BARCGHAC11-character variant (head office):
BARCGHACXXX| Bank code | Country | Location |
|---|---|---|
| BARC | GH | AC |
| Absa Ghana | GH (Ghana) | Accra |
An 11-character variant like BARCGHACXXX also indicates the head office — the trailing 'XXX' is the default. Codes ending in different sequences (e.g. 'BARCGHAC001') refer to specific branches.
Absa Bank Ghana is the Ghanaian operation of Absa Group, the South African banking group spun out of Barclays in 2018 and now Africa's second-largest bank by assets. The Ghana operation traces its history back to 1917 under Barclays, making it one of the oldest banks in the country alongside Standard Chartered. Following the global Barclays-Absa transition, the Ghana subsidiary retains the legacy SWIFT prefix BARC (from the Barclays era) in its code BARCGHAC — a common pattern at recently-rebranded subsidiaries where SWIFT-network reconfiguration is expensive. The 11-character form BARCGHACXXX identifies the head office on High Street, Accra.
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SWIFT and BIC are two names for the same identifier: an 8 or 11-character code standardised by ISO 9362 that identifies a bank in the SWIFT payment network. For a wire to Absa Ghana, your sending bank needs this code (BARCGHAC) to route the payment message through correspondent banks to Absa Bank Ghana in Accra.
An IBAN, by contrast, identifies a specific bank account — not the institution. IBANs are mandatory in the European Economic Area, the UK, most of the Middle East, and several African countries (but Ghana does not use IBANs universally). For most wires to Ghana, you will supply SWIFT code BARCGHAC + the recipient's account number, not an IBAN.
UK sort codes (6 digits) and US routing numbers (9 digits) are domestic-only equivalents — they do not work for international wires. If a US-based sender wants to wire to Absa Ghana, they need the SWIFT code, not the US routing number of the correspondent bank (although their bank may use the routing number internally to route their side of the wire).
One final technical detail on the 11-character form: the last three characters identify a specific branch. When they read 'XXX' (as in BARCGHACXXX), they conventionally designate the head office itself. Most international wires use either the 8-character form or the 11-character form with XXX; unless your recipient explicitly tells you otherwise, that is the right choice.
Absa Bank Ghana's SWIFT/BIC code is BARCGHAC. This 8-character code identifies the bank's Accra head office for international wire transfers.
Yes. SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) and BIC (Business Identifier Code) are two names for the same 8 or 11-character identifier standardised by ISO 9362. You will see Absa Ghana's code referenced under either name on different financial platforms.
Yes. For an international wire to reach your Absa Ghana account, the sender needs SWIFT code BARCGHAC AND your account number. Some sending banks also request the recipient bank's full address (High Street, Accra, Accra).
Typically 1 to 5 business days. The timing depends on the intermediary (correspondent) banks between the sending bank and Absa Ghana. Wires from major global banks (HSBC, Barclays, JPMorgan, Citi) usually clear fastest.
For smaller amounts to Ghana, operators such as Wise, LemFi, Sendwave, and TapTap Send typically offer a rate closer to mid-market and lower fees than a classic SWIFT bank wire. See our Ghana inbound corridor comparison for side-by-side pricing.
Source: Absa Ghana's official website + Wise SWIFT directory. Last verified: 2026-06-04. SWIFT codes change rarely but always confirm with your bank before initiating a transfer. Educational only — not financial advice.