National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC

The short code NBOKGB2L and the full code NBOKGB2LXXX identify the same bank: National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC in London, United Kingdom. A SWIFT code tells every bank in the chain which institution should receive the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. You will need it mainly for payments that cross a border or a currency.

On this page you will find what the code means, when you need it and which other details a transfer to or from National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC requires. Keep in mind that the BIC just identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN takes care of that.

How long does an international transfer to National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC take?

There is no fixed answer for international payments: many land within a day, others take several business days. Payments made after the cut-off time or on weekends and holidays usually start a business day later. Sometimes a bank asks what the payment is for, which can hold things up.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every gpi transfer gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services usually provide tracking online so you can see how far the money has got.

If a payment has not arrived after a few business days, the person who paid needs to start with the bank that sent it. On the receiving end, you can look at your account to see a partial amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Paying someone abroad from your National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC account

A bank transfer abroad can cost more than the fee suggests. Besides a fixed fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can deduct a fee, and if currencies are converted, the bank often uses a rate below the actual market rate.

Many banks rarely list the margin on the rate as a cost. An easy check: set the rate you get next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

For many routes, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a bank – mostly thanks to the rate. Before your next transfer, take a minute to compare what arrives on GoldexPay rather than accepting the bank’s rate by default. Choosing a specialist does not mean closing your account at National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC – you pay the provider from your own account.

Watch out for payment fraud

Fraudsters often send fake invoices with new bank details sent from what looks like a familiar address. A correct SWIFT code says nothing about who owns the account: scammers use real codes of real banks.

Verify new payment details via a different channel, such as a phone number you already know, never via the email that asked for the change. Watch out for time pressure, unusual wording or an email address that differs by one letter. Already paid? Contact the bank you paid from without delay and ask them to start a recall; also report it to the police.

Fraud can also target the receiver: someone sends more than agreed and asks you to return the difference via a different route. Wait until the money is actually in your account.

Head office or branch code at National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC?

With 2 codes in 1 locations, National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC belongs to the banks that use separate codes for branches and departments. The main code remains NBOKGB2LXXX.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, go with NBOKGB2LXXX. Just use a branch code when the account holder explicitly asks for it.

Not sure which code to use? Ask the recipient or the bank itself. Codes for branches are more likely to change than the head office code when a bank merges or closes offices.

Is NBOKGB2L still correct? How to check

Ask the recipient to copy their bank details directly from their online banking. If the code you have differs from NBOKGB2L or NBOKGB2LXXX, do not guess.

Mistakes in the BIC are costly rather than fatal – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. Remember the account number: a mistake there is harder to undo than a wrong code.

A validity check in your banking app only tells you that the IBAN is valid – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. Where available, a payee name check before sending adds extra certainty. Sending a small amount first is worth it for large sums.

Do you need NBOKGB2L for a SEPA transfer?

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

A SWIFT code like NBOKGB2L does matter when the currency is not euros, and for transfers from outside SEPA. If your banking app asks for the BIC anyway, entering NBOKGB2L does no harm.

Euro payments within SEPA usually arrive by the next business day, and instant transfers in seconds where both banks support them. Charges on SEPA transfers are generally low, as long as no currency conversion is involved.

Getting paid from abroad into a National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC account

To receive a transfer from abroad into your account at National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC, the sender needs more than the BIC. Give them your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, the BIC NBOKGB2LXXX and your address.

You can include National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC and London too, since some forms ask for it. Check every detail before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

Money from abroad does not always land in full. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the currency changes, a markup on the rate applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees before the money is sent.

What the XXX in NBOKGB2LXXX means

The structure of every SWIFT code is always the same: four characters for the institution, two for the country and a two-character location code. In this case, the 8-character core is NBOKGB2L.

XXX at the end of NBOKGB2LXXX is not a missing value or a mistake: it stands for the main office of National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC. Some forms ask for 11 characters, and then you simply add XXX behind NBOKGB2L.

Type the code as one block, in upper case and without spaces, exactly as shown here. Pasting the code beats retyping it: a typo can point to another bank.

About this information

The codes here come from public sources which we refresh regularly. Institutions merge, change names and change codes – a directory can be a step behind. Figures such as the number of codes come from our own dataset and are not confirmed by National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC.

Treat our directory here as a handy check, and let the details from the recipient or National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC have the final say. We are a comparison service for money transfers and not part of National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC. Found outdated information? Let us know via our contact form and we will look into it.

British Pound (GBP) and conversion costs

United Kingdom pays in the British Pound, code GBP. Money sent in a different currency is exchanged into GBP, and whoever converts it chooses the rate. Each conversion eats into something.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount. Check how much GBP the recipient gets via several providers; the difference between options can be larger than you expect.

The GBP rate fluctuates constantly, so the amount you see is usually only valid for a short time. With bigger transfers, a small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.