Payment Schemes & Account Identifiers

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Payment schemes define how money moves between banks. Each scheme—like SEPA in Europe or SWIFT for international transfers—has its own rules, settlement times, and cut-off deadlines. Atlar brings all these schemes together in one place so you can send and track payments without worrying about the underlying network.

Payment schemes are the different payment types banks use to send and receive money. While each scheme operates differently, Atlar abstracts those differences and provides a single interface for creating, sending, and monitoring payments.


Available payment schemes

The table below outlines the payment schemes currently supported in the Atlar dashboard. If you need a scheme that isn’t listed, contact the Atlar team, and they can work with your bank to explore enabling it for you.

MarketCurrencyPayment schemeAbbreviation
AllAllCross border / SWIFTCROSS_BORDER
SEPAEURSEPA Credit TransferSCT
SEPAEURSEPA Instant Credit TransferSCT_INST
UKGBPUK BACSGB_CT_BACS
UKGBPUK CHAPSGB_CT_CHAPS
UKGBPUK Faster PaymentsGB_CT_FPS
SESEKSwedish account-to-accountSE_A2A
SESEKSwedish Bankgiro and/or PlusgiroSE_GIRO
DKDKKDanish account-to-accountDK_A2A
DKDKKDanish same-day credit transferDK_CT_SAMEDAY
DKDKKDanish instant credit transferDK_CT_INST
DKDKKDanish FIK71 credit transferDK_CT_FIK71
DKDKKDanish FIK73 credit transferDK_CT_FIK73
DKDKKDanish FIK71 credit transferDK_CT_FIK75
CHCHFSwiss account-to-accountCH_CT
NONOKNorwegian account-to-accountNO_CT
NONOKNorwegian KID paymentNO_CT_KID
USUSDUS ACHUS_CT_ACH
USUSDUS WireUS_CT_WIRE
ISISKIcelandic account-to-accountIS_CT
AUAUDAustralian account-to-accountAU_CT
AUAUDAustralian BPAYAU_CT_BPAY
ILILSIsrael account-to-accountIL_CT
SGSGDSingapore account-to-accountSG_CT
BGBGNBulgarian account-to-accountBG_CT
MXMXNMexican account-to-accountMX_CT
KRKRWSouth Korean account-to-accountKR_CT
THTHBThai account-to-accountTH_CT
CACADCanadian Lynx credit transferCA_CT_LYNX
CACADCanadian ACSS credit transferCA_CT_ACSS
PLPLNPolish account-to-accountPL_CT

Account and Routing Identifiers

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Atlar validates account and routing details for every payment.

This ensures all required information is present and correct before a credit transfer or direct debit is sent.

When creating a credit transfer or direct debit, Atlar checks that the counterparty’s account and routing identifiers are valid for the chosen payment scheme.

  • Account identifiers – Examples include a counterparty’s IBAN or local account number. Atlar validates the format and correctness against the selected payment scheme.
  • Routing identifiers – Examples include BIC/SWIFT codes or local routing numbers. Atlar verifies these details to match the market and payment scheme requirements.

This validation ensures that transfers have the necessary data to be successfully processed by the receiving bank.


SEPA payments

SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) is a European initiative enabling fast and standardized EUR payments across participating countries. It simplifies cross-border transactions within the EU and select non-EU countries by enforcing common standards for account and routing identifiers.

Payment schemeIBAN required? (length)BIC/SWIFT required? (length)
SEPA credit transferYes (22 characters)Yes (BIC, 8–11 characters)
SEPA Instant credit transferYes (22 characters)Yes (BIC, 8–11 characters)
SEPA Direct Debit COREYes (22 characters)Yes (BIC, 8–11 characters)
SEPA Direct Debit B2BYes (22 characters)Yes (BIC, 8–11 characters)

Domestic payments

Sweden

Domestic payments in Sweden must be initiated from/to an account in Sweden held in SEK.

Payment schemeIBAN required?Account number required?Routing type required?Routing number required?Notes
Account-to-accountYes (24 chars) or Account+SE_SBA4–12 digits (if not IBAN)SE_SBA (if not IBAN)4–5 digits (if not IBAN)Prefer IBAN when possible
BankgiroNo7–8 digits (Bankgiro)SE_SBA4–5 digits
PlusgiroNo2–8 digits (Plusgiro)SE_SBA4–5 digits
AutogiroYes (24 chars)NoNoNo
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Tip: Always use an IBAN when possible to simplify validation and avoid errors.

If IBAN is not available, follow the “international payments” requirements for cross-border transfers.

Denmark

Domestic payments in Denmark must be initiated from/to an account in Denmark held in DKK.

Payment schemeIBAN required? (length)Account number required? (length)FIK number required? (length)Notes
Account-to-accountYes (18 chars) or —13 digits (if not IBAN)—Prefer IBAN when possible
Same-day credit transferYes (18 chars) or —13 digits (if not IBAN)—Prefer IBAN when possible
Instant credit transferYes (18 chars) or —13 digits (if not IBAN)—Prefer IBAN when possible
FIK71/73/75 credit transfer——Yes (8 digits)FIK number required
BetalningsserviceYes (18 chars) or —13 digits (if not IBAN)—Prefer IBAN when possible
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Tip: Use IBAN whenever available to simplify validation and ensure seamless processing.

