# IBAN vs account number vs routing number
> An account number identifies an account, a routing number identifies a US bank, an IBAN packages both into up to 34 characters. Which one your client needs.
Canonical: https://fasset.com/business/blog/iban-account-routing/

AH

Ayman Hassen

Head of Business Banking, Fasset · September 2026

[Three segmented rails of different lengths, the longest ending in a darker block]

An account number identifies an account, a routing number identifies a bank inside a domestic system, and an IBAN packages both into a single internationally checkable string of up to 34 characters. You need an IBAN across most of Europe and the Gulf, a routing number with an account number for a US domestic payment, and a SWIFT code with an account number for most of the rest of the world.

Using the wrong one is the most common reason an international payment comes back days later, minus the fees that were already taken.

## What this guide will cover

- What each identifier is, in one line, with a real-format example
- Which one your client needs, by country
- SWIFT code, BIC and sort code: the same idea under different names
- The check digits inside an IBAN, and why a typo is caught in Europe but not in the US
- What actually happens when a payment is sent with the wrong identifier
- Who pays the fees on a returned payment, and how long it takes to come back
- What to put on your invoice so a client never has to ask
- The receiving details Fasset gives you, and what they look like

Each term also has its own page: IBAN, routing number and SWIFT code.

The full guide ships soon. Meanwhile the product is live, and the application runs entirely online.

## Open your account

The application runs entirely online. Or walk through the product first, with sample data and no signup.

- Open an account
- See the demo

Client funds are held separately from Fasset’s own.

## Related reading

- **What a wire actually costs:** The full anatomy of $45 + $30 + $15 + 2.5%, itemized by who takes each fee and why.
- **How to receive USD as a business in Bangladesh:** Four routes on a $10,000 invoice, what each one costs, and what happens to the dollars after they land.
- **Mid-market rate, explained:** The rate on Google is the real one. A 2.5% markup on $10,000 is $250 you were never shown.