# IBAN
> An IBAN runs up to 34 characters and identifies a bank account across Europe, the UK and the Gulf. Format, an example, and why US clients don't use one.
Canonical: https://fasset.com/business/glossary/iban/

An IBAN, international bank account number, is a standardized account identifier of up to 34 characters: a country code, two check digits, and your domestic account number. It is used across Europe, the UK and the Gulf, but never in the US.

- **Length:** Up to 34 alphanumeric characters
- **Structure:** 2-letter country code, 2 check digits, then your domestic bank code and account number
- **Example:** GB29 NWBK 6016 1331 9268 19
- **Where it's used:** The EU, UK, most of the Gulf and Latin America, over 80 countries in total
- **Where it isn't:** The US, Canada, Australia and most of Asia use routing and account numbers instead

## Why does my US client ask for a routing number instead of my IBAN?

A US client's own bank has never asked them for an IBAN, because the United States never adopted the standard: domestically, a US bank account is identified by a nine-digit routing number and an account number, not an IBAN. When their wire form asks for your IBAN, it is asking for the number your bank issued you, not theirs. Fasset gives every account both an IBAN and, where useful, local details, so whichever field they see, you have the right number to hand them, more on how payments move on the payments page.

## Related terms

- **SWIFT:** The messaging network banks use to talk to each other. It does not move money, which is why wires take 1 to 3 days.
- **Routing number:** The 9-digit code that identifies a US bank account, and the only number a US client needs to pay you by ACH.
- **Correspondent bank:** The intermediary a SWIFT payment passes through on its way to you, and why $15 to $30 goes missing at each hop.

## Open an account

Fasset Business gives businesses local currency accounts and modern rails. The application runs entirely online.

- Open an account
- See the demo

Client funds are held separately from Fasset’s own.