UNAFNGLA11-character variant (head office):
UNAFNGLAXXXWhether funds come from abroad or another local account, here's how to receive — and what it costs.
Sender uses UNAFNGLA + your account number.
Sender uses Wise, LemFi, or Sendwave to deposit into your account.
Receive into OPay, then move to UBA if needed.
Nigerian banks use a 10-digit NUBAN account number; transfers between banks settle in seconds over NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP).
Money in a Nigerian bank account can move to OPay, PalmPay, Moniepoint, or MoMo PSB wallets instantly via NIP, and back again.
Rail operator: nibss-plc.com.ng
When you actually need a SWIFT code: only for receiving money from another country. NIP handles every domestic nigeria bank-to-bank, bank-to-wallet, and wallet-to-bank transfer at near-instant speed. If the sender is in the same country, SWIFT isn't involved at all — they just need your nuban or phone number.
For inbound international flows, NIP also matters: most modern remittance operators (Wise, Sendwave, LemFi, WorldRemit, TapTap Send) terminate their payouts via this rail rather than via correspondent SWIFT relationships. That's how they deliver in minutes instead of days — and why their all-in cost can be a fraction of a classic SWIFT wire.
Cash pickup is the fourth node in the receiving graph: Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria, RemitOne. These remain expensive but are the only option in some last-mile situations (no bank account, no wallet, urgent cash need). Mobile money cash-out via an agent network is increasingly the cheaper alternative — see our country mobile-money fee page for current cash-out rates.
One practical tip: if you're expecting a payment from abroad, ask the sender to choose the destination based on speed and amount. Small frequent payments below US$1,000 are almost always cheaper via a remittance app to your wallet. Mid-size payments (US$1,000–10,000) work well to your bank account via the same apps. Genuinely large payments (above US$50,000) are usually only practical via a SWIFT wire, even though they're the most expensive per dollar at that band.
| Bank code | Country | Location |
|---|---|---|
| UNAF | NG | LA |
| UBA | NG (Nigeria) | Lagos |
An 11-character variant like UNAFNGLAXXX also indicates the head office — the trailing 'XXX' is the default. Codes ending in different sequences (e.g. 'UNAFNGLA001') refer to specific branches.
Check any SWIFT/BIC code is correctly formatted before a transfer.
vs NGN (Nigerian Naira)
United Bank for Africa (UBA), founded in 1949, has the most extensive pan-African banking footprint of any Nigerian institution, with subsidiaries in 20 African countries plus operations in New York, London, and Paris. UBA's "Africa's Global Bank" positioning is rooted in this dense international network, which routes diaspora remittances from the US, UK, France, and the UAE into local-currency accounts across Sub-Saharan Africa. The bank lists on the Nigerian Exchange and runs more than 600 branches in Nigeria alone. For Nigerian beneficiaries, the SWIFT code UNAFNGLA identifies the Lagos head office; UBA's African subsidiaries each have their own country-specific SWIFT codes (e.g. UNAFGHAC for Ghana).
UBA House, 57 Marina, Lagos
Map centred on Lagos. Click "View on OpenStreetMap" below for precise location.
United Bank for Africa — Nigeria's commercial bank, one of the country's oldest institutions (founded 1949) — has the SWIFT/BIC code UNAFNGLA. The 8-character base BIC UNAFNGLA targets the Lagos head office; the 11-character variant UNAFNGLAXXX names that same head office explicitly. You only need it for receiving an INTERNATIONAL wire (from another country). For transfers from another Nigeria account, you just use your account number plus the domestic rail (NIP).
Yes. Operators like WorldRemit, Sendwave, Afriex, and Flutterwave Send let a sender abroad deposit directly into OPay without going through your UBA account. It's usually faster and cheaper than a SWIFT wire for smaller amounts. You can then move funds to UBA via NIP if needed.
Via NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP), which interconnects banks and wallets in real time. From the UBA app: add OPay as a beneficiary with your phone number, and the transfer arrives instantly. See our Nigeria mobile money fees page for the exact cost.
For amounts under ~US$5,000, a remittance app (Wise, LemFi, Sendwave) depositing direct to your UBA account is almost always cheaper than a classic SWIFT wire — lower fees and a rate closer to mid-market. For larger amounts, compare SWIFT vs app on our Nigeria inbound transfer comparison.
Yes. UBA is connected to NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP), which enables near-instant transfers to other Nigeria banks and to mobile money wallets (OPay, PalmPay, Moniepoint). This is the infrastructure remittance apps use behind the scenes to deliver in real time.
Source: UBA'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.