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International Wire Transfer: Intermediary Bank Routing Number Required for Non-US Bank Accounts

International Wire Transfer: Intermediary Bank Routing Number Required for Non-US Bank Accounts

Problem

Customers attempting to withdraw USD from their BitGo Go Account to a non-US bank account (e.g., in Singapore, UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Australia, Canada, Turkey, or other countries) are unable to complete the bank account setup because BitGo's "Add Bank Account" form requires an intermediary bank name and a 9-digit US routing number. Foreign banks typically provide only a SWIFT/BIC code and do not use US routing numbers, leaving customers unable to proceed. This issue overwhelmingly affects FTX creditors withdrawing settlement funds.

Diagnostics

  • Confirm the customer is attempting an international wire transfer (not domestic US ACH or wire).
  • Check the customer's bank country — if outside the United States, an intermediary bank is required.
  • Ask the customer for their bank name, SWIFT code, and country if not already provided.
  • Verify whether the customer has already contacted their bank to ask which US intermediary/correspondent/agent bank handles their USD transactions — many banks refer to this as a "US agent bank."
  • Check if the customer's bank is a known institution (e.g., DBS Singapore, HSBC, UOB, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Lloyds, ABN AMRO, CIBC) for which BitGo support has previously identified intermediary routing numbers.
  • If the customer reports the UI screen going black or crashing when entering the 9th digit of the routing number, this is a known UI bug (separate from the intermediary bank question).
  • If the customer's bank account form shows only "United States" selectable under the country dropdown, this is a known UI bug that was fixed — confirm the customer is using an updated browser and the latest UI.
  • If the customer mentions they can only see a Chase bank listed and cannot add another bank, direct them to the Banking tab within the Go Account (accessible under the Trade tab or via "classic view").
  • Confirm whether the customer wants to receive funds in USD or in local currency. The international wire transfer approach (with intermediary bank) transfers USD, but many non-US bank accounts will automatically convert the incoming USD to the local currency upon receipt. If the customer wants to keep the funds in USD (no currency conversion), they need a USD-denominated bank account that can receive USD wires without converting — or they should consider withdrawing as cryptocurrency instead.

Resolution

Scenario: bank-routing-intermediary-number#intermediary-required-for-international

Trigger: Customer has a non-US bank account and is asked for an intermediary bank name and routing number, which their bank cannot provide or only provides as a SWIFT/BIC code.

Signals: intermediary bank, routing number, SWIFT code, international wire, non-US bank, BIC, agent bank, correspondent bank

Steps:

  1. Explain to the customer that BitGo's banking partner is unable to connect to the international SWIFT transfer system on its own, therefore it needs an "intermediary bank" that does have this capability.

  2. Important: Clarify to the customer that the international wire transfer will send USD to their bank, but most non-US bank accounts (e.g., standard Singapore SGD accounts) will automatically convert the incoming USD to the local currency upon receipt. If the customer wants to receive and hold the funds in USD without currency conversion, they must have a USD-denominated bank account that accepts incoming USD wires without converting. If they do not have such an account, advise them to consider withdrawing as cryptocurrency (e.g., USDT) to an external wallet instead.

  3. Advise the customer to contact their bank and ask which US intermediary (sometimes called "US agent bank" or "correspondent bank") they use for receiving USD wire transfers. Typically it is one of the larger US banks such as JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, or Citibank.

  4. If the customer cannot get this information from their bank, ask for their bank name, SWIFT code, and country — then attempt to look up the intermediary. Provide the following commonly used intermediary bank details based on the customer's bank:

    Customer's Bank Intermediary Bank Routing Number
    DBS Bank (Singapore) JP Morgan Chase 021000021
    HSBC (Singapore or other) HSBC Bank USA 021001088
    Commonwealth Bank of Australia Bank of America 026009593
    Lloyds Bank (UK) Bank of America 026009593
    UOB (Singapore) UOB New York 021000018
    CIBC (Canada) Wells Fargo 121000248
    BMO (Canada) Wells Fargo 026005092
    Revolut JP Morgan Chase 021000021

  5. If the customer's bank is not in the table above, provide the three most common intermediary banks used by BitGo international clients and ask the customer to verify with their bank:

    • JP Morgan Chase — 021000021
    • Bank of America — 026009593
    • Wells Fargo — 026005092

  6. Warn the customer: "Please note that without your bank confirming or having this information publicly posted, we cannot be certain that this information is correct." If the intermediary bank cannot connect to the customer's bank, the wire may be returned minus fees.

  7. Advise the customer to bring these possible intermediary details back to their bank and confirm which one their bank has a relationship with before submitting the withdrawal.

  8. The intermediary bank routing number field requires a 9-digit US routing number — a SWIFT code (e.g., CHASUS33) will not be accepted in this field.

Notes: - The $30 fee applies to international wire transfers. If the wire is returned by the intermediary or receiving bank, fees may still be deducted and BitGo cannot guarantee a refund of those fees.

