Wire transfer

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A wire transfer is an electronic transfer of funds. Wire transfers can be done by a simple bank account transfer, or by a transfer of cash at a cash office.

Bank wire transfers are often the most expedient method for transferring funds between bank accounts. A bank wire transfer is a message to the receiving bank requesting them to effect payment in accordance with the instructions given. The message also includes settlement instructions. The actual wire transfer itself is virtually instantaneous, requiring no longer for transmission than a telephone call.

1 History
2 Payments
3 Modern usage
4 Regulation
5 Security features
6 External links

[edit] History

A functioning system for transferring funds without actually moving physical cash is an important requisite for large-scale business transactions.

Transfers were born around the telegraph world with companies which made it possible to send a money order from one office to another. Later, it became possible to wire money between banks, which is essentially the same process as the giro.

[edit] Payments

One of the largest companies that offers money services is Western Union (minimum of £25, $15). Its network has caused much controversy due to the anonymity of the service.

Article 3 of S.W.I.F.T. states:

"The object of the Company is for the collective benefit of the Members of the Company, the study, creation, utilisation and operation of the means necessary for the telecommunication, transmission and routing of private, confidential and proprietary financial messages"

The Society's headquarters are situated in La Hulpe, on the outskirts of Brussels. S.W.I.F.T. also acts as a United Nations sanctioned International Standards Body (ISO) for the creation and maintenance of financial messaging standards.

Individuals cannot use the services of SWIFT, although most banks are connected to SWIFTnet.

[edit] Modern usage

In modern times, the word "bank transfer" is used for domestic or transactions where no cash or cheque exchange is involved, but the account balance is directly (electronically) transferred from one bank to the other.

[edit] Regulation

Bank transfer is the most common payment method in Europe, with several million transactions done each day. While in 2002 the European Commission has regulated the fees banks may charge for payments in Euro between European Union member countries down to the domestic level (see the Regulation (EC) No 2560/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2001), international wire transfers can be quite expensive.

[edit] Security features

While relatively expensive, done bank-to-bank, is considered the safest international payment method. Both account holders must have a proven identity, and there is little possibility of a chargeback, although wires can be recalled. Wire transfers done through cash offices, however, are more-or-less anonymous and designed for funds between persons who trust each other. It is unsafe to send money by wire for an unknown person to be collected at a cash office. The receiver of the funds may, after collecting them, simply disappear. This method of scam has been often used especially in so-called Nigerian letters.