Silicon Valley Bank SWIFT/BIC code

What SVBKUS6A means for a payment to Silicon Valley Bank

SVBKUS6A and SVBKUS6AXXX are the short and the long form of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both point to Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara,ca. A SWIFT code shows every bank in the chain which institution should receive the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. In practice you usually come across the code on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and on the account details that Silicon Valley Bank provides.

On this page you can read how the code is put together, when you need it and what else you need for a transfer to or from Silicon Valley Bank. The BIC names an institution, not a single account.

Paying into Silicon Valley Bank in USD

United States pays in the US Dollar. A payment in a foreign currency is converted into USD on its way to Silicon Valley Bank – and the bank that does it picks the rate. There is rarely a separate line for the conversion; it is built into the rate.

Which bank converts the money matters. Compare how much USD the recipient gets with different providers before choosing one.

The rate for USD changes throughout the day. On larger amounts, a seemingly small gap in the rate adds up quickly.

How up to date is this code?

The details on this page are taken from public sources which we refresh regularly. Even so, banks merge or retire codes, so information can be out of date. Counts and locations are from our directory and are not confirmed by Silicon Valley Bank.

Use this page as a reference, rather than as the last word – the bank details from the recipient are leading. We are an independent comparison site for money transfers and not part of Silicon Valley Bank. Found an error? Let us know via our contact form.

What the XXX in SVBKUS6AXXX means

The structure of every SWIFT code is always the same: four characters for the institution, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code, sometimes followed by a branch code. In this case, that core is SVBKUS6A.

XXX at the end of SVBKUS6AXXX is not a missing value or a mistake: it indicates the main office of Silicon Valley Bank. Some forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you can add XXX after SVBKUS6A.

In practice the code is written in capitals, without spaces or dashes. Copying the code beats retyping it, because one wrong letter changes the bank.

Is SVBKUS6A still correct? How to check

Have the recipient copy the bank details directly from a recent statement. Check it against SVBKUS6A here.

Errors in the SWIFT code tend to be costly rather than disastrous: often the payment comes back, minus fees. Remember the IBAN: an error there is harder to undo than a wrong code.

An automatic check by your bank only tells you that the IBAN exists, not that it is the right account. If your bank offers it, a name check on the recipient gives an extra layer of safety. For a first payment, some people send a small amount first before sending the rest.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

A common scam goes like this: an email arrives with a request saying that a contact has new bank details and that the next payment should go there. A valid SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether the request is genuine.

Do not trust a phone number in the same message that announces the new account. Watch out for urgent requests, odd spelling or a sender address that is slightly off. Already paid? Contact the bank you paid from without delay and have them try to recall the payment and report the fraud.

People receiving money are targeted too: one known trick is a buyer who pays too much followed by a request to send back the difference. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof – check your own account.

Head office or branch code at Silicon Valley Bank?

With 4 codes in 1 locations, Silicon Valley Bank is one of the banks that use individual codes for branches and departments. The main code remains SVBKUS6AXXX.

Usually there is no need to look up a branch: transfers sent to SVBKUS6AXXX are routed within Silicon Valley Bank without problems. When you receive a branch code, use it as it is rather than replacing it with the head office code.

Not sure which code to use? Check with the recipient. Branch codes are more likely to change than SVBKUS6AXXX when a bank merges or closes offices.

Receiving money from abroad at Silicon Valley Bank

If you are waiting for a payment from another country, send the payer everything they need in one go. In practice that means: your name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the BIC SVBKUS6AXXX (or SVBKUS6A) and, often, your postal address.

Some sending banks want the bank’s address. A typo in the IBAN is harder to fix than you might think; copy them from your banking app rather than typing.

Do not be surprised if the amount credited is below what the sender paid. Fees for incoming transfers vary per bank. For business payments, it is common to agree who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

Paying someone abroad from your Silicon Valley Bank account

If you transfer money to another country through Silicon Valley Bank, the visible fee is rarely all of the cost. On top of a fixed 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 actual market rate.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the biggest item, and it is easy to miss. Compare their rate with the mid-market rate.

Specialist money transfer services frequently offer rates closer to the mid-market rate and lower fees. GoldexPay lists transfer providers next to each other so you can see the amount the recipient gets. You can always keep your account at Silicon Valley Bank as the source of the money, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Silicon Valley Bank

There is no fixed answer for every transfer: some arrive within a day while others need several business days. Payments made after the cut-off time or just before a weekend or public holiday often start a business day later. Extra checks by one of the banks may also add some delay, even when all details are correct.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each gpi transfer gets a unique reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms – you will need it for any trace request.

If the money does not arrive within the expected time, the person who paid needs to contact their own bank rather than Silicon Valley Bank. Request from the sender the payment receipt with the date and reference; that often settles the question quickly.