International Payments Guides - CrossGlobePay

SWIFT correspondent banks

No single bank maintains accounts everywhere. When two institutions lack a direct relationship, they call on an intermediary—a correspondent bank—that holds “nostro” and “vostro” accounts for each side. The originating bank debits its nostro at the correspondent, the correspondent credits the beneficiary’s bank via another internal ledger, and the payment reaches its destination without the … Read more

SWIFT Go for small payments

Sending a modest invoice to a designer in Berlin or reimbursing a supplier for sample materials in Seoul used to feel out of proportion to the amount involved. Traditional SWIFT wires charged the same fees and took the same two-day journey whether you moved ten thousand dollars or ten million. SWIFT Go rewrites that rule … Read more

SWIFT GPI for faster tracking

The SWIFT network has been the backbone of international payments for fifty years, but until recently it felt as sluggish and opaque as sending a letter by sea. Funds disappeared for days, correspondent banks clipped undisclosed fees, and only a tracer request could reveal where the money sat. SWIFT gpi—global payments innovation—changes that experience almost … Read more

SWIFT codes vs. BIC codes

When you fill out an international payment form, the bank invariably demands a string of eight or eleven characters. Some websites call it a SWIFT code, others ask for a BIC. The two labels appear side by side so often that many people assume they name different things, when in fact they belong to the … Read more

Understanding SWIFT transfers

International business still relies on a messaging backbone created half a century ago. SWIFT—the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication—does not hold or move funds itself. Instead it provides a secure, standardised language that more than 11 000 institutions use to tell one another which account to credit, how much, and why. Grasping the essentials … Read more

Avoid common IBAN mistakes

Transposed characters Typing DE44500105175407324931 as DE44500105157407324931 swaps the 4 th and 7 th digits of the Basic Bank Account Number. Automated checksum logic will flag the mistake, but only after you submit the payment—delaying settlement by a day or more. Fix:Encourage copy-and-paste over manual typing. When the source is a PDF statement, copying preserves digit … Read more

IBAN vs. BIC/SWIFT codes

Sending money across borders is a relay race. Every leg needs clear instructions so funds reach the intended account without detours or repair fees. Two standards provide those instructions: the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and the Bank Identifier Code (BIC), often called a SWIFT code. They look similar to the untrained eye—strings of letters … Read more

Step-by-step guide

When a bank or payment platform asks you to verify your International Bank Account Number (IBAN), the request may feel like yet another bureaucratic hurdle. In reality, a correctly validated IBAN is your ticket to faster settlements, lower fees and fewer rejected payments. Use the process below to sail through verification on the first attempt. … Read more

Why your business needs IBAN

The first time a supplier in Germany asks for your “IBAN” you might assume it is a local quirk. It is not. The International Bank Account Number has become the passport of European and, increasingly, global money movement. Understanding what sits inside those digits—and why adopting them early matters—will spare your finance team countless reconciliation … Read more