Bank code

In some countries the bank codes can be viewed over the internet, but mostly in the local language.

Those countries which use International Bank Account Numbers (IBAN) have mostly integrated the bank code into the prefix of specifying IBAN account numbers.

The term "bank code" is sometimes (inappropriately) used by merchants to refer to the Card Security Code printed on the back of a credit card.

As of February 2014 all countries in the Single Euro Payments Area have switched to an IBAN-based system for clearing (including TARGET2 for cross-border transfers).

The national bank codes have been integrated into the IBAN definition, in most cases at the start of the new account number (starting at position 5 after the common prefix of two-letter country identifier and two check digits).