PRIMKENA11-character variant (head office):
PRIMKENAXXX| Bank code | Country | Location |
|---|---|---|
| PRIM | KE | NA |
| Prime Bank | KE (Kenya) | Nairobi |
An 11-character variant like PRIMKENAXXX also indicates the head office — the trailing 'XXX' is the default. Codes ending in different sequences (e.g. 'PRIMKENA001') refer to specific branches.
Prime Bank Kenya was founded in 1992 by the Kantaria family and has remained one of Kenya's mid-sized privately-owned commercial banks. The bank operates around 25 branches with a particular focus on the Kenyan-Asian business community, trade finance, and high-net-worth retail customers. Prime Bank has been recognised in industry awards for its risk management and asset quality. For diaspora senders, SWIFT code PRIMKENA routes inbound wires to the head office on Riverside Drive, Nairobi; the long form is PRIMKENAXXX. The bank-code prefix PRIM matches the bank's short name and is distinctive within the Kenyan banking sector.
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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 Prime Bank, your sending bank needs this code (PRIMKENA) to route the payment message through correspondent banks to Prime 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 PRIMKENA + 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 Prime 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 PRIMKENAXXX), 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.
Prime Bank Kenya's SWIFT/BIC code is PRIMKENA. 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 Prime Bank's code referenced under either name on different financial platforms.
Yes. For an international wire to reach your Prime Bank account, the sender needs SWIFT code PRIMKENA AND your account number. Some sending banks also request the recipient bank's full address (Prime Bank Building, Riverside Drive, Nairobi).
Typically 1 to 5 business days. The timing depends on the intermediary (correspondent) banks between the sending bank and Prime 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: Prime 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.