code

What PCBCGB2L means for a payment to China Construction Bank (London) Limited

PCBCGB2L and PCBCGB2LXXX are two ways of writing the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both point to China Construction Bank (London) Limited in London. The code has a single purpose: it makes sure that an international payment ends up at the right bank. In daily life you usually come across the code on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and in the bank details that China Construction Bank (London) Limited provides.

This page is meant to help people who sends money to an account at China Construction Bank (London) Limited. A SWIFT code names a bank or branch, not a specific account; the IBAN or account number does that.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

A common scam works like this: you receive a request claiming that a contact has a new bank account. The fact that PCBCGB2L exists is no guarantee that a request mentioning it is legitimate; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Before paying, verify changed bank details by phone, using a number you already had. Be suspicious of urgent requests, odd spelling or a sender address that is slightly off. When a payment has already gone to a fraudster, call your bank right away.

Scams also target the receiver: someone claims to have sent too much and wants you to refund the difference via a different route. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof – check your own account.

What a transfer from China Construction Bank (London) Limited abroad really costs

A bank transfer abroad costs more than the listed fee. Besides the transfer fee, banks in between may take a cut, and if currencies are converted the bank often uses a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

The markup on the rate is often the largest item because it is hidden in the rate. A simple test: set the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

For many currency pairs, a specialist provider is less expensive than a bank, mainly because of the exchange rate. GoldexPay lists transfer providers side by side so you can see the amount the recipient gets for the same amount sent. Choosing a specialist does not require closing your account at China Construction Bank (London) Limited: you simply pay the service from your account.

How to check PCBCGB2L before you pay

The best place to find the right code is a document from the bank itself like a bank statement or the account page in online banking. Check that code with PCBCGB2L on this page; if they differ, ask before you pay.

Errors in the SWIFT code tend to be costly more than fatal – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. Do not forget the IBAN: a mistake there can be harder to correct than a wrong BIC.

An automatic check in your banking app merely confirms that the code is valid, not that it is the right account. Where available, a payee name check before sending gives an extra layer of safety. For a first payment, many people send a small test amount before sending the rest.

A note on our data

The directory on GoldexPay is compiled from publicly available sources and we update it periodically. Banks reorganise, close branches and change codes. The number of codes on this page are based on our own data.

Treat our directory on this page as a handy check. GoldexPay is not affiliated with China Construction Bank (London) Limited, we only compare transfer services. Should you notice a mistake, we appreciate a short note via the contact page.

Tracking a transfer to or from China Construction Bank (London) Limited

There is no fixed delivery time for international payments: some land the same day or the next, others take several business days. Weekends and public holidays in either country add extra days, since banks do not process on those days. Occasionally a bank wants to know what the payment is for before releasing it.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Every payment carries a unique reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services often provide a status in their app so you can see where the money is.

A missing payment is traced from the sending side, using the payment confirmation. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation including the reference – it helps your own bank look for the money.

Getting paid from abroad into a China Construction Bank (London) Limited account

When you are waiting for a payment from another country, send the payer everything they need in one go. Give them your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, SWIFT code PCBCGB2LXXX and your address.

It helps to include the bank name and its city as well, since some forms ask for it. Check each detail before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

The amount you receive is often less than the amount sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee, China Construction Bank (London) Limited may charge for incoming payments, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate applies. For business payments, it is common to agree how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Which of the 2 codes of China Construction Bank (London) Limited do you need?

With 2 codes, China Construction Bank (London) Limited belongs to the banks that register separate codes for branches. The head office code remains PCBCGB2LXXX.

For the vast majority of incoming transfers, the head office code PCBCGB2LXXX is what you need. Only use a branch code when the recipient explicitly asks for it.

The best way is to copy the code directly from the recipient’s invoice. Branch codes can change over time, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

Sending GBP to China Construction Bank (London) Limited

United Kingdom uses the British Pound, code GBP. When you pay another currency, the amount gets converted somewhere along the way. Each conversion costs something – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount. In many cases it is cheaper to send GBP directly through a provider that converts near the mid-market rate.

The GBP rate changes constantly. On larger amounts, a seemingly small gap in the rate adds up quickly.

SEPA payments and the China Construction Bank (London) Limited BIC

United Kingdom is a member of the SEPA area. For a regular euro transfer from another SEPA country, the IBAN is usually enough; many banks no longer ask for the BIC.

A SWIFT code like PCBCGB2L still matter when the currency is not euros and when the money comes from outside SEPA. If your banking app has a field for the BIC anyway, adding PCBCGB2L does no harm.

Instant euro transfers have become widely available within SEPA. Provided no currency is converted, a SEPA transfer is cheap.

Why China Construction Bank (London) Limited has an 8- and an 11-character code

The layout of a BIC is always the same: four characters for the institution, two for the country and a two-character location code. Together, those parts form PCBCGB2L.

Most payment forms work with either length. If yours requires eleven characters, enter PCBCGB2LXXX, otherwise PCBCGB2L is fine.

Do not add spaces, dots when you enter PCBCGB2L. Pasting the code is safer than retyping it, because one wrong letter changes the bank.