--- title: "How to read a SWIFT/BIC code (video, 48 seconds) | Elucidate" description: "A 48-second video on reading a SWIFT/BIC code (ISO 9362): the institution, country, location and branch parts, the eighth character, and what a BIC does not tell you." url: https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video --- [Guides](https://elucidate.co/guides) / [BIC](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code) / Video Published 6 November 2026 Video · BIC # How to read a BIC, in 48 seconds The four parts of a Business Identifier Code, worked through on Deutsche Bank’s head-office BIC, `DEUTDEFFXXX`. No sound: the text is on screen and in the transcript below. The facts are those of the [BIC guide](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code), reviewed 31 October 2026. [Download the video](https://elucidate.co/videos/swift-bic-code.mp4) (MP4, 3.4 MB). ## In this video 1. [0:00 What a BIC is](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video?t=0) 2. [0:09 Characters 1–4: the institution](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video?t=9) 3. [0:13 Characters 5–6: the country](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video?t=13) 4. [0:17 Characters 7–8: the location](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video?t=17) 5. [0:21 The eighth character: the connection type](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video?t=21) 6. [0:28 Characters 9–11: the branch](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video?t=28) 7. [0:32 Part by part](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video?t=32) 8. [0:36 What a BIC does not tell you](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video?t=36) 9. [0:43 Look up a BIC](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code-video?t=43) ## Transcript The video has no voice-over. This is the text it shows, chapter by chapter. - **0:00 · What a BIC is:** How to read a BIC: the code people call a “SWIFT code”, in eight or eleven characters. The example is `DEUTDEFFXXX`, the BIC of Deutsche Bank AG’s head office in Frankfurt am Main. A BIC has 8 or 11 characters, defined by ISO 9362. Swift issues and publishes them. - **0:09 · Characters 1–4: the institution:** `DEUT`, characters 1–4: the institution, usually an abbreviation of its name. - **0:13 · Characters 5–6: the country:** `DE`, characters 5–6: its country or territory, as an ISO 3166-1 code. DE is Germany. - **0:17 · Characters 7–8: the location:** `FF`, characters 7–8: a location within the country. The eighth character also gives the connection type. - **0:21 · The eighth character: the connection type:** Character 8 gives the connection type: `0` test and training, `1` passive participant, `2` reverse billing. Any other character means the institution is connected to Swift. Here the eighth character is `F`: connected to Swift. - **0:28 · Characters 9–11: the branch:** `XXX`, characters 9–11, optional: a branch or department. “XXX”, or no branch code at all, means the head office. - **0:32 · Part by part:** Read from left to right: `DEUT` institution, `DE` country, `FF` location, `XXX` branch. - **0:36 · What a BIC does not tell you:** What a BIC does not tell you. Which account: an IBAN or an account number identifies it. Whether the institution is licensed: the regulator’s register is the authority. Whether a counterparty is safe to deal with: a BIC identifies; it does not assess. - **0:43 · Look up a BIC:** Look up any BIC at elucidate.co/directory. The full guide is at elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code. **Look up a BIC.** The directory shows the legal entity, LEI, branch codes and connection type for every BIC in Swift’s directory. [Search BICs](https://elucidate.co/directory/search) ## Sources - [How to read a Business Identifier Code (BIC)](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code). Elucidate guide, reviewed 31 October 2026: the text this video follows. - ISO 9362, _Banking — Banking telecommunication messages — Business identifier code (BIC)_. International Organization for Standardization. - [BIC (Business Identifier Code)](https://www.swift.com/standards/data-standards/bic-business-identifier-code). Swift, registration authority for ISO 9362. ## Read the guides - [Guide · BIC How to read a Business Identifier Code (BIC) The full guide: the eighth character, branch codes, how to check a BIC and BICs in ISO 20022 messages.](https://elucidate.co/guides/swift-bic-code) - [Guide · Payment codes BIC, IBAN and national bank codes What each code identifies, how an IBAN is built, the main national codes and which ones a payment needs.](https://elucidate.co/guides/bic-iban-routing-number) - [Guide · LEI What a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) record shows The 20 characters of an LEI, registration status, reported parents and how Swift and GLEIF map BICs to LEIs.](https://elucidate.co/guides/legal-entity-identifier) FinCrime Index ## Assess the financial crime risk behind a counterparty A BIC, an LEI or a licence identifies an institution. It does not assess it. The Elucidate FinCrime Index (EFI) is an independent score of the financial crime risk of banks and payment firms. Ask what it covers for the counterparties you deal with. [Get the score](https://elucidate.co/directory/score) [Read about the FinCrime Index](https://elucidate.co/ratings)