SWIFT is a code that banks and financial institutions worldwide use to transmit messages between each other, such as international fund transfers; the protocol is serviced by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. The SWIFT code is 8-11 characters long and comprises alphanumeric characters, e.g., KASITHBKXXX, which can be defined as follows:
- Characters 1-4: Bank code, e.g., KASI = Kasikornbank
- Characters 5-6: Country code, e.g., TH = Thailand
- Characters 7-8: City code, e.g. BK = Bangkok
- Last 3 digits: Bank branch code, where XXX is used to indicate headquarters