A bankcode is a code assigned by a central bank, a bank supervisory body or a Bankers Association in a country to all its licensed member banks or financial institutions. The rules vary to a great extent between the countries. Also the name of bank codes varies. In some countries the bank codes can be viewed over the internet, but mostly in the local language. The bank codes differ from the international Bank Identifier Code. Those countries which use International Bank Account Numbers have mostly integrated the bank code into the prefix of specifying IBAN account numbers. The bank codes also differ from the Bank card code. The term "bank code" is sometimes used by merchants to refer to the Card Security Code printed on a credit card.
Europe
Belgium has a national system with account numbers of 12 digits. There are no separate bank codes. The first 3 digits of the account number are called the protocol number, and indicate the bank the account belongs to.
Czech Republic and Slovakia have 4-digit bank codes, used behind account number. A bank branch can be identified from the bank code.
France has a 10 digit code, the first 5 digits contain the clearing identifier of the banking company, followed by the 5-digit branch code. Both numbers are only used as a combined prefix for the nationwide full account number.
Germany has an 8-digit routing code. The first 4 digits identify the banking company and the latter 4 digits are assigned to the branch. In the 4-digit bank identifier:
* the first digit corresponds to one of 8 clearing regions of Germany,
* the first 3 digits identify a "banking location",
* the last digit denotes a banking company's classification.
Greece has a 7-digit Ηellenic Bank Identification Code, where the first 3 digits are the bank code and the last 4 the branch code.
Ireland uses a 6-digit sort code followed by an 8-digit account number similar to and partially integrated with the UK system.
Italy has a similar clearing system is used with 5 digits identifying the banking company, followed by a 5-digit CAB identifying the branch, followed by the account number.
The Netherlands has a national system with account numbers of 9 or 10 digits. There are no separate bank codes. The first 5 digits of the account number can be used to identify the bank.
Spain also has a similar format, with the first 4 digits identifying the banking company, the next 4 identifying the branch, the next 2 being the checksum, followed by the 10-digit account number.
Switzerland has a 3 to 5 digit bank code ; the first digit indicates the bank's classification group. Following after the bank code, a 4-digit number branch code identifier. For a list of Swiss bank codes, see Bank clearing number.
Sweden has 4 digit bank codes, with an extra check digit for Swedbank. The first one or two digits are the bank group, and the rest the branch. For a list of Swedish bank codes, see :sv:Lista över clearingnummer till svenska banker|lista över clearingnummer till svenska banker.
As of February 2014 all countries in the Single Euro Payments Area have switched to an IBAN-based system for clearing. The national bank codes have been integrated into the IBAN definition, in most cases at the start of the new account number. This is valid for transfers in the euro currency. Countries which retain their own currency use their own system for transfers in their currency.
North America
United States - The American Bankers Association since 1910 has used a 9-digit routing transit number to identify American banks, which are used in the automated processing of checks. The bank company is identified in the 5th to 8th digits. The company number assigned to a bank includes a regional prefix indicating the metropolitan area and/or state.
Canada uses codes called routing numbers. They consist of 5 digits identifying the branch and the 3 digits identifying the financial institution.
South America
Venezuela - The Central Bank of Venezuela, since 2001, has used a 20-digit to identify venezuelan banks. The bank company is identified in first four digits followed by four digits for agency, two digits for checksum and last ten digits for bank account.
Argentina - In this country each bank account is identified by the :es:Clave Bancaria Uniforme#Estructura de la CBU|CBU.It is a 22-digit code build up as follows: 3 digits for the Bank Code, 4 digits for the Agency, 1 check digit and 13 digit for the bank account.
Asia-Pacific
Australia has a 6-digit Bank State Branch code which precedes the account number. The first 2 or 3 digits indicate the financial institution and the other 3 or 4 digits are the branch codes assigned by the institution.
New Zealand has a 6-digit prefixidentical to Australia's BSB code, and although they appear similar, they are not compatible. The first 2 digits indicate the bank and the next 4 digits indicate the branch. All digits, along with the seven-digit account number and two or three digit suffix, are required for all wire transfers regardless of whether the transfer is intra-bank or interbank.
India has an 11-digit alpha numeric Indian Financial System Code. The first 4 characters indicate the financial institution, the fifth digit is 0 and the other 6 digits indicate the branch. In between space you just enter 0 in it to complete.
Iraq has a 1 to 3 digit bank code which identifies the bank branch.
Indonesia It is used for clearing/kliring transactions such as checks, giros, etc. PayPal uses this domestic clearing code to transfer money from the PayPal accounts of Indonesian users to their Indonesian bank accounts in Rupiah. The first three digits of the bank code are also used for inter-bank transfers using an ATM.
Since 2010, South Korea uses a 7-digit code starting with 0 or 2. The first 3 digits, called the bank code, is required for interbank wire transfers. The last 4 digits are a branch code, which is rarely used.
