IBAN (International Bank Account Number)

An IBAN is a standardised international bank account identifier used to ensure that cross-border payments are sent to the correct account.

It combines a country code, two check digits, and the customer’s domestic account details (such as sort code and account number in the UK). This format helps banks automatically verify and route international payments accurately.

Example:

A UK IBAN might look like GB29 BUKB 6016 1331 9268 19, where:

GB = Country code (United Kingdom)

29 = Check digits

BUKB = Bank identifier (Barclays)

601613 = Sort code

31926819 = Account number

Used in:

International and cross-border bank transfers within Europe and other IBAN-compliant countries.