What Is Enhanced International Validation?

Overview

PaymentWorks' international bank account validation includes three distinct but related components:

1. Country Specific Wire Data Requirements – Ensures each country's unique payment data fields are collected correctly.
2. Formatting Verification – Ensures bank details match the required format before submission.
3. Bank Account Verification and Ownership – Confirms the bank account is open and valid, and that it belongs to the intended Payee.

These capabilities are part of PaymentWorks' standardized Payee onboarding experience.

1. Country Specific Wire Data Requirements

International payments are complex — each country requires its own set of banking details. To simplify this, PaymentWorks prompts Payees for the exact details required for their specific bank country. This helps avoid payment delays, rejections, and compliance issues.

By tailoring the data collected to a Payee's country, onboarding becomes more accurate and reliable for cross-border payments.

When a Payee enters payment details for a country outside the U.S., the system dynamically displays the specific bank fields required for that location (for example, BIC and CLABE for Mexico). The system sends the selected bank location to LexisNexis, which returns the appropriate field configuration based on local banking requirements.

Field labels, formats, and validation rules are matched to each country and include support for formats such as SWIFT codes and IBANs where applicable. This ensures accurate, country-compliant data collection during Payee setup.

How Payees Complete Non-U.S. Bank Information

1. Select Bank Location. The Payee selects In which country is your bank located? from a dropdown list of all countries (for example, Germany). This determines the correct banking fields and payment options for that country.
2. Select Payment Method. The Payee selects how they'd like to receive payments. Available options depend on the payer's configuration and may include Virtual Card, PaymentWorks EarlyPay, ACH, Check, Wire, Zelle, Textura, Paymode, or Other.
• Selecting ACH, EarlyPay, or Wire routes the Payee to bank information entry.
• Selecting Virtual Card, Zelle, Textura, Paymode, Check, or Other routes the Payee to contact information entry.
3. Enter Bank Details. The Payee enters their banking format and details based on the selected bank location's requirements. For example, for Germany, the recommended format is IBAN (up to 22 digits), with required fields for Account Holder Name and IBAN.
4. Upload Verification Document. The Payee uploads a bank validation document (PDF, JPG, or PNG) to confirm account ownership and help prevent fraud — for example, a bank letter on letterhead or a bank statement. The Payee must also confirm an authorization checkbox permitting automatic deposits to the account.
5. Enter Contact Information. The Payee provides a Full Name, Phone Number, and Email Address for the person managing the selected payment method. This contact may receive activation instructions by email in certain cases.

Examples:

• United Kingdom: Requires IBAN, SWIFT/BIC, and Sort Code. Without the Sort Code, a payment may fail or be delayed.
• India: Requires IFSC Code and account type (savings, current, etc.), in addition to standard details like account number and bank name.

2. Formatting Verification

PaymentWorks applies country-specific format validation to international bank account data. As Payees enter their bank information, the system checks it against a third-party source for the official format of that country's banking data. This reduces errors and payment failures.

Each country has specific format rules for fields like IBANs, account numbers, and routing codes. This validation helps:

• Prevent costly wire failures
• Reduce delays caused by incorrect data
• Eliminate back-and-forth with Payees

Example:

Germany: IBANs must be exactly 22 characters, starting with "DE," followed by a two-digit check number and structured bank and account components.

 Valid: DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00
Invalid: DE123456789 (too short, incorrect structure)

How Validation Works

After the Payee enters the required fields, the system submits the information to LexisNexis to validate the details. The API confirms that:

• The banking information is correctly formatted for the selected country.
• The official bank name is returned.
• The chosen payment method is supported.
• If validation succeeds: The system displays the confirmed bank name. The bank address is still captured and stored, and will be shared with the payer as part of the Payee's profile.
• If validation fails: The system presents a clear, actionable message instructing the Payee to review and correct the information before proceeding.

3. Bank Account Ownership

Bank Account Ownership Validation confirms that the named Payee is associated with the international bank account they've provided. This applies to both individuals and businesses across all supported countries, helping reduce risks like misdirected or fraudulent payments.

Ownership validation requirements vary by country:

• Some countries require Tax ID (used to identify the account, not used for ownership matching)
• Others validate based on the name on the account.

Important Notes:

• The list of supported countries is subject to change as PaymentWorks' data provider continues to expand coverage.
• Each supported country includes a Coverage percentage. This does not represent a validation success rate — it reflects the percentage of banks or bank accounts in that country for which data is available through PaymentWorks' provider.
• Coverage percentages and the list of supported countries may increase over time as the data provider expands its sources.

For the current list of supported countries and their ownership validation status, Contact Support.

Related Articles

• Payee Onboarding Overview
• Global Bank Validation Status for Customers on Payments