How we source and verify bank data
Accurate data is the foundation of a validation API. Here's exactly where our IBAN, BIC and bank identifier records come from, and how they stay current.
Central bank registries
For most supported countries, the primary source is the central bank itself. We run a set of automated tools that fetch and parse the bank identification registry each central bank publishes, and turn it into the structured records the API serves.
SWIFT registry and manual review
IBAN structure, length and BBAN format come from the official SWIFT IBAN registry, which we mirror and keep in sync. SEPA membership is confirmed and kept current through manual review rather than an automated feed, since accuracy there matters more than speed.
Community contributions
Our bank data repository on GitHub is open for corrections and additions. If you spot a bank that's missing, closed or listed with the wrong details, open an issue and our team will review it.
Detection engine and manual review
We run in-house tooling that flags gaps, patterns in failed lookups point to banks that might be missing from a given country's dataset. Those reports are reviewed and, where needed, filled in manually by our team rather than published unchecked.
The validation engine
Data is one pillar. The other is the validation engine that sits on top of it, built and refined against real traffic from production customers. It doesn't stop at IBAN structure: for supported countries it also validates the account number's own checksum, catching malformed accounts that a structure check alone would miss.
Common questions about our data
How often is the bank data refreshed?
Central bank feeds are re-processed on a recurring schedule, and SEPA status and other sensitive fields go through regular manual review, so IBAN structure and SEPA status stay current and accurate.
I found a wrong or missing bank, what do I do?
Open an issue on our data repository with the country, bank name and correct details. Corrections are reviewed and merged by our team, and reports from our detection engine are cross-checked the same way.
Does account-level checksum validation use the same data?
Yes. Account checksum rules come from the same country-by-country reference data as the IBAN structure. See which countries are covered on the account validation page.