How to get full traceability of your transfers step by step

If you make international payments or transfers regularly, it is essential that you have visibility of your funds' movements to anticipate delays, resolve issues, and ensure that your transactions are completed successfully.

Traceability (i.e., the ability to track a transfer from the moment it leaves your account until it reaches the recipient) has become an essential part of modern financial management. In Morocco, international transfers go through a network of intermediary banks that may include local and foreign entities, so understanding how this process works will help you stay in control.

Having full traceability means being able to know the status and location of your money within the banking process at all times. Thanks to this information you can:

• Know if the transfer has been sent, processed, or received.
• Identify which bank it is with at any given time.
• Detect delays or incidents early.
• Have proof of sending or receiving the money.

In international transactions, this traceability is guaranteed through the SWIFT network, a secure system that connects banks around the world and allows the exchange of information whenever money is moved.

How do you track an international transfer?

When you make a transfer from Morocco to another country, several entities are involved:

1. Your issuing bank, which sends the payment order through the SWIFT network.
2. One or more intermediary banks, which act as bridges to reach the destination country.
3. The receiving bank, which ultimately deposits the money into the beneficiary's account.

Each of these steps generates a record or “SWIFT message”, identified with a unique code. This code is what allows the operation to be tracked at all times.

What do you need to be able to track a transfer?

To track an international transfer, you typically need:

• The reference number or SWIFT code (MT103), which is a unique identifier for the transaction.
• The receipt or proof of payment, issued by your bank when you make the transfer.
• The date and the exact amount of the transaction.

With this information, your bank can check the current status of the transfer and confirm whether it has been processed correctly or is still in transit.

We recommend that you always keep proof of your transfers: They make it easier to process any claim and are necessary to justify the transactions before the Exchange Office.

How long does an international transfer take to arrive?

The arrival time can vary depending on the destination country, currency, and intermediary banks involved. In general, transfers can take between 3 and 5 business days.

If the transfer is delayed longer than expected, it's best to contact your bank and provide them with the SWIFT reference number so they can conduct a thorough search.

In addition to bank tracking systems, there are tools that increase visibility and allow you to check the status of your payments more quickly and transparently. One of them is thanX, CaixaBank's digital solution that facilitates the management of international transfers from Morocco.

With thanX, you can:

• Make and receive international payments from Morocco in more than 15 currencies (MAD, EUR, USD, GBP, etc.).
• Check the status in real time while the transfer is processing within the platform. Please note that once the transfer is sent and enters the international banking network, thanX cannot know when it will be credited to the destination bank, as that step depends on the intermediary banks and the receiving bank. If there is a problem and the transfer is rejected, thanX will notify you so you can act quickly.
• Receive automatic notifications when there are changes in status or if any problem arises before the money is sent.
• Centralise all your transactions on a single platform.

This visibility helps you better manage your international payments and detect potential issues in advance.