SWIFT Codes for Kenyan Banks: Verified Selection
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A SWIFT/BIC identifies an institution for financial messaging. A BIC has 8 or 11 characters; the optional final three characters identify a branch or organisational unit. It is different from your account number and a Kenyan domestic bank or branch code.
Selected bank-published codes
| Bank | Published BIC | Bank source |
|---|---|---|
| Co-operative Bank of Kenya | KCOOKENA | Transfer instructions |
| Equity Bank Kenya | EQBLKENA | Transfer instructions |
| I&M Bank Kenya | IMBLKENA | Transfer instructions |
| KCB Bank Kenya | KCBLKENX | Transfer instructions |
| Stanbic Bank Kenya | SBICKENX | Transfer instructions |
This is a verified selection, not a complete list of Kenyan banks or branch codes. The old table included former institutions and unconfirmed department-specific codes; those rows should not be used to route a payment today.
Swift provides an official BIC search for checking further institutions. Its public search has access restrictions, so obtain the bank’s own current remittance instructions as well.
Before sending
- Ask the recipient for their bank’s current inward-transfer instructions for the currency concerned.
- Confirm the beneficiary’s exact name, account number, bank and branch.
- Check whether a particular branch BIC or correspondent/intermediary bank is required. Do not guess an eleven-character suffix.
- Ask about fees, currency conversion, cut-off times and the expected settlement date.
- Review the full instruction before authorising the transfer and retain the reference.
A bank BIC alone is not a complete transfer instruction. Correspondent-bank details can depend on the currency, and the correspondent’s BIC is different from the final beneficiary bank’s BIC.
Tip: If a payment form rejects an eight-character code, ask the bank which eleven-character form it requires instead of copying a suffix from an old directory.
Sources and useful links
- www.swift.com: standards/data-standards/bic-business-identifier-code
- www.swiftref.com: en/bicsearch
- www.co-opbank.co.ke: faq/bank-swift-code-and-bank-code/
- equitygroupholdings.com: ke/pay-send-money/corporate/money-transfer-services/swift-transfer/
- www.imbankgroup.com: ke/funds-transfer/swift-transfers/
- bi.kcbgroup.com: en/products/swift-transfer-diaspora
- www.stanbicbank.co.ke: kenya/personal/about-us/standard-settlement-instructions
