The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

If an invoice shows HSBCGB2L or HSBCGB2LXXX, you are looking at the identical identifier for The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in United Kingdom. A BIC has a single purpose: it makes sure that an international payment reaches the right bank. In practice you usually come across the code on international invoices, in your banking app and in the bank details of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited customers.

On this page you can read how the code is put together, when you need it and what else a transfer to or from The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited requires. The SWIFT code alone does not identify a personal account; for that you need the IBAN or account number .

British Pound (GBP) and conversion costs

The national currency in United Kingdom is the British Pound (GBP). A payment in a foreign currency is exchanged into GBP on its way to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, and whoever converts it chooses the rate. You rarely see a separate line for that conversion.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount. Transferring the money already in GBP often prevents a second conversion at the receiving end.

Rates for GBP move during the day, and some providers let you lock in a rate. With bigger transfers, even small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

About this information

This directory draws on publicly available sources and is updated regularly. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or retire codes. Figures such as the number of codes come from our own dataset.

For a payment that matters, always confirm the code with the recipient’s bank or with the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison service and not affiliated with The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. If you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a short note via the contact page.

8 or 11 characters: HSBCGB2L versus HSBCGB2LXXX

Every SWIFT/BIC code has the same eight core characters: a four-letter bank code, a two-letter country code and two characters for the location. Together, these eight characters form HSBCGB2L, the code most people search for.

XXX at the end of HSBCGB2LXXX does not stand for a placeholder or a mistake: it stands for the head office of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. Some forms insist on 11 characters, and then you can enter XXX behind HSBCGB2L.

Do not add spaces when you type HSBCGB2L. Look out for O versus 0 or I versus 1, a common source of typos.

How long does an international transfer to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited take?

An international transfer typically takes anywhere from one to several business days – it depends on currency, route and the banks in between. Transfers sent 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.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment gets a unique reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Save the payment confirmation until the money has arrived; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

Only the sending bank is able to request a trace or a recall; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. As a recipient, it helps to look at your statements for a partial amount.

Receiving money from abroad at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

When you expect money from abroad, send the payer a complete set of details. Give them the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, the BIC HSBCGB2LXXX and your address.

Their bank may request the address of your bank, in which case the London head office is the usual answer. A typo in the IBAN can be harder to fix than it looks; copy them from your banking app rather than typing.

Money from abroad will not always land in full. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and if the currency changes, an exchange rate margin applies. For business payments, it is common to state how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Paying The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in euros within SEPA

Because United Kingdom is part of the SEPA zone, a euro payment to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited from within the SEPA area normally requires just an IBAN. Many banks do not require the BIC for these payments or fill it in for you.

The BIC still matter when the currency is not euros, and for transfers from outside SEPA. If a payment form asks for the BIC anyway, entering HSBCGB2L is fine.

Instant payments in euros are widely supported across SEPA – whether The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited offers them for your account is worth checking. Provided no currency is converted, a SEPA transfer tends to be inexpensive; it is the conversion that costs money.

Choosing between the 4 SWIFT codes of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

Our database contains 4 SWIFT/BIC codes for The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in 1 places. Next to the head office code HSBCGB2LXXX, there are codes for branches, departments or specific services.

If nobody asks you for a branch code, use HSBCGB2LXXX. A branch code only makes sense if the account holder specifically asks for it, which is more common for corporate accounts and specialised services.

When in doubt, check with the recipient for the exact BIC in their bank details. Branch codes can change over time, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

International transfers from The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited: the real cost

What you pay for a payment abroad has several parts. Besides the transfer fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can take a cut, and when the money changes currency, the bank usually uses a rate below the real market rate.

Banks do not show the margin on the rate separately – you only notice it if you compare. Check their rate against the mid-market rate.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service is cheaper than a traditional bank transfer – mostly thanks to the rate. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives with different services, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot. You can still use your account at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited as the source of the money; only the conversion and sending happen elsewhere.

Is HSBCGB2L still correct? How to check

The most reliable source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details. Check that code with HSBCGB2L here.

Errors in the SWIFT code are costly more than fatal: often the payment comes back, minus fees. A mistake in the IBAN or account number is a bigger problem, because the money may be credited to someone else; check it just as carefully.

Most online banking apps validate the structure of an IBAN and some suggest the matching BIC. More and more banks check the payee name against the account; take any warning seriously. Sending a small amount first can be a sensible step for large sums, even if it costs an extra fee.

Watch out for payment fraud

One of the most common tricks works like this: an email arrives with a message claiming that a supplier now has new bank details and asking you to pay there from now on. The fact that HSBCGB2L exists does not mean that a request mentioning it is genuine; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Do not rely on a phone number from the same email that contains the new account. Be suspicious of urgent requests, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. When money was sent to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately: the sooner they act, the better the chance of a recall.

Fraud also work the other way. Someone sends more than agreed and asks you to return the extra. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing – check your own account.