What is IBAN?

The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is an internationally agreed system of identifying bank accounts across national borders to facilitate the communication and processing of cross-border transactions.

Introduced by the European Committee for Banking Standards (ECBS), IBAN was designed to:

  • Minimize transcription errors
  • Facilitate automated processing of cross-border transactions
  • Improve the validation of account information

An IBAN consists of up to 34 alphanumeric characters, comprising:

  • A country code
  • Check digits
  • Basic Bank Account Number (BBAN)