  • If the customer's bank absolutely cannot provide intermediary details and no known intermediary can be identified, advise the customer to either use a different bank that can provide intermediary details, or convert their USD to cryptocurrency and withdraw to an external wallet address.
  • Some Revolut customers have experienced transaction rejections, but we have also seen successful transactions using JP Morgan Chase (021000021) as the intermediary. Advise Revolut customers to try JP Morgan Chase 021000021 first; if transactions continue to fail, suggest using a different bank.
  • Currency conversion caveat: The international wire transfer method sends USD, but whether the funds arrive in USD or get converted to local currency depends entirely on the customer's bank account type. Standard local-currency accounts (e.g., a Singapore SGD account) will convert the incoming USD to local currency. Only a USD-denominated account at the receiving bank will preserve the funds in USD. If the customer specifically does not want currency conversion, the wire transfer approach will not meet their needs unless they have a USD account — in that case, recommend withdrawing as cryptocurrency (e.g., USDT) instead.

"We require a US bank as an intermediary with a routing number that accepts wire transfers for foreign bank accounts. You may need to reach out to your bank to find out which US intermediary they use. Our banking partner is unable to connect to the international SWIFT transfer system on its own, therefore it needs an 'intermediary bank' that does have this capability. Typically it is any one of the larger US banks such as JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank, etc. Some banks may also refer to an intermediary as a 'US agent bank'." "Most common Intermediary banks: 1. JP Morgan Chase - 021000021 2. Bank of America - 026009593 3. Wells Fargo - 026005092" "You can use below intermediary bank details for DBS bank: DBS - JP Morgan Chase: 021000021 (routing number) *Please note that without your bank confirming or having this information publicly posted, we cannot be certain that this information is correct."

"For Revolut bank, we have seen a few successful transactions when clients add JP Morgan 021000021 as intermediary." (ticket #361473)

Scenario: bank-routing-intermediary-number#dbs-singapore-jpmorgan

Trigger: Customer banks with DBS Singapore and their bank provided SWIFT BIC CHASUS33 for JPMorgan Chase but cannot provide a routing number.

Signals: DBS, Singapore, DBSSSGSG, CHASUS33, JPMorgan, JP Morgan Chase, routing number, agent bank

Steps:

  1. Confirm the customer's bank is DBS Singapore (SWIFT: DBSSSGSG) and their intermediary/agent bank is JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., New York, USA.
  2. Provide the routing number for JPMorgan Chase: 021000021.
  3. Instruct the customer to enter:
    • Intermediary Bank Name: JP Morgan Chase
    • Routing Number: 021000021
  4. The customer's bank SWIFT code (DBSSSGSG) goes in the beneficiary bank SWIFT field, not the intermediary routing number field.
  5. Note: This approach works when the customer is transferring USD to a DBS account that will convert the funds to local currency (SGD) upon receipt. If the customer wants to receive the funds in USD without currency conversion, they need a USD-denominated DBS account (or another bank account that holds USD). If they do not have such an account, recommend withdrawing as cryptocurrency (e.g., USDT) instead.

Notes: This is the single most common intermediary question from Singapore-based customers, particularly DBS account holders receiving FTX distributions. Be sure to confirm whether the customer wants funds in local currency or USD before proceeding, as the wire transfer will result in currency conversion if the receiving account is a standard SGD account.

"For DBS you may use JP Morgan as intermediary bank and routing number would be 021000021." "Please find below the details for the intermediary bank and routing number associated with the DBS Bank: Intermediary Bank: JP Morgan Chase Routing Number: 021000021"

Scenario: bank-routing-intermediary-number#hsbc-intermediary

Trigger: Customer banks with HSBC (Singapore or other non-US location) and needs intermediary bank details.

Signals: HSBC, HSBC Singapore, intermediary, routing number, 021001088

Steps:

  1. Confirm the customer's bank is HSBC.
  2. Provide the intermediary bank routing number for HSBC: 021001088.
  3. Instruct the customer to enter:
    • Intermediary Bank Name: HSBC
    • Routing Number: 021001088

Notes: This routing number has been provided to HSBC Singapore customers. Without the customer's bank confirming this information, BitGo cannot guarantee it is correct.

"You can use below intermediary bank details for HSBC bank: 021001088"

Scenario: bank-routing-intermediary-number#no-intermediary-found

Trigger: Customer's bank cannot provide intermediary details, no known intermediary exists for their bank, or BitGo cannot locate routing information for the bank.

Signals: no routing number, bank cannot provide, N26, Revolut, Pekao, unknown intermediary, no intermediary

Steps:

  1. Attempt to identify the intermediary by asking for the customer's bank name, SWIFT code, and country.
  2. If the customer's bank is Revolut, advise them to try JP Morgan Chase (routing number 021000021) as the intermediary — we have seen successful transactions with this combination. If transactions still fail, proceed to step 3.
  3. If no intermediary can be identified, inform the customer:
    • "We were unable to locate the routing number or sufficient details for your bank. Our banking partner requires both routing and intermediary bank information in order to successfully process transfers to your institution."
  4. Recommend the customer use a different bank that provides the necessary routing and intermediary details.
  5. As an alternative, advise the customer they can convert their USD to cryptocurrency (e.g., USDT) at the Trade tab and send it to an external wallet address on their preferred exchange.

