Routing numbers provide extra protection for banking transactions. Most people who have a bank account are familiar with this term. Particularly for people who need to find their bank’s routing number for direct deposit or transfer money to another bank abroad. In contrast, people who have never needed their bank’s SWIFT code may not know it exists.

SWIFT codes: What are they? How do they work? How to find them? Kenya banks swift codes. 

What is swift code?

First, the actual meaning—Society for Worldwide International Financial Telecommunications. A network used by many banks to facilitate money transfers abroad. The network itself doesn’t do transfers. 

The SWIFT system is one of the systems used in international banking. Specifically, A SWIFT code (also referred to as the Bank Identifier Code) identifies the bank, branch, and country where an account is registered. Sending money overseas requires this code to ensure it goes to the correct account. This code is used by banks that belong to the SWIFT network and consists of 11 digits with four components which are

1. Bank code: an abbreviated four letters that stand for the bank’s name.
2. Country code: They are two-letter that denote the location of the bank institution.
3. Location code: These are two-letter code that indicates the bank’s location.
4. Branch code: Though this is optional, this consist of three numbers that represent the bank’s branch instead of the bank’s headquarters.

How does SWIFT work?

The swift code system works in a way that it communicates orders between institutions. Let’s put in context that a client of Bank of Kenya (BK) wants to send money to a friend who lives in the United States and has an account with Bank of America (BA). 

The BK client can achieve this by logging into net banking and providing BA information, including name, account numbers, branch name, and swift code. 

Then, once this is successfully received, verified, and cleared by receiving bank (BA), clients receive the initiated transaction in their account. 

Receive international payments with a foreign bank account

The following SWIFT codes allow you to get paid into a Kenyan Bank account. You can, however, own a foreign bank account and hold USD, GBP and EUR balances on Grey. By creating a Grey account, you’ll get your foreign bank accounts in Kenya and start making international transactions seamlessly. 

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Swift Codes for Kenyan Banks

Conclusion

To complete international transactions into your Kenyan Bank account, the sender should correctly use the correct SWIFT code for the right bank, especially for virtual banking. This will ensure that the transaction is successful.

Want to get started with receiving international payments into your own foreign bank account? Start by opening a Grey account and get your free global bank accounts.

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