What it means
International Bank Account Number: the account number banks in Europe use to send and receive money.
An IBAN is up to 34 letters and digits long. It starts with a two-letter country code and two check digits, followed by the bank's code and the account number. A Bulgarian IBAN, for example, has 22 characters and starts with BG.
How it works
The check digits let your bank spot most typing mistakes before a transfer leaves. That's why a wrong IBAN is usually rejected at once, while a valid IBAN for someone else's account goes through.
Since October 2025, banks in the euro area also check the recipient's name against the IBAN before you send, and tell you if they don't match. Inside SEPA, the IBAN is all you need: you no longer have to give the BIC, the code of the bank itself.
Your IBAN doesn't change when your currency does. When Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026, accounts kept the same IBAN. See Bulgaria on the euro.
A virtual IBAN works like a regular one for incoming and outgoing transfers, but the money lands somewhere other than a bank account. It's a real IBAN, issued by a licensed provider, and anyone can send to it from their bank.
With Defied, where available, our partner Bridge.xyz issues a personal IBAN in your name after a one-time identity check. Euros you send to it arrive as EURC in your own wallet, and you can send them back to your bank. Bridge is not a bank and neither is Defied, so the balance is not a bank deposit. See IBAN.
Share an IBAN as you would any account number. On its own it doesn't let anyone take money from you, but it can be used in invoice scams, so check any request to change the IBAN you pay.
Related terms
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| SEPA | Single Euro Payments Area: the system for euro bank transfers across the EU and nearby countries. |
| On-ramp | Turning money from your bank account into stablecoins. |
| Off-ramp | Turning stablecoins back into money in your bank account. |
| KYC | Know your customer: the identity check a regulated company must do before it can move money between you and your bank. |
This glossary explains terms in general. It isn't investment, tax or legal advice.