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Incoming international credit transfers — how it works

Written by: Valesca Wilms

Updated on: August 24, 2026

Reading time: 3 minutes

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🌍 How do incoming international transfers work?

Your Accountable Banking account can receive credit transfers from abroad, regardless of the currency the sender uses. Swan's BIC is connected to the SWIFT network, so your IBAN is all the sender needs — no separate account required.

📋 What details should the sender use?

Ask the sender to provide the following details to their bank when initiating the transfer:

Beneficiary IBAN

Your IBAN (visible in the Accountable app under Banking)

Beneficiary name

Your full name as registered on your account

Swan BIC

For SEPA transfers

Germany: SWNBDEBB
Belgium: SWNBBEB2

Intermediary SWIFT

For international SWIFT transfers only

TRWIGB2B — Wise, United Kingdom
For currencies: AUD, BGN, CAD, CHF, CZK, DKK, GBP, HKD, HUF, JPY, NOK, NZD, PLN, SEK, SGD, USD

TRWIBEB3 — Wise Europe SA, Belgium
For currencies: AED, ARS, BDT, BRL, BWP, CLP, CNY, COP, CRC, EGP, EUR, FJD, GEL, GHS, HRK, IDR, ILS, INR, KES, KRW, LKR, MAD, MXN, MYR, NPR, PHP, PKR, RON, RUB, THB, TRY, TZS, UAH, UGX, UYU, VND, ZAR, ZMW

⚠️ A currency being listed here does not mean transfers from that country are accepted. Always check the allowed countries list before sharing your IBAN with a sender abroad.

💶 Will I receive the money in euros?

Yes. Accountable Banking accounts are euro-based. If the sender transfers in another currency (e.g. GBP or USD), the amount is converted to euros before it reaches your account. The conversion is handled by the intermediary banks along the route.

If Swan performs the final currency conversion, an additional fee applies on top of the standard €5 processing fee (e.g. 0.6% for USD). If the transfer arrives already converted to euros, only the flat €5 fee applies.

⚠️ What happens to fees?

Two types of fees can apply to incoming international transfers:

  • Intermediary bank fees: Charged by the banks that route the transfer. These are deducted directly from the transfer amount before it reaches your account. The exact amount depends on the banks involved and how the sender set up the fee arrangement.

  • Swan processing fee: A flat €5 fee charged separately by Swan once the transfer is booked to your account. This appears as a separate transaction in your history.

💡 Fee arrangement (set by the sender):

SHA — fees split: sender pays their bank's fees, you pay intermediary fees deducted from the amount

BEN — all fees paid by you, deducted from the transfer amount

OUR — all fees paid by the sender (though some banks may still pass on intermediary fees)

The diagram below shows a real example of a £1,000 GBP transfer and what gets deducted at each step:

Flow diagram showing how a £1,000 GBP transfer is processed through intermediary banks, with fees deducted at each step, resulting in €850 credited to the account plus a separate €5 Swan fee.

⏱️ How long does it take?

Once Swan receives the transfer, it is booked to your account immediately. The total time depends on how long the transfer spends passing through the sending bank and any intermediary banks — this can range from a few hours to several business days, depending on the origin country and currency.

When can an incoming transfer be rejected?

  • The transfer originates from a country not on the allowed list.

  • Your account is in Limited status (i.e. not yet fully verified). Any incoming international transfer on a limited account is automatically rejected, regardless of the amount. This restriction is lifted once your account verification is complete.

🌐 Allowed countries

👉 See the full list of allowed countries for incoming international transfers

💜 Need help?

Feel free to contact our support team. We'll be happy to help.

Valesca Wilms

Author - Valesca Wilms

As content marketing lead at Accountable Belgium, Valesca writes about freelancing, self-employment, and taxes based on her own experience as a freelancer.

Who is Valesca ?

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