ABSAZAJJ11-character variant (head office):
ABSAZAJJXXX| Bank code | Country | Location |
|---|---|---|
| ABSA | ZA | JJ |
| Absa | ZA (South Africa) | Johannesburg |
An 11-character variant like ABSAZAJJXXX also indicates the head office — the trailing 'XXX' is the default. Codes ending in different sequences (e.g. 'ABSAZAJJ001') refer to specific branches.
Absa Bank is one of South Africa's "Big Four" commercial banks, formed in 1991 through the merger of United Bank, Allied Bank, Volkskas, and Sage. Barclays acquired a majority stake in 2005, and the Absa Group was demerged from Barclays in 2018 to become an independent African banking group. Absa operates more than 600 branches in South Africa plus subsidiaries across 10 other African markets (including the BARC-prefixed legacy SWIFT codes in Ghana and Kenya). The bank is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The South African head-office SWIFT code ABSAZAJJ uses the modern Absa bank-code prefix (the legacy Barclays BARC prefix is retained only in non-SA subsidiaries). Long form: ABSAZAJJXXX.
vs ZAR (South African Rand)
Compare international operators that can deposit to a Absa account through their banking partner network.
Wise is a MomoCalc affiliate partner — we may earn a commission if you open an account via this link, at no extra cost to you.
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, your sending bank needs this code (ABSAZAJJ) to route the payment message through correspondent banks to Absa Bank in Johannesburg.
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 South Africa does not use IBANs universally). For most wires to South Africa, you will supply SWIFT code ABSAZAJJ + 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, 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 ABSAZAJJXXX), 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's SWIFT/BIC code is ABSAZAJJ. This 8-character code identifies the bank's Johannesburg 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's code referenced under either name on different financial platforms.
Yes. For an international wire to reach your Absa account, the sender needs SWIFT code ABSAZAJJ AND your account number. Some sending banks also request the recipient bank's full address (Absa Towers, 15 Troye Street, Johannesburg).
Typically 1 to 5 business days. The timing depends on the intermediary (correspondent) banks between the sending bank and Absa. Wires from major global banks (HSBC, Barclays, JPMorgan, Citi) usually clear fastest.
For smaller amounts to South Africa, 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 South Africa inbound corridor comparison for side-by-side pricing.
Source: Absa'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.