You may wish to make or receive payments in South Africa from time to time and knowing details such as universal branch codes and international swift codes becomes crucial.
Fortunately, this information is readily available and we summarise it in this article below.
Bank universal branch codes in South Africa
Absa universal branch code
- 632005
African Bank universal branch code
- 430000
Bidvest Bank universal branch code
- 462005
Capitec Bank universal branch code
- 470010
Discovery Bank universal branch code
- 679000
FNB universal branch code
- 250655
FirstRand Bank universal branch code
- 250655
Grindrod Bank universal branch code
- 223626
Investec Bank universal branch code
- 580105
Merchantile Bank universal branch code
- 450105
Nedbank universal branch code
- 198765
Old Mutual universal branch code
- 462005
Sasfin Bank universal branch code
- 683000
Standard Bank universal branch code
- 051001
SA Post Bank (Post Office) universal branch code
- 460005
TymeBank universal branch code
- 678910
These codes are easy to memorise and therefore make it easy to conduct bank-to-bank transactions, especially when making or receiving payments from business associates or just friends and family.
They are also important for both employers and employees during salary payments. Remember to provide or enter the correct banking details alongside the code to avoid delays or other inconveniences.
As usual, inter-account transfers within the same bank is often immediate or takes a few hours. Transfers from one bank to another may however take longer – up to two business days.
In such cases, you can opt for immediate payment at a small fee, which you can confirm on your banking platform while making the payment.
International swift codes for banks in South Africa
If you’re receiving an international payment, it is important to provide the payer your South African bank’s swift (short for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) code.
Below are the codes for each bank.
Absa swift code
- ABSAZAJJXXX
African Bank swift code
- AFRCZAJJXXX
Bidvest Bank swift code
- BIDBZAJJXXX
Capitec Bank swift code
- CABLZAJJXXX
Discovery Bank swift code
- DISCZAJJ
FNB swift code
- FIRNZAJJ
FirstRand Bank swift code
- FIRNZAJJRSL
Grindrod Bank swift code
- GRIDZAJJXXX
Investec Bank swift code
- IVESZAJJXXX
Merchantile bank swift code
- LISAZAJJXXX
Nedbank swift code
- NEDSZAJJXXX
Old Mutual swift code
- OMAMZAJC XXX
Sasfin Bank swift code
- SASFZAJJXXX
Standard Bank swift code
- SBZAZAJJ
SA Post Bank (Post Office) swift code
- SBZAZAJJ
TymeBank swift code
- CBZAZAJJ
Banks worldwide use swift codes to send secure messages to each other and facilitate international money transfers.
The code is used to identify a specific financial institution within the swift network to ensure that funds are directed to the correct bank.
Once you supply the correct code and bank account details, you can be sure to receive your international transfer without glitches if everything is in order. Details on how long international transfers take and the charges vary depending on the nature of the transactions and financial institutions involved.
Note: Post Bank uses the same swift code as Standard Bank, according to an official statement available here.
“The Standard Bank account number is 010547843, Branch Code 010045. The Bank concerned must send a message or reference together with the transfer telling Standard Bank that the money must be transferred to Postbank account (Customer’s account number) Branch Code 460005,” Post Bank states.