ABSAZAJJ11-character variant (head office):
ABSAZAJJXXXWhether funds come from abroad or another local account, here's how to receive — and what it costs.
Sender uses ABSAZAJJ + your account number.
Sender uses Wise, LemFi, or Sendwave to deposit into your account.
Receive into TymeBank, then move to Absa if needed.
South African banks use a 6-digit universal branch code; PayShap enables low-value real-time payments using a phone-number ShapID.
South Africa is more bank-centric than wallet-centric, but PayShap and apps allow real-time transfers, and wallets like TymeBank and Shoprite Money are growing.
Rail operator: www.bankservafrica.com
When you actually need a SWIFT code: only for receiving money from another country. PayShap handles every domestic south africa 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 universal branch code or phone number.
For inbound international flows, PayShap 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
Check any SWIFT/BIC code is correctly formatted before a transfer.
vs ZAR (South African Rand)
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.
Absa Towers, 15 Troye Street, Johannesburg
Map centred on Johannesburg. Click "View on OpenStreetMap" below for precise location.
Absa Bank — South Africa's commercial bank (founded 1991) — has the SWIFT/BIC code ABSAZAJJ. The 8-character base BIC ABSAZAJJ targets the Johannesburg head office; the 11-character variant ABSAZAJJXXX names that same head office explicitly. You only need it for receiving an INTERNATIONAL wire (from another country). For transfers from another South Africa account, you just use your account number plus the domestic rail (PayShap).
Yes. Operators like WorldRemit, Sendwave, Afriex, and Flutterwave Send let a sender abroad deposit directly into TymeBank without going through your Absa account. It's usually faster and cheaper than a SWIFT wire for smaller amounts. You can then move funds to Absa via PayShap if needed.
Via PayShap, which interconnects banks and wallets in real time. From the Absa app: add TymeBank as a beneficiary with your phone number, and the transfer arrives instantly. See our South Africa mobile money fees page for the exact cost.
For amounts under ~US$5,000, a remittance app (Wise, LemFi, Sendwave) depositing direct to your Absa 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 South Africa inbound transfer comparison.
Yes. Absa is connected to PayShap, which enables near-instant transfers to other South Africa banks and to mobile money wallets (TymeBank, Shoprite Money, Capitec Pay). This is the infrastructure remittance apps use behind the scenes to deliver in real time.
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.