Togolese banks use an IBAN starting with TG (TG followed by 26 digits — 2 check digits + bank code + branch code + account + RIB key). Same-day clearing across all 8 WAEMU countries via STAR-UEMOA (high-value) and SICA-UEMOA (retail), both operated by the BCEAO.
Money in a Togolese bank account can move to T-Money (Togocom) or Flooz (Moov) wallets. Since 30 September 2025, BCEAO's PI-SPI rail makes individual wallet-to-wallet transfers within the WAEMU zone (8 countries) free and instant.
- Instant rail
- STAR-UEMOA (RTGS) and SICA-UEMOA (retail) — BCEAO regional rails
- Account code
- IBAN (Togo format: TG followed by 26 digits)
- Pay by phone number
- PI-SPI (BCEAO instant wallet rail, free for individuals across WAEMU since Sep 30 2025)
- Linked wallets
- T-Money, Flooz
When you actually need a SWIFT code: only for receiving money from another country. STAR-UEMOA handles every domestic togo 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 iban or phone number.
For inbound international flows, STAR-UEMOA 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.