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🇸🇬 Sending to Singapore

SG · SGP · +65 · Southeast Asia

SGD

National format   SWIFT BIC required

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Required information

  • Account number

    7-11 digits depending on bank (DBS/UOB/FEB/Std Chartered: 10; POSBank: 9; OCBC: 7 - strip 3-digit branch prefix from longer figures; HSBC: variable, strip 3-digit branch prefix).

  • SWIFT BIC

    Beneficiary bank BIC (8 or 11 characters).

  • Purpose-of-payment code (strongly advised)

    Free-text purpose in words (no code list)

  • Beneficiary address

    Match the address template — partial addresses cause holds.

For your end users

Double-check the beneficiary's full name (no initials), account number, and bank SWIFT/BIC against what their bank has on file. International wires can take 1-5 business days and may be delayed by sanctions screening.

Real-Time Alternative

FAST / PayNow

Last reviewed by GIB compliance on 2026-05-19. Reference material only.

  • Currency

    SGD

  • Typical settlement

    1-2 business days typical; longer for cross-border with FX or compliance review.

  • SWIFT BIC

    Required

  • Local clearing

    MEPS+ / FAST

Account format

How beneficiary account numbers are structured for Singapore. Failure to match this format is the single most common reason wires are rejected at the destination.

Field Value
Format tier National format
Length 7-11 digits depending on bank (DBS/UOB/FEB/Std Chartered: 10; POSBank: 9; OCBC: 7 - strip 3-digit branch prefix from longer figures; HSBC: variable, strip 3-digit branch prefix).

Routing identifiers

Which routing codes the wire-creation API call must include for Singapore.

Field Value
SWIFT BIC Required
Sorting Code Optional
Format 7 digits (required for low-value payments)
Directory ↗ Source
Local clearing MEPS+ / FAST

Address format

How Singapore expects the beneficiary address to appear on the wire. Free-form variations frequently trigger compliance holds.

  1. Recipient Full Name
  2. House Number & Street Name
  3. Building Name
  4. Administrative Area & Postal Code
  5. Country
Field Value
Postal code Optional — this country has no postal code format

Purpose of payment

Put the purpose in the remittance information (<RmtInf><Ustrd>) of the ISO 20022 wire-creation request, as the code format below describes. Requirement: Highly recommended GIB check: a missing or unexpected purpose is reported as a validation warning; the wire is not held.

Not yet confirmed

We have not yet confirmed this country's purpose-of-payment requirement against a central-bank or correspondent-bank source. Including a purpose is recommended. We update these guides as we confirm each country.

Non-standard element

For Singapore, the purpose is placed in <RmtInf> (remittance info), not the standard <Purp> element.

Field Value
Code format Free-text purpose in words (no code list)
Authoritative source ↗ View source

Remittance info

Extra content the regulator requires inside the free-text remittance field, beyond the purpose-of-payment code.

Clearly identify economic reason (rent, salary, utilities).

Operational notes

Field Value
Currencies accepted SGD, USD
Typical settlement 1-2 business days typical; longer for cross-border with FX or compliance review.
Banking holidays ↗ Calendar

Known issues:

  • OCBC: if you see 10-digit figures like '5501089550', drop first 3 digits ('550' = branch code) → '1089550'.
  • HSBC: digits vary; if you see figures like '146172002492', drop first 3 digits ('146' = branch code).

Common rejection reasons

Documented patterns that cause this country's banks to return wires. Universal reasons (sanctions holds, missing BIC) aren't repeated here.

Beneficiary name mismatch - no initials.
OCBC/HSBC: branch code (3 leading digits) erroneously included in the account number - must be stripped.
Missing economic-reason purpose statement.
Sanctions or compliance hold.

Validate before you send

Check identifiers before you submit. The IBAN check runs in your browser (format plus the ISO 13616 MOD-97 check digit). GIB's API checks the IBAN format for countries where an IBAN is required. The BIC lookup searches GIB's BIC directory and needs a dashboard login.

BIC lookup

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References

First-party sources — central banks, FX regulators, ISO registries. Always re-verify against these before pushing volume to a new corridor.

Disclaimer

These country guides aggregate information from central banks, regulators, and industry-standard references. Global Innovations Bank reviews them on a rolling cadence and notes the verification date on each page. Payment-corridor rules change between releases, so we cannot guarantee continued accuracy.

Always verify against the primary sources linked in the References section before going live in a new corridor. Re-check applicable sanctions lists (OFAC, EU, UK, UN consolidated, and any state-level requirements) at the time of payment, since designations shift between our refreshes.

For fintech partners on GIB's sponsor-bank rails, these guides do not replace your BSA/AML, KYC, sanctions-screening, or transaction-monitoring obligations under your program agreement with GIB.

Nothing in this material constitutes legal, tax, or regulatory advice, and wire-acceptance decisions remain at the discretion of GIB Compliance and the destination bank.

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