Author: Dr. Hamad Al-Suwaidi

Al Hilal Bank’s SWIFT code is HLALAEAA (11 characters: HLALAEAAXXX), and it’s still the code for incoming transfers to Al Hilal Bank accounts. The bank wasn’t folded into ADCB. Since the 2019 merger that created the ADCB Group, Al Hilal Bank has kept its own identity and operates as a separate Islamic bank within the…

GCC Exchange’s SWIFT code is GCCEAEAD, written GCCEAEADXXX when a form wants 11 characters. GCC Exchange is a SWIFT member and uses its network of bank relationships to move money in all permitted currencies. A payer abroad shouldn’t use GCCEAEAD until GCC Exchange has confirmed it will receive the payment and told you what reference…

Al Rostamani International Exchange’s SWIFT code is TCARAEAD, or TCARAEADXXX in 11 characters. It doesn’t contain “ARIE” or “ROST”, which is why searching a bank’s code list for Al Rostamani often turns up nothing. The code identifies the exchange house’s Dubai head office. Confirm with Al Rostamani on 600 54 0004 that it will accept…

The SWIFT code for Al Ansari Exchange is ALANAEAA (11 characters: ALANAEAAXXX). It belongs to Al Ansari Exchange LLC, registered at Al Amin Tower, Liwa Street, Abu Dhabi. Who uses it matters. Al Ansari’s corporate remittance service lets businesses receive remittances from international corporate clients, and that’s where the code earns its keep. For a…

LuLu Exchange’s SWIFT code is LULUAEAD, registered to LuLu International Exchange in Abu Dhabi. The 11-character version is LULUAEADXXX. Both point to the head office on Floor 9 of Madinat Zayed Office Tower, New Airport Road. Before anyone sends money to that code, check with LuLu Exchange that it will accept the payment and what…

Bank of Baroda’s SWIFT code in the UAE is BARBAEAD, or BARBAEADXXX in its 11-character form. It’s a different code from Bank of Baroda’s branches in India, and the AE in the middle is how you tell them apart. That difference matters more for Bank of Baroda than for most UAE banks, because many customers…

Citibank UAE’s SWIFT code is CITIAEAD, registered to Citibank N.A. UAE. The 11-character form is CITIAEADXXX. Citibank is a branch of a US bank, so the beneficiary bank name a payer should use is Citibank N.A. UAE, not “Citibank UAE Limited” or a local company name. What makes Citi different is how much it publishes…

National Bank of Fujairah’s SWIFT code is NBFUAEAF, and its 11-character head office form is NBFUAEAFXXX. You may also see NBFUAEAFDXB on NBF’s own contact page. That’s an NBF code with a Dubai branch block, so both point to the same bank. For a personal transfer into an NBF account, NBFUAEAF with your IBAN is…

Ajman Bank’s SWIFT code is AJMNAEAJ. If a sender’s form needs 11 characters, use AJMNAEAJXXX. Note the last two letters before the branch block: AJ, for Ajman, not AD for Dubai or AA for Abu Dhabi. A code typed with the wrong location letters won’t match Ajman Bank. Ajman Bank details for a payer Field…

Every UAE IBAN is exactly 23 characters: AE, two check digits, a three-digit bank code, then a 16-digit account number. Since 19 November 2011, UAE banks have needed an IBAN to process payments into and out of an account, and salaries paid through the Wage Protection System use it too. Most of what goes wrong…

Sharjah Islamic Bank’s SWIFT code is NBSHAEAS, and the 11-character form is NBSHAEASXXX. The letters don’t spell “SIB” because the code dates from the bank’s earlier name, National Bank of Sharjah, which is where the NBSH comes from. A payer who can’t find “SIB” in their bank’s list should search for NBSHAEAS instead. Receiving money…

Standard Chartered’s SWIFT code in the UAE is SCBLAEAD, or SCBLAEADXXX when a form wants 11 characters. The country and location blocks (AE and AD) are what separate it from Standard Chartered’s codes in other countries, so check them before you hit send. The other thing worth knowing is that Standard Chartered UAE builds its…

United Arab Bank’s SWIFT code is UARBAEAA. A payer abroad enters it as the beneficiary bank’s code, along with your 23-character UAB IBAN. Forms that insist on 11 characters take UARBAEAAXXX. Many people expect the code to contain “UAB” and type something like UABAEAA, which doesn’t exist. The registered prefix is UARB. UAB details for…

If you’re being paid from abroad into a National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain account, the SWIFT code to give is UMMQAEAD, or UMMQAEADXXX on a form that wants 11 characters. The code starts with UMMQ, not NBQ, which is why people searching for “NBQ” in a sender’s bank list often can’t find it. Pair…

Commercial Bank International’s SWIFT code is CLBIAEAD. Give that to anyone sending you money from abroad. If their form wants 11 characters, use CLBIAEADXXX, which points to the same head office. CBI is easy to mix up with CBD (Commercial Bank of Dubai), so check the letters: C-L-B-I, then AE for the UAE. CBI transfer…

An MT103 copy is the sending bank’s record of an international transfer: the date it left, the amount, the banks it was routed through and the account it was sent to. When money from abroad hasn’t reached your UAE account, it’s the first thing your bank will ask for, and only the sender’s bank can…

Commercial Bank of Dubai prints its SWIFT code, CBDUAEADXXX, at the foot of its own terms and conditions, annual disclosures and governance documents. Most transfer forms accept the shorter 8-character form, CBDUAEAD, and both send money to the same bank. The “CBD” in the code stands for Commercial Bank of Dubai PSC, a Dubai bank…