EQBLKENA11-character variant (head office):
EQBLKENAXXX| Bank code | Country | Location |
|---|---|---|
| EQBL | KE | NA |
| Equity Bank | KE (Kenya) | Nairobi |
An 11-character variant like EQBLKENAXXX also indicates the head office — the trailing 'XXX' is the default. Codes ending in different sequences (e.g. 'EQBLKENA001') refer to specific branches.
Equity Bank Kenya is part of Equity Group Holdings, one of East and Central Africa's most innovative banking groups. Founded in 1984 as Equity Building Society and converted to a commercial bank in 2004, Equity revolutionised Kenyan retail banking by serving lower-income segments at scale. The group now operates in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (via BCDC and Equity BCDC), and represents itself in London. Equity is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. For diaspora senders, SWIFT code EQBLKENA routes inbound wires to the Upper Hill head office in Nairobi; the long form is EQBLKENAXXX.
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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 Equity Bank, your sending bank needs this code (EQBLKENA) to route the payment message through correspondent banks to Equity Bank Kenya in Nairobi.
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 Kenya does not use IBANs universally). For most wires to Kenya, you will supply SWIFT code EQBLKENA + 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 Equity Bank, 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 EQBLKENAXXX), 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.
Equity Bank Kenya's SWIFT/BIC code is EQBLKENA. This 8-character code identifies the bank's Nairobi 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 Equity Bank's code referenced under either name on different financial platforms.
Yes. For an international wire to reach your Equity Bank account, the sender needs SWIFT code EQBLKENA AND your account number. Some sending banks also request the recipient bank's full address (Equity Centre, Hospital Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi).
Typically 1 to 5 business days. The timing depends on the intermediary (correspondent) banks between the sending bank and Equity Bank. Wires from major global banks (HSBC, Barclays, JPMorgan, Citi) usually clear fastest.
For smaller amounts to Kenya, 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 Kenya inbound corridor comparison for side-by-side pricing.
Source: Equity Bank'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.