What's the difference between OUR, SHA and BEN?
They say who pays the fees on a SWIFT payment. With OUR, the sender pays everything and the full amount should arrive. With SHA, each side pays its own bank, and intermediaries can deduct their fees from the amount. With BEN, the recipient pays all fees.
The wider picture
The key points from the guide this answer comes from:
- 56 terms that finance teams meet when getting paid from abroad, paying suppliers in other countries or using stablecoins, each in a sentence or two.
- An IBAN identifies an account and a SWIFT code (BIC) identifies a bank. A SWIFT payment usually needs both; a SEPA payment needs only the IBAN.
- OUR, SHA and BEN say who pays the fees on a SWIFT payment: the sender, each side, or the recipient.
- A stablecoin isn't a bank deposit: it's a token from an issuer that says it holds reserves, and it has no deposit insurance.
More questions on this
The full guide
56 terms that come up when a company gets paid from abroad, pays suppliers in other countries or uses stablecoins, each in a sentence or two, with a link to the guide that covers it in detail.
Read Cross-border payments glossary: SWIFT, SEPA, ACH and stablecoin terms explained, with its sources.
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and providers' terms change; check the sources in the guide and take advice on your own situation.
Get started
Open a business account built on stablecoins.
Named USD, EUR, GBP and AED accounts in your company's name, with USDC and USDT in and out. Apply online; our compliance team reviews applications in 1 to 5 business days.