Hong Kong SWIFT Codes & BIC Directory

Hong Kong SWIFT/BIC bank directory

Hong Kong has its own SWIFT country block, HK, and the directory below covers the principal banks in the curated dataset. The table separates each institution's head-office BIC, primary eleven-character form, and registered city so an overseas sender can distinguish Hong Kong routing from mainland China routing.

The primary/branch column shows the safe eleven-character primary-office form and, where relevant, a branch-code reminder. A suffix is not inferred from a city or postcode; confirm any named branch BIC with the receiving bank.

Understanding Hong Kong BICs before you send

Hong Kong is a separate banking jurisdiction for payment routing. A BIC containing HK does not mean the beneficiary is at a mainland branch, and a mainland CN BIC should not be substituted simply because the bank brand is shared. Bank of China (Hong Kong), HSBC Hong Kong, Hang Seng, and Standard Chartered Hong Kong each have their own legal-entity instructions.

Hong Kong accounts commonly use local account numbers and bank or branch clearing details rather than an IBAN. An international sender may need the beneficiary's account number, bank address, BIC, currency, and intermediary instructions. Local FPS or CHATS details are not automatically valid for a SWIFT wire.

The city block HH appears in several Hong Kong BICs, but it is still only part of a routing identifier. A branch suffix can be required for a corporate or correspondent payment; the beneficiary's statement is the authority for that suffix.

How to read the Hong Kong bank table

Read a BIC from left to right. The first four characters identify the bank, the next two identify the country or jurisdiction, and the next two identify a location or processing centre. An optional final three characters identify a branch or department. When the final block is XXX, it is the standard primary-office form rather than a promise that the beneficiary's account is physically at headquarters.

The head-office column in this directory is the eight-character code recorded for the institution. The primary/branch column adds XXX when a form requires eleven characters. That is the safest general conversion because banks commonly accept the primary office and route the payment using the account identifier. A named branch suffix can be more precise, but only the receiving bank can confirm whether it is active for this account and currency.

City is a useful cross-check, not an independent routing key. A bank can centralise international payments in one city while serving customers across the country. It can also publish different BICs for subsidiaries, branches, custody desks, or currency corridors. If a beneficiary's statement differs from this table, use the statement and contact the bank rather than selecting the row that merely looks closest.

These rows identify banks, not accounts. A valid BIC does not prove that an account is open, that a beneficiary name matches, or that a currency can be credited. Account numbers, IBANs where supported, local clearing details, intermediary instructions, and compliance documents remain separate parts of an international payment instruction.

Before and after sending a Hong Kong payment

Before submitting, compare the beneficiary's current bank certificate with the form: legal name, country block, BIC, account identifier, city, currency, and payment purpose. Check whether the sender's bank asks for an intermediary. For a corporate payment, keep the invoice, contract, tax details, and source-of-funds explanation ready so a compliance team can match the payment without an avoidable repair.

Charges also affect the result. OUR usually asks the sender to cover bank charges, SHA shares them, and BEN deducts them from the beneficiary's amount, although availability varies by bank and currency. Compare the quoted fee, exchange rate, expected net amount, and value date before confirming. A lower fee can mean an intermediary chain or a slower route, so choose based on the beneficiary's required amount and deadline.

After sending, keep the payment reference and wait for the quoted window. If the payment is late, ask the originating bank where the message is: correspondent, repair queue, receiving bank, or returned. Request a SWIFT trace or equivalent message reference and give it to the beneficiary. Do not alter the BIC or send a duplicate until the first payment is resolved; two simultaneous wires create a larger recovery and compliance problem.

How to send an international payment to Hong Kong

Start by confirming that the recipient's account is with the Hong Kong legal entity, not a mainland or overseas subsidiary with a similar name. Ask for the English beneficiary name, account number, bank address, BIC, currency, and any clearing or correspondent instructions.

1. Select SWIFT or international wire, then enter the confirmed HK receiver BIC.
2. Enter the Hong Kong account number and beneficiary address exactly as supplied; do not convert it into a mainland account format.
3. Provide the bank city and branch details if the sending form asks for them, while keeping the BIC in its own field.
4. Confirm the currency route and intermediary, especially for USD, EUR, and CNY payments.
5. Choose charges and include invoice, investment, salary, or family-remittance purpose details when requested.
6. Save the payment reference and ask the recipient to contact the Hong Kong bank with that reference if the value date passes.

Common Hong Kong SWIFT mistakes

Timing, tracing, and beneficiary checks

Arrival depends on the currency, correspondent, cut-off time, and Hong Kong or sending-country holidays. A BIC is a routing instruction, not a settlement guarantee.

If funds are missing, obtain the SWIFT message trace and exact return or repair code before changing the beneficiary details. The Hong Kong bank can search using the reference, amount, and account number.

For recurring payments, keep a current bank certificate and re-check it after a merger, account change, or request to move funds to a mainland entity.

A final Hong Kong payment checklist

Compare the country block in the BIC with the country where the account is legally held, not merely the country where the bank group has its headquarters. Then compare the bank prefix and location block with the beneficiary's statement. If the name, city, or legal entity differs, pause and ask the receiving bank which instruction is current. This simple comparison catches many cross-border errors before a message reaches an intermediary.

Keep account-level information separate from bank-level information. The BIC identifies the institution, while an IBAN, local account number, branch number, sort code, ABA number, or other clearing field identifies the customer account. A payment form can display several of these fields at once, and copying a value into the wrong field can create an otherwise avoidable reject even when every value is individually valid.

Finally, record the amount, currency, charge option, value date, beneficiary reference, and confirmation number. These details let the sender and recipient distinguish a correspondent delay from a beneficiary-data error. When the bank confirms a correction, update the saved payment instruction and retain the old version for audit purposes. Do not publish or forward a synthetic test BIC as if it were a real account instruction.