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Overview

An international wire is a wire transfer where either the sending or receiving financial institution is located outside the United States. Lead facilitates outgoing USD international wires by initiating a Fedwire to a U.S. intermediary, which routes the payment to the foreign creditor agent.
USD international wires use the same wire object and POST /v1/wires endpoint as domestic wires.

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How International Wires Work

International wire transfers are typically processed through correspondent banking relationships.  When a bank needs to send funds to a foreign bank that it does not have a direct relationship with, the payment is routed through an intermediary bank that can settle the payment on its behalf. This intermediary is known as a correspondent bank. Multiple banks may be involved in the payment chain before the funds reach the receiving bank (referred to as the creditor agent in ISO terminology). Banks often exchange international payment instructions through the SWIFT messaging network, which allows financial institutions to share routing and payment details. However, SWIFT does not move money itself. It is a messaging system used to coordinate payments between banks. Settlement of USD payments typically occurs through U.S. banks capable of receiving Fedwire transfers. At Lead, outgoing USD international wires are processed by sending a Fedwire payment to a U.S. intermediary bank. This intermediary then routes the payment through its correspondent network to the foreign creditor agent.
Interested in enabling international wires? Contact your Technical Account Manager for more details.

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Before You Begin

It’s important to know that international wire reach depends on correspondent relationships. A payment can be delivered only if the creditor agent (or a bank in its correspondent chain) maintains a USD correspondent path that includes a U.S. bank capable of receiving a Fedwire and settling USD.
If no valid U.S. correspondent path exists, the wire will be rejected.

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Sending International Wires

Sending an international wire uses the same POST v1/wires API as domestic wires. To send a USD international wire:
1

Provide Business Identifier Code

Use creditor_agent.business_identifier_code (must be a foreign bank BIC)
Do not use creditor_agent.routing_numberIf you provide both the business identifier code and routing number, we will return with code 422.
Sample Request

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Use Your Own Intermediary

Because Fedwire is a domestic U.S. rail, a U.S. correspondent capable of settling USD must exist in the creditor agent’s correspondent chain. By default, Lead attempts to identify an appropriate intermediary automatically. If you prefer to use a specific intermediary, provide either:
  • instructed_agent.business_identifier_code (must be a U.S. bank BIC)
  • instructed_agent.routing_number
Lead will route the wire as specified.

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Fees and Deductions

  • Lead fees apply per your agreement.
  • Intermediary banks and/or the creditor agent may deduct additional fees.
  • These deductions may reduce the final credited amount and are outside of Lead’s control. Lead does not guarantee full principal delivery due to intermediary fee practices.

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Prohibited Countries

International wires remain subject to Lead’s prohibited countries and compliance policies. Certain corridors may be restricted regardless of the correspondent reach.

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Status Visibility

International wires use the same lifecycle as domestic wires. However, posted indicates that the Fedwire leg has been released to the instructed agent (U.S. correspondent). It does not confirm final credit to the creditor’s account as Lead does not receive confirmation of final credit from the creditor agent.

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Receiving International Wires

You can receive USD international wires as long as the debtor agent (or its correspondent chain) can deliver a Fedwire to Lead. Provide senders with the following settlement details:
Whenever possible, provide both the ABA routing number and BIC, as this is the most reliable way to ensure the wire is correctly routed to Lead.
If you operate under a different routing number, contact your Technical Account Manager. Delays, returns, or rejections may occur if a wire is sent using a different BIC.