UNAFNGLA11-character variant (head office):
UNAFNGLAXXX| 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.
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).
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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 UBA, your sending bank needs this code (UNAFNGLA) to route the payment message through correspondent banks to United Bank for Africa in Lagos.
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 Nigeria does not use IBANs universally). For most wires to Nigeria, you will supply SWIFT code UNAFNGLA + 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 UBA, 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 UNAFNGLAXXX), 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.
United Bank for Africa's SWIFT/BIC code is UNAFNGLA. This 8-character code identifies the bank's Lagos 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 UBA's code referenced under either name on different financial platforms.
Yes. For an international wire to reach your UBA account, the sender needs SWIFT code UNAFNGLA AND your account number. Some sending banks also request the recipient bank's full address (UBA House, 57 Marina, Lagos).
Typically 1 to 5 business days. The timing depends on the intermediary (correspondent) banks between the sending bank and UBA. Wires from major global banks (HSBC, Barclays, JPMorgan, Citi) usually clear fastest.
For smaller amounts to Nigeria, 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 Nigeria inbound corridor comparison for side-by-side pricing.
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.