SWIFT/BIC codes in United Kingdom: banks starting with E

United Kingdom: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

In United Kingdom we have 20757 SWIFT/BIC codes, spread over 4648 institutions. Each code identifies an institution or a specific branch or department.

Each bank has its own page showing its main code and if there are any, branch codes. The rest of this page covers how the codes work, the cost of transfers and how to avoid mistakes before you send money.

HSBC Bank PLC and its SWIFT codes

Of all banks in United Kingdom, HSBC Bank PLC is listed with the most SWIFT codes. Its main office has HBUKGB41XXX and that code covers most payments.

The number of codes tells you more about how it registers branches and services than about how big it is. Making a payment to HSBC Bank PLC? Go with HBUKGB41XXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

Receiving money in United Kingdom from abroad

To receive a transfer from abroad into a United Kingdom account, the person paying you needs not just the BIC. In practice that means: your full name as your bank knows it, your IBAN or account number, the SWIFT/BIC code of your bank and usually your postal address.

Find the bank in the list above, but take the code from your own bank details when in doubt. It helps to include the name and city of your bank as well.

What lands in your account is often less than what was sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, your bank may charge for incoming payments, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate applies. On invoices, state how the fees are split.

Filter: banks in United Kingdom with :letter

The letter filter limits the list down to banks in United Kingdom starting with :letter to make searching quicker. The figures for United Kingdom mentioned here apply to all 4648 banks.

Some banks appear under their legal name, so the letter can differ from what you expect. Use the full list for United Kingdom when you do not know the exact name.

United Kingdom and the British Pound

Bank accounts in United Kingdom are typically held in GBP. If you send money in a different currency, it has to be converted at some point – by your bank, a bank in between or the recipient’s bank.

Who converts the money matters, because each party uses its own rate. Often you pay less to send GBP straight away through a transfer service that converts near the mid-market rate so the receiving bank does not need to convert again. Rates for GBP move during the day.

Check the code before you pay

The most reliable place for the right code is paperwork issued by the bank, such as a statement or the account page in online banking. If the code you have does not match the code listed here, do not guess – contact the recipient or their bank.

Our SWIFT/BIC directory is compiled from publicly available sources. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes, so information can be out of date. Before a payment of any size, check the BIC with the recipient’s bank. GoldexPay is a comparison service for money transfers and not part of any bank listed here.

Be wary of payment requests with changed bank details – a common fraud method. A valid BIC tells you nothing about whether a request is genuine.

Recognising a SWIFT code from United Kingdom

Each SWIFT/BIC code consists of 8 or 11 characters. It starts with a four-letter bank code, then two letters for the country and a two-character location code.

In every code from United Kingdom, letters five and six show the two-letter ISO code of United Kingdom – that is the quickest way to spot one. If the country letters point to another country, the code belongs to a bank in another country – worth double-checking.

When a code ends in XXX, it refers to the main office. For most transfers the head office code is fine unless the recipient asks for a specific branch.

Bank or transfer service for United Kingdom?

The price of a transfer to United Kingdom has more than one component – not only the fee you see. There is the transfer fee, sometimes charges from intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate if the money is converted.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee – the bank builds a margin into its rate. Compare the bank’s rate with the mid-market rate that you find on financial sites. The difference is your real cost.

For a lot of routes, a transfer service is cheaper than a bank. GoldexPay compares what recipients in United Kingdom receive with different providers, so you can pick the cheapest route.

Paying in euros to United Kingdom

Within the SEPA zone, euro payments to United Kingdom use common rules, so the IBAN does the job in most cases. A field for the BIC is often optional for those payments.

You still need a SWIFT code when sending non-euro payments or transfers from countries outside SEPA. Instant payments in euros have become widely available within SEPA, though not every bank offers them for every account. Fees are generally low as long as everything stays in euros – conversion is what costs money.

Tracking a payment to United Kingdom

There is no single answer for payments to United Kingdom: many arrive within a day while others need several business days. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or just before weekends and holidays often start the next business day.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask the sender to contact their own bank for a trace; only the sending side can start an official trace. Specialist transfer services usually show tracking in their app.