The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is a unique and internationally recognized number assigned to each account that allows customers to conduct convenient and error-free fund transfers between banks.
BBK users are required to use their IBAN for incoming transfers, to conduct inter-bank fund transfers within Bahrain, and to transfer funds to other banks in IBAN-mandated countries.
Enter your account number to generate your IBAN now!
* Disclaimer: BBK shall not be responsible for any IBAN generated and used where incorrect account details have been provided by the customer.
In compliance with the IBAN standard issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain, an IBAN is a unique code consisting of 22 alphanumeric characters, including the country code, check digits, bank code, and bank account number.
You can find your IBAN on your bank statement or use the tool below to generate it online.
The IBAN should be encoded as a continuous string of characters when making an electronic payment or transfer.
You can use the IBAN for the following:
Sending electronic payment to a bank account within the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Receiving electronic payment from a bank account within the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Sending electronic payment to bank accounts in IBAN-mandated countries.
Receiving electronic payment from bank accounts in IBAN-mandated countries.
Receiving electronic payment from an individual in a country that is not IBAN-mandated.
IBAN is the International Bank Account Number, an internationally accepted standard for numbering bank customer accounts, following an ISO standard methodology for accuracy verification. Bank customers can use this unique customer account number to make or receive secure payments locally and internationally.
The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is a 22-character code with two main components: the header and the Basic Bank Account Number (BBAN). This unique code helps identify an account number of a customer, as well as his bank. It comprises the Bank Identifier (which determines the account holding bank) and the customer account number.
In the case of Bahrain, the Bank Identifier is the first four letters of the respective bank’s SWIFT Code (BIC). The remaining part of the BBAN is the existing customer account number.
The header contains the ISO two-letter country code and the two check digits that help identify and verify the IBAN internationally. For Bahrain, the first two characters of an IBAN are always ‘BH.’ The 14-character customer account number in the IBAN contains numbers (0 to 9) and uppercase letters (A to Z) depending on the respective bank. The length and structure of BBAN vary from country to country.
BBK’s swift code is BBKUBHBM.
The IBAN helps in improving the efficiency of electronic fund transfers. It allows banks to check the validity of the recipient, regardless of the bank or country where they maintain their account. As a result, electronic payments containing a validated IBAN could be credited faster to the recipient’s account. The usage of IBAN is seen as a way to strengthen Bahrain’s status as a leading regional financial center.
The IBAN helps ensure that your payments are made to the correct account without delay. Banks must check the IBAN’s accuracy when initiating a payment. Payments can only be carried out when the IBAN has been verified.
All customers have a corresponding IBAN for their account and each account has a unique IBAN. Bank customers who receive or make electronic payments in Bahrain or abroad use the IBAN as a unique identifier. If you have more than one bank account, you will have unique IBAN for each account.
Bank customers can use IBAN for their inter-bank domestic and cross-border electronic payments.
Each of your account numbers can be converted into IBAN format and given to you by your bank. In addition, your IBAN and bank SWIFT Code are also printed on your bank statement(s) and available as well on your online banking or mobile application.
You can use IBAN for the following domestic and cross-border payments:
Yes, the bank will accept the payment and check the accuracy of the IBAN.
The following characteristics can distinguish an IBAN:
For example, for Account Number 100000123456, the IBAN* will be BH83 BBKU 0010 0000 1234 56.
In this example, the IBAN starts with “BH” (country code for Bahrain), followed by “83” (the two check digits), “BBKU” (bank identifier, which is the first four letters of the SWIFT Code (BIC) of the bank).
*Example only. No existing customer account has this IBAN structure.
No. Your existing account number will continue to be valid. The IBAN is not a new account number but a representation of your account number in an electronically recognizable ISO standard format.
Adopting IBAN in Bahrain does not require changing or replacing the existing account numbers.
No. Aside from making and receiving international payments, you can also use the IBAN to make domestic electronic payments.
Only retail banks with customer accounts for electronic payments are authorized to generate IBAN. No other party is permitted to create IBAN for bank customers.
Yes, online tools are available to validate/check IBAN structures. One is the UN/CEFACT TBG5 IBAN’ validator’ of the UN/CEFACT United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business.
There are two standard ways to write an IBAN:
As of May 2022, 82 countries use IBAN. You can obtain details of the IBAN of these countries from the IBAN Registry at the SWIFT website: https://www.swift.com/standards/data-standards/iban-international-bank-account-number.
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