  1. Reference: 15-digit OCR
  2. Reference: free text
  3. Reference: 16-digit OCR or free text

Norway

Domestic payments in Norway must be initiated from/to an account in Norway held in NOK.

Payment schemeIBAN required?KID required?
Norwegian account-to-accountYesNo
Norwegian KID paymentYesYes (4–25 digits)

Finland

Domestic payments in Finland are mostly initiated as SEPA transfers—opt for this payment scheme when performing domestic payments within Finland.

Note: The transfer must be initiated between two EUR accounts. If you are transferring to a non-EUR account, you can opt for an International payment / cross-border transfer.

United Kingdom

Domestic payments in the United Kingdom must be initiated from/to an account in the UK held in GBP.

Payment schemeIBAN (length/required)Account number (length/required)Sort code (length/required)Notes
BACS22 chars (if IBAN path)8 digits (if local path)6 digits (GB_DSC, if local path)Use IBAN if available; otherwise, provide both account number and sort code
CHAPS22 chars (if IBAN path)8 digits (if local path)6 digits (GB_DSC, if local path)Use IBAN if available; otherwise, provide both account number and sort code
Faster Payments22 chars (if IBAN path)8 digits (if local path)6 digits (GB_DSC, if local path)Use IBAN if available; otherwise, provide both account number and sort code

United States

Domestic payments in the United States must be initiated from/to an account in the United States held in USD.

Payment schemeIBAN required?Account number required?US_ABA required?Party type required?
US ACHNoYes (6–17 digits)Yes (US_ABA, 9 digits)Company or Individual must be specified
US WireNoYes (6–17 digits)Yes (US_ABA, 9 digits)Company or Individual must be specified
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Note: You must always specify whether the counterparty is a Company or an Individual when performing US ACH payments.

Update this when creating the counterparty under More details → Type of Counterparty.

Switzerland

Domestic payments in Switzerland must be initiated from/to an account in Switzerland held in CHF.

Payment schemeCounterparty requirementsCounterparty IBANCounterparty Account numberCounterparty Routing typeCounterparty Routing number
Swiss account-to-accountIBAN (preferred), or Account number + clearing number for some banks21 characters (IBAN) or 5–12/9–12 digits (Account)May be required for some banksCH_SIC/CH_BCC (5 or 6 digits, may be required)—

Iceland

Domestic payments in Iceland must be initiated from/to an account in Iceland held in ISK.

Payment schemeCounterparty requirementsCounterparty IBANCounterparty Account numberCounterparty Routing typeCounterparty Routing number
Icelandic account-to-accountIBAN26 characters❌ No❌ No❌ No

Australia

Domestic payments in Australia must be initiated from/to an account in Australia held in AUD.

Payment schemeRequired identifiersIdentifier format/lengths
Australian account-to-accountAccount number + AU_BSBAccount number: 6–10 digits; AU_BSB: 6 digits
Australian BPAYBPAY biller codeBiller code: 4–6 digits

When using BPAY, you must provide the biller code along with any customer reference required by the biller.

Israel

Domestic payments in Israel must be initiated from/to an account in Israel held in ILS.

Payment schemeRequired identifiersIdentifier format/lengths
Israel account-to-accountIBAN (23 characters) or Account number + IL_NCC (Account: variable, IL_NCC: 5 digits)See left

Singapore

Domestic payments in Singapore must be initiated from/to an account in Singapore held in SGD.

Payment schemeRequired identifiersIdentifier format/lengths
Singapore account-to-accountAccount number + SG_IBGAccount: 7–11 digits; SG_IBG: 7 digits (4-digit bank code + 3-digit branch code)
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Note: Singapore’s equivalent of a routing number is a 7-digit number composed of:

  1. Bank Code (4 digits) – Identifies the bank.
  2. Branch Code (3 digits) – Identifies the branch.

Bulgaria

Domestic payments in Bulgaria must be initiated from/to an account in Bulgaria held in BGN.

Payment schemeRequired identifiersIdentifier format/lengths
Bulgarian account-to-accountIBAN22 characters

Mexico

Domestic payments in Mexico must be initiated from/to an account in Mexico held in MXN.

Payment schemeRequired identifiersIdentifier format/lengths
Mexican account-to-accountCLABE + MX_ABMCLABE: 18 digits; MX_ABM: 3–6 digits

South Korea

Domestic payments in South Korea must be initiated from/to an account in South Korea held in KRW.

Payment schemeRequired identifiersIdentifier format/lengths
Korean account-to-accountAccount number (10–14 digits) + KR_KFTC (3 digits) or BICSee left

Thailand

Domestic payments in Thailand must be initiated from/to an account in Thailand held in THB.