Notes: Some digital-only banks (e.g., N26, certain Revolut entities) may not have established US intermediary bank relationships. For Revolut specifically, JP Morgan Chase (021000021) has been seen to work in some cases. If that does not succeed, one customer resolved this by creating a Wise account and routing funds through it.

"We were unable to locate the routing number or sufficient details for your bank. Our banking partner requires both routing and intermediary bank information in order to successfully process transfers to your institution. As an alternative, we recommend using a different bank that provides the necessary routing and intermediary details." "Sorry for the trouble regarding intermediaries but that's the only way we support at this point in time. You may choose to convert your USD into any stable Crypto. And transfer it to your desired exchange."

"For Revolut bank, we have seen a few successful transactions when clients add JP Morgan 021000021 as intermediary." (ticket #361473)

Scenario: bank-routing-intermediary-number#ui-crash-on-routing-entry

Trigger: Customer reports the screen goes black, the "add bank" window closes, or the UI crashes immediately after entering the 9th digit of the intermediary routing number.

Signals: screen goes black, crash, blank screen, error, 9th digit, routing number entry, UI crash, add bank window closes

Steps:

  1. Ask the customer to try on a different device and/or update their browser.
  2. If the issue persists across multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) and devices, escalate internally — this has been identified as a known UI bug that was subsequently resolved.
  3. Ask the customer to retry after the fix has been confirmed deployed. In one resolved case, the agent stated: "Could you kindly retry? The reported issue has now been resolved."
  4. If the customer needs to add a bank account urgently and the UI bug blocks them, advise switching to "classic view" by clicking the profile icon in the top-right corner and selecting "Switch to classic view."

Notes: This bug was reported by multiple customers in early June 2025 and was resolved. If it recurs, escalate to the engineering team.

"As soon as the last digit of the routing number is entered on the add bank window, the window disappears to a blank screen." "Could you kindly retry? The reported issue has now been resolved."

Scenario: bank-routing-intermediary-number#bank-name-mismatch

Trigger: Customer's bank account owner name does not match their BitGo KYC name (e.g., due to transliteration differences in non-Latin names), causing bank account rejection.

Signals: owner name mismatch, bank account rejected, name discrepancy, KYC name, passport name, Chinese name, English translation

Steps:

  1. Ask the customer what English name is currently shown on their bank account.
  2. If the mismatch is due to transliteration (e.g., Chinese-to-English name variations between passport and bank records), advise the customer to have their bank update the English name on the account to match the name used during BitGo KYC (passport name).
  3. If the customer's bank has confirmed they can receive wires under either name variant, escalate to the internal FTX/Trust Operations team to request manual approval of the bank account.
  4. Once approved internally, inform the customer their bank account has been approved for use.

Notes: This scenario is common for customers in Taiwan, and other regions where legal documents use non-Latin scripts with varying romanization standards.

"I apologize for the difficulties. We have approved your bank account for use. Please let us know if you have any questions."

Scenario: bank-routing-intermediary-number#where-to-add-bank-account

Trigger: Customer cannot find where to add a bank account in the BitGo UI for withdrawing USD.

Signals: add bank account, banking tab, Go Account, cannot find, withdraw to bank, where to add

Steps:

  1. Instruct the customer to navigate to the Trade tab at the top of the BitGo dashboard.
  2. Click Go Account (on the right side of the Trading page, or accessible from the top-right corner of the Trade tab).
  3. Select the Banking tab above the Balances section.
  4. Click + Add Bank Account on the right side of the screen.
  5. Choose the transfer type: select ACH Transfer for US bank accounts, or Wire Transfer for international (non-US) bank accounts.
  6. Enter the banking details as prompted. For international Wire Transfer accounts, you will be asked to provide an intermediary bank name and a 9-digit US routing number (see the intermediary bank scenarios above).
  7. If the customer is using the new interface and cannot locate these options, advise them to switch to "classic view" by clicking on the profile icon in the top-right corner and selecting "Switch to classic view."
  8. Once the bank account is added and verified, the customer can withdraw by going to the Overview tab, clicking Withdraw next to the USD balance, selecting Bank Account, entering the amount, and clicking Preview Withdrawal then Approve.

Notes: - Wire transfer fee: $30 for international, $1 for US domestic ACH.

  • Bank withdrawals typically take 3–5 business days to be credited.
  • The customer must have a Go Account enabled. For FTX creditors, a separate FTX enterprise is created — they may need to switch enterprises via the top-right dropdown.
  • Adding a bank account may be easier on a desktop browser than on mobile. If the customer is on mobile and encounters issues, advise switching to a desktop browser.

"If you are using the new interface, switch back to the Classic View by clicking on your profile icon in the top-right corner and selecting 'Classic View.' Once in the Classic View, click on the 'Trade' option in the navigation menu. Under the Trade section, select 'Go Account.'" "To access your Go account, go to the Trade tab and click on Wallet details"

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