First Trust Bank SWIFT/BIC code

First Trust Bank SWIFT code: FTBKGB2B

The 8-character code FTBKGB2B and the full code FTBKGB2BXXX identify the same bank: First Trust Bank, with its head office in Belfast. A SWIFT code shows the sending bank which institution is meant to get the money. In daily life you mostly see the code on international invoices, in payment forms and on the account details of First Trust Bank customers.

Further down you will find the practical questions: money coming in from abroad, paying someone in another country and how to verify a SWIFT code before you hit send. The BIC identifies an institution, not a specific account.

How long does an international transfer to First Trust Bank take?

An international transfer typically takes one to a few business days. Payments made late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday usually go out the next business day. Sometimes a bank wants to know what the payment is for.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Every gpi transfer carries a unique reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Save the payment confirmation.

Only the sending bank is able to start an official trace – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. On the receiving end, it helps to look at your account to see a partial amount.

Paying someone abroad from your First Trust Bank account

What you pay for an international transfer has more than one component. On top of a fixed fee, banks in between may deduct a fee, and when the money changes currency, the bank usually uses a rate below the real market rate.

Many banks rarely list their exchange rate markup as a cost, but you pay it all the same. Compare their rate against the mid-market rate, the midpoint between buy and sell rates you see on financial sites. The difference is your real conversion cost.

Specialised transfer providers often use rates closer to the mid-market rate and lower fees. GoldexPay lists transfer providers side by side, showing the amount the recipient gets. You can still keep your account at First Trust Bank to fund the transfer, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.

Sending GBP to First Trust Bank

The national currency in United Kingdom is the British Pound (GBP). Money sent in a different currency will be converted into GBP before it reaches the account. Every conversion costs something – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Who converts the payment makes a difference, because each party uses its own rate. In many cases you pay less if you send GBP directly via a transfer service with a good rate, so that the receiving bank does not need to convert again.

Exchange rates move during the day. If you pay regularly, small differences in the rate make a real difference over time.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Stay wary if someone suddenly wants you to pay into another account. That FTBKGB2B is a real code does not mean that the account is legitimate.

Before paying, verify changed bank details through a phone call on a number you know, not one from the message. Be suspicious of time pressure, unusual wording or a sender address that is slightly off. Already paid? Contact your bank straight away and ask them to try to recall the payment.

Fraud also work the other way: someone claims to have sent too much and wants you to return the difference to a new account. Do not act before the money is actually in your account.

Receiving money from abroad at First Trust Bank

A sender in another country will ask for a few details from you – incomplete details often cause delays. What they need is: your name, IBAN or account number, FTBKGB2BXXX and often your home address.

You can include First Trust Bank and its city too, because some payment forms have separate fields for them. Check every detail before you send them.

What lands in your account can be lower than the amount sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin applies. On invoices, it is common to state who bears the costs, so that nobody is left short.

Paying First Trust Bank in euros within SEPA

United Kingdom is part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), the zone for uniform euro payments. For a standard euro transfer within SEPA, you normally only need the IBAN and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

A SWIFT code like FTBKGB2B does come into play for payments in other currencies and when the money comes from outside SEPA. If a payment form has a field for the BIC regardless, adding FTBKGB2B is fine.

Euro payments within SEPA usually arrive within one business day. Provided no currency is converted, the transfer tends to be inexpensive.

Verifying the SWIFT code of First Trust Bank

Have the recipient send you their account details straight from their banking app. Check that code against FTBKGB2B on this page; if they differ, ask before you pay.

If the code is wrong, the transfer may be delayed, be returned or end up costing more – sometimes after weeks of searching. A mistake in the account number can be more serious, so check that just as carefully.

Most online banking apps check the structure of an IBAN and sometimes look up the BIC automatically – that confirms the format, not the owner. Where available, a name check before sending gives extra certainty. A small test payment is a sensible step for a large first payment despite the extra fee.

First Trust Bank: head office code versus branch codes

First Trust Bank has 2 separate SWIFT/BIC codes across 2 cities. Only one is the head office code; the others belong to branches or departments, and sometimes specific services.

In most cases you do not need to pick a branch: payments addressed to FTBKGB2BXXX reach First Trust Bank correctly. Branch codes are only needed when the account holder explicitly asks for it, which is more common for corporate accounts and specialised services.

When in doubt, ask the person you are paying for the exact BIC in their bank details. Codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise, so do not rely on old paperwork.

Why First Trust Bank has an 8- and an 11-character code

Each SWIFT/BIC code has an 8-character core: four letters for the bank, two letters for the country and two characters for the location. For First Trust Bank, that core is FTBKGB2B.

The long version adds a three-character extension that identify a branch or department. If the last three are XXX, they simply mean the head office, so FTBKGB2BXXX and FTBKGB2B are interchangeable.

Leave out spaces when you type FTBKGB2B; the code is always written in one block. Watch for the letter O and the digit 0 or I versus 1; they are easy to mix up.

A note on our data

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes from public sources and update them regularly. It can happen that information here is no longer current after a merger or reorganisation. The number of codes we show reflect our own data.

For any payment of any size, always check the code with First Trust Bank or with the recipient. GoldexPay has no connection to First Trust Bank; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Spotted outdated information? Tell us through the contact page so we can correct it.