IBAN for Cards and Accounts: What It Is and How It Works

When transferring money to a card or account, an IBAN number (also referred to as Iban, Ayban, or IBAN Number) is often required. IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number, and it complies with the ISO 13616 standard, which was developed to standardize interbank settlements worldwide.

Initially, IBAN was only used in the European Union and the European Economic Area. Today, it’s applied in many countries — including France, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. Kazakhstan adopted IBAN in 2010, and Belarus followed in 2016. Russia, however, currently does not use the IBAN format.

The primary goal of IBAN is to simplify and speed up payments by allowing accurate identification of a recipient’s bank details.

What an IBAN Number Looks Like

Each country sets its own character limit within a maximum of 34 characters.

• In Kazakhstan, IBAN has 20 characters.

• In Belarus, it has 28 characters.

The code contains uppercase Latin letters and digits only. It includes:

1. 1. Country code (1–2 characters) – indicates where the recipient's bank is located.
2. 2. Check digits (characters 3 and 4).
3. 3. First 4 digits of the BIC code (characters 5 to 8) – the Bank Identifier Code, used to identify the bank.

Then, each country adds its own specifics: the customer’s account number, branch prefix, account currency, and so on. Together, this structure allows the system to precisely identify the recipient.
For example, IBANs in Kazakhstan start with KZ, followed by the rest of the code.
An example IBAN for Bank CenterCredit: KZ978562203105747338.

What IBAN Is Used For

While standardization is the main goal, IBAN also helps:

• Pay for goods and services from foreign merchants

• Facilitate business transactions with international partners

• Send money to relatives and friends abroad

• Simplify bank forms by reducing the number of required fields

• Reduce errors in international money transfers

In the European Union, banks can refuse a transaction if no IBAN is provided. Fees apply if the funds must be returned due to incorrect or missing information.

What to Keep in Mind

An IBAN alone is not enough to complete a payment. A transfer order must also include:

• Full name and address of sender and recipient (which can be an individual or a company)
• Bank details (usually filled in automatically in mobile apps)
• SWIFT/BIC code
• Payment purpose (e.g., “payment for services” or “family support”)

After filling in the form, always double-check all details, including the IBAN, to avoid mistakes.
Funds usually arrive within 5 working days, although the maximum is officially up to 14 days.

How to Find Your IBAN

You can check your IBAN in several ways:

• The easiest method is through internet or mobile banking.
  For example, in the bcc.kz app from Bank CenterCredit:
  Go to “Accounts”, select a card → tap “Information” → then open “Details”.

• Visit your bank branch — you’ll need your ID/passport.

• Print a receipt from the ATM when performing a transaction — the IBAN will be shown on it.

Using IBAN is convenient for both financial institutions and clients. Banks benefit from faster processing and fewer errors, while clients gain confidence in the accuracy and security of their transactions.