WHAT IS THE IBAN? IBAN is a code automatically assigned to each bank account, which unambiguously identifies the country in which the account is held, the bank, its branch where the account is opened and the current account number. The Italian IBAN has 27 alphanumerical characters.

WHY USE THE IBAN? The IBAN was created to encode the bank identifiers of a current account in a standard manner. It is fundamental to SEPA and will enable faster and safer payments or collections.

WHEN WILL THE IBAN START TO BE USED? The IBAN has replaced the bank identifiers (ABI, CAB, account number) for all collection and payment services (including in Italy) from 1 January 2008. Transfers without the beneficiary's IBAN will be accepted during the migration period, the end date of which is currently set at 1 June 2008.