Bank of Zambia SWIFT/BIC code

What BAZAZMLU means for a payment to Bank of Zambia

The short code BAZAZMLU and the 11-character code BAZAZMLUXXX refer to one and the same institution: Bank of Zambia in Lusaka, Zambia. The code has a single purpose: it ensures that an international payment reaches the right bank. In practice you mostly see the code on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and in the bank details of Bank of Zambia customers.

Further down we go through the practical questions: receiving money at Bank of Zambia, sending money abroad and how to check a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. A SWIFT code names a bank or branch, never a specific account; the IBAN or account number does that.

Paying someone abroad from your Bank of Zambia account

What you pay for a payment abroad is made up of several parts. Besides the transfer fee, banks in between can take a cut, and if currencies are converted, the bank usually uses a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee: the bank converts using an exchange rate that includes a margin. Compare the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

For many routes, a transfer service is less expensive than a bank, mainly because of the exchange rate. GoldexPay compares transfer providers side by side so you can see the amount the recipient gets for the same amount sent. You can still use your account at Bank of Zambia.

Before you send: check the Bank of Zambia code

The most reliable place for the right code is a document from the bank itself. When the code you were given differs from BAZAZMLU or BAZAZMLUXXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or Bank of Zambia.

Mistakes in the BIC tend to be costly rather than fatal. An error in the IBAN or account number can be more serious, because the money may be credited to someone else, so check that just as carefully.

A validity check by your bank only confirms that the IBAN exists, not that it is the right account. Some banks now check the payee name with the account; take any warning seriously. For a first payment, many people send a small test amount.

Getting paid from abroad into a Bank of Zambia account

If you expect money from abroad, send the payer a complete set of details. In practice that means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the BIC BAZAZMLUXXX and, often, your postal address.

Certain sending banks want the bank’s address, so keep it at hand. Check the details before you share them, because the sender’s bank usually copies them as is.

An incoming payment does not always arrive for the full amount. Fees for incoming transfers differ per bank; check the price list of Bank of Zambia. Agree with the sender who covers the fees.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

A common scam works like this: an email arrives with a request claiming that a contact has a new bank account. The fact that BAZAZMLU exists is no guarantee that a request mentioning it is genuine – fraudsters use real bank codes as well.

Verify changed payment details via a separate channel like a call to a number from an earlier contract. Watch out for urgent requests, unusual wording or a sender address that is slightly off. If money was sent to the wrong account, call your bank right away.

Scams can also target the receiver. Someone sends too much and asks you to return the difference to a new account. A screenshot of a transfer proves nothing; only your own account shows what has arrived.

Tracking a transfer to or from Bank of Zambia

An international transfer usually needs anywhere from one to several business days. Payments made after the cut-off time or on weekends and holidays usually start the next business day. Extra checks by one of the banks can also cause some delay, regardless of the details.

When a payment takes longer than expected, contact the sending bank for the tracking status so they can trace it along the chain. Save your transfer receipt.

Only the sending bank is able to request a trace; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. As a recipient, you can look at your account to see a slightly lower amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Bank of Zambia: head office code versus branch codes

Bank of Zambia uses 2 different SWIFT/BIC codes across 1 locations. Only one is the head office code, BAZAZMLUXXX; the rest identify branches, and sometimes specific services.

For the vast majority of incoming transfers, the head office code BAZAZMLUXXX works fine. Just use a branch code when the recipient explicitly asks for it, for example on a letter or invoice.

Unsure which code to use? Check with the recipient. Codes for branches are more likely to change than the head office code.

How up to date is this code?

The details here come from publicly available data. Banks merge, close branches and change codes – a directory can be a step behind. The figures on this page reflect what is in our directory, not official figures from Bank of Zambia.

Use our data as a reference, not as the last word: the recipient’s bank details come first. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site for money transfers and not affiliated with Bank of Zambia. Should you notice a mistake, we welcome a short note via the contact page.

Why Bank of Zambia has an 8- and an 11-character code

A BIC is made up of fixed blocks: the first four letters stand for the bank, characters five and six give the country and characters seven and eight mark the location. Combined, these eight characters make up BAZAZMLU, the code most people search for.

XXX at the end of BAZAZMLUXXX does not stand for a missing value or an error: it stands for the head office of Bank of Zambia. Certain payment forms insist on 11 characters, and then you can enter XXX behind BAZAZMLU.

Enter the code as one block, in upper case and without separators. Copying the code beats retyping it, because one wrong letter changes the bank.