The global cooperative that runs the standardized messaging network banks use to send cross-border payment instructions.
SWIFT — Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication — is a Belgium-headquartered cooperative that runs the messaging network banks use to exchange cross-border payment instructions. SWIFT does not move money — it moves the instructions banks act on. Money moves through the correspondent-banking network (Nostro/Vostro accounts).
Every bank branch on the SWIFT network has a BIC (Bank Identifier Code) — sometimes called a SWIFT code. Format: 8 or 11 characters.
Example: SBININBB — State Bank of India, Mumbai head office.
For Indian branches, the 11-character version adds a branch identifier.
The SWIFT reference (typically 16 characters, format varies) appears on your bank statement as the source reference for the credit.
A foreign-currency inward remittance carries a SWIFT reference; the same funds converted and credited to your INR account may also carry an internal AD Bank reference. Reconcile against both.
Amazon uses payment providers that may route through varying correspondent-banking paths depending on your marketplace. Expect SWIFT references from different intermediary banks even for identical settlement runs. What stays consistent is Amazon's own settlement ID from Seller Central — that's your primary source of truth.