Payment schemeRequired identifiersIdentifier format/lengths
Thai account-to-accountAccount number + TH_CBCAccount: 9–12 digits; TH_CBC: 3 digits
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Regulatory reporting for cross-border payments to Thailand
For payments to Thailand from outside the country, you must include a transaction purpose code in the payment payload.

Required fields in the payment payload:
"regulatoryReporting": {
  "country": "TH",
  "purpose": "<purpose code from official list>",
  "description": "<optional free-text, if required>"
}

Purpose codes must be selected from the official lists:

Canada

Domestic payments in Canada must be initiated from/to an account in Canada held in CAD.

Payment schemeRequired identifiersIdentifier format/lengths
Canadian Lynx credit transferAccount number + CA_CPAAccount: 7–12 digits; CA_CPA: 8 digits
Canadian ACSS credit transferAccount number + CA_CPAAccount: 7–12 digits; CA_CPA: 8 digits

Poland

Domestic payments in Poland must be initiated from/to an account in Poland held in PLN.

Payment schemeRequired identifiersIdentifier format/lengths
Polish account-to-accountIBAN (28 characters) or Account number + PL_KNRAccount: 16 digits; PL_KNR: 8 digits

International payments

When initiating a cross-border / SWIFT / international payment, additional counterparty account details are required because of the nature of these transfers.

  • If the counterparty market supports IBAN, provide both IBAN and BIC/SWIFT.
  • If the counterparty market does not support IBAN, provide the account number, routing number, and BIC/SWIFT.
  • Some banks require both the payor and payee addresses to be populated. Make sure to add these for both your entity (see Accounts & Entities) and the counterparty (see Counterparties).

Below is a reference table outlining account identifier and routing type requirements for international payments:

Market codeMarketDetails
ATAustria20 characters (IBAN), 11 digits (Account), AT_BLZ (5 digits), Use IBAN + BIC
AUAustralia6–10 digits (Account), 6 digits (AU_BSB)
BEBelgium16 characters (IBAN)
BGBulgaria22 characters (IBAN)
CACanada7–12 digits (Account), 8 digits (CA_CPA). Routing consists of transit + institution number. If given as 8 (5+3) digits, prepend a 0.
CHSwitzerland21 characters (IBAN), 5–12 or 9–12 digits (Account), CH_SIC/CH_BCC (5 or 6 digits), Use IBAN
CNChina14–19 digits (Account)
CZCzech Republic24 characters (IBAN)
DEGermany22 characters (IBAN), 10 digits (Account), DE_BLZ (8 digits), Use IBAN
DKDenmark18 characters (IBAN), 13 digits (Account), Use IBAN
ESSpain24 characters (IBAN), 12 digits (Account), ES_NCC (8 digits), Use IBAN
FIFinland18 characters (IBAN)
FRFrance27 characters (IBAN)
GBUnited Kingdom22 characters (IBAN), 8 digits (Account), GB_DSC (6 digits), Use IBAN
GRGreece27 characters (IBAN), 16 alphanumeric (Account), GR_BIC (7 digits), Use IBAN
HKHong Kong9–12 digits (Account), 3 digits (HK_NCC) or 8–11 characters (BIC). Both local routing (HK_NCC) and BIC are valid for Hong Kong account-to-account payments.
HRCroatia21 characters (IBAN), 10 digits (Account), 7 digits (Routing), Use IBAN
HUHungary28 characters (IBAN), Use IBAN
IEIreland22 characters (IBAN), 8 digits (Account), IE_NCC (6 digits), Use IBAN
ITItaly27 characters (IBAN), c5n5n routing + 12c account, IT_NCC (c5n5n), Use IBAN
INIndia10–20 digits (Account), 11 digits (IN_FSC)
JPJapan7–13 digits (Account), 7 digits (JP_ZGN). Routing consists of Zengin code + branch number, so provided as (4+3) digits.
LTLithuania20 characters (IBAN)
LULuxembourg20 characters (IBAN)
MXMexico11 digits (Account), 3 digits (MX_ABM)
NLNetherlands18 characters (IBAN)
NONorway15 characters (IBAN)
NZNew ZealandNZ_NCC
PLPoland28 characters (IBAN), 16 digits (Account), 8 digits (PL_KNR), Use IBAN
PTPortugal25 characters (IBAN), 13 digits (Account), 8 digits (PT_NCC), Use IBAN
RORomania24 characters (IBAN)
SESweden24 characters (IBAN), 4–12 digits (Account), 4–5 digits (SE_SBA). Example: ccccaaaaaaa where c is clearing and a is account digits. If not using IBAN, combine clearing + account as account number.
SGSingapore7–11 digits (Account), 7 digits (SG_IBG). Routing number = 7 digits (Bank Code 4 + Branch Code 3).
SISlovenia19 characters (IBAN), 10 digits (Account), 5 digits (Routing), Use IBAN
SKSlovakia24 characters (IBAN)
THThailandTH_CBC
TWTaiwanTW_NCC
USUnited States6–17 digits (Account), US_ABA
VNVietnam—
ZASouth Africa8–11 digits (Account), 6 digits (ZA_NCC)

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