Singapore SWIFT Codes & BIC Directory

Singapore SWIFT/BIC bank directory

Singapore's SWIFT directory uses the SG country block and lists the major local banks in the dataset. The city column reflects the registered Singapore office, while the primary eleven-character form shows how an eight-character BIC is represented when a payment form insists on 11 characters.

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 Singapore BICs before you send

Singapore banks use BICs for cross-border wires, but domestic transfers usually use local bank and branch identifiers through FAST, GIRO, or MEPS. A sender should not replace a SWIFT BIC with a domestic clearing number or assume that a local account number is an IBAN.

The SG block distinguishes Singapore legal entities from similarly branded banks in Hong Kong, mainland China, Malaysia, or the United Kingdom. The location block can be SG or another registered processing code; it does not by itself identify the beneficiary's branch.

For business payments, Singapore banks commonly request a full beneficiary address, invoice or purpose, and currency-specific correspondent details. The receiver BIC and the intermediary BIC are different roles in the payment chain.

How to read the Singapore 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 Singapore 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 wire money to a Singapore bank

Ask the beneficiary for a bank-issued instruction containing the Singapore legal entity, account number, BIC, bank address, currency, and any intermediary. Confirm that the account is in Singapore before using an SG BIC.

1. Choose an international SWIFT payment and enter the confirmed SG receiver BIC.
2. Enter the Singapore account number and beneficiary name/address; do not paste a FAST or GIRO code into the BIC field.
3. Add the bank city and branch information only where the sender's form requests it.
4. Check the currency route and correspondent, especially for USD, EUR, GBP, and CNY.
5. Add invoice, salary, investment, or remittance purpose details and select the agreed charge option.
6. Keep the transaction reference and ask the receiving bank to trace the message if the promised value date passes.

Common Singapore SWIFT mistakes

Timing, tracing, and beneficiary checks

Singapore payments can be quick on an open banking day, but intermediary screening, currency cut-offs, and holidays still affect delivery. The BIC identifies the route, not the credit time.

A trace should include the account number, amount, currency, value date, and SWIFT reference. Give the result to the beneficiary so the bank can release or return the funds correctly.

Save a fresh beneficiary certificate for recurring supplier payments and independently verify any last-minute change to the account or BIC.

A final Singapore 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.