About bank and account identifiers
Learn more about the codes used to identify banks and accounts.
Types of identifiers
The following table lists all of the identifiers currently supported by the Equals Money API. You can click on an identifier's name to find out more about it and its format.
| Identifier | Length | Example |
|---|---|---|
| BIC | 8-11 digits | MIDLGB22XXX |
| IBAN | 15-34 digits | GB26MIDL40051512345674 |
| CLABE | 18 digits | 012027111111111118 |
| Canadian routing number | 8 digits | 000302169 |
| BSB | 6 digits | 062217 |
BIC
About
A Business Identifier Code (BIC), also known as a SWIFT code, identifies either an individual bank branch or a unique bank account at the global scale. You can supply a BIC for the bank that you're sending a payment to or sending a payment through (if you're using an intermediary BIC). Learn more about payment routing.
Format
AAAABBCC123
| Digits | Description |
|---|---|
AAAA |
The bank code. |
BB |
The country code. |
CC |
The bank's Head Office location. |
123 |
The branch or sort code. This is optional. |
info
Some banks don’t use the 3-digit branch code,so they’ll have a shorter (8-digit) BIC code. For these banks, the branch code may be replaced by a triple X (i.e., MIDLGB22XXX) or omitted entirely.
IBAN
About
An International Bank Account Number (IBAN) identifies a unique bank account at the global scale.
Format
info
The length of an IBAN varies from country to country. For example, a UK IBAN has 22 digits but a Polish IBAN has 28. The example below is for a UK IBAN. For more information about IBAN formats, see iban.com
GB12ABCD123***123*****
| Digits | Description |
|---|---|
GB |
The country code. |
12 |
The control number. |
ABCD |
The bank code. |
123*** |
The branch or sort code. |
123***** |
The bank account number. |
Canadian routing number
About
A Canadian routing number identifies an individual bank branch in Canada.
Format
12345678
| Digits | Description |
|---|---|
123 |
The institution number, which identifies the bank or financial institution. |
45678 |
The transit number (or branch number), which identifies the bank branch. |
CLABE
About
A Clave Bancaria Estandarizada (CLABE) identifies a unique bank account in Mexico.
Format
AAABBBCCCCCCCCCCCD
| Digits | Description |
|---|---|
AAA |
The bank code |
BBB |
The branch code. |
CCCCCCCCCCCC |
The bank account number. |
D |
The control number. |
BSB
A "Bank, state, branch" (BSB) identifies an individual bank branch in Australia.
Format
XXYZZZ
| Digits | Description |
|---|---|
XX |
The bank code. |
Y |
The state that the branch is located in. |
ZZZ |
The branch code. |