Ohmyfin responde: What is a correspondent bank in a SWIFT payment?
Ohmyfin responde a continuación. El contenido está en inglés.
A correspondent bank is an intermediary bank that processes a cross-border SWIFT payment on behalf of another bank that does not have a direct banking relationship with the beneficiary's bank. Most international SWIFT payments pass through one or two correspondents — each one charges a fee and may deduct it from the payment amount.
When your bank wants to send money to a bank in another country, it rarely has a direct account (nostro account) with that specific bank. Instead, it routes the payment through one or two correspondent banks that have pre-arranged nostro/vostro account relationships with both ends of the chain.
Each correspondent bank in the chain is visible in the SWIFT GPI tracker — Ohmyfin shows which correspondent currently holds the payment, when it entered and left each bank, and any fees deducted at that leg.
Correspondent banks are the main cause of unexpected fee deductions. If the charge bearer is SHA, the beneficiary bank deducts its own incoming fee; each correspondent may also deduct a transit fee. OUR means the sender pays all fees up front and the beneficiary receives the full amount.
Major global correspondents include JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, BNY Mellon, HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Wells Fargo — these banks act as correspondents for thousands of smaller banks worldwide.
Correspondent bank = intermediary that routes the payment between two banks
Most SWIFT payments use 1-2 correspondents in the chain
Each correspondent may deduct a fee (transit fee) from the payment
Visible on Ohmyfin's live UETR tracking — see every bank in the chain
OUR charge bearer = sender pays all fees; beneficiary gets full amount
What is a correspondent bank in a SWIFT payment?
A correspondent bank is an intermediary bank that processes a cross-border SWIFT payment on behalf of another bank that does not have a direct banking relationship with the beneficiary's bank. Most international SWIFT payments pass through one or two correspondents — each one charges a fee and may deduct it from the payment amount.
How many correspondent banks does a typical SWIFT payment use?
Most major-corridor SWIFT payments (e.g. USD/EUR/GBP between large banks) use 1-2 correspondent banks. Exotic corridor payments can use 3-4. Ohmyfin's UETR tracker shows every bank in the chain.
Is Ohmyfin tracking really free?
Yes. Ohmyfin Organisation LLC tracking is completely free for individuals worldwide — no daily limit, no signup required, no card, no catch. Ohmyfin Organisation LLC never charges individuals.
Do I need a bank login to use Ohmyfin?
No. Ohmyfin queries the SWIFT GPI network directly via the UETR — no credentials at any bank required.
Ohmyfin responde
¿Es gratis usar Ohmyfin?
Sí, el rastreo de pagos SWIFT por UETR es gratuito sin necesidad de registro. Con una cuenta puede acceder al historial diario y más créditos gratuitos.
¿Qué es un número UETR?
El UETR (Referencia de Transacción Única Extremo a Extremo) es un identificador UUID de 36 caracteres asignado a cada pago SWIFT GPI para rastrearlo por toda la cadena.
¿Cuánto tarda una transferencia SWIFT?
La mayoría de los pagos SWIFT GPI se completan en 24 horas; las transferencias internacionales pueden tardar de 1 a 5 días hábiles según los bancos intermediarios y la divisa.