Tutorial: SWIFT/BIC Lookup

Finance

Data source: Curated dataset (ISO 9362, public records)

Overview

SWIFT/BIC Lookup wraps Curated dataset (ISO 9362, public records), handling authentication, pagination, and rate limits for you. This tutorial covers all 4 tools with working code examples you can copy and run.

Prerequisites

Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup for a free API key (100 calls/day).
Choose your integration method: MCP protocol or REST API.

Connect via MCP

Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.):

MCP Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gnist-swift-bic": {
      "url": "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/swift-bic/",
      "headers": {
        "Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools (4)

`lookup_swift_code`

Look up a bank by its SWIFT/BIC code. Returns bank name, country, city, and branch information for the given SWIFT/BIC code.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`swift_code`	string	required	8 or 11 character SWIFT/BIC code (e.g. CHASUS33, DEUTDEFF).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/swift-bic/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "lookup_swift_code", "arguments": {"swift_code": "CHASUS33"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/swift-bic/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'swift_code': 'CHASUS33'},
            'name': 'lookup_swift_code'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`search_swift_banks`

Search the SWIFT/BIC code database.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`query`	string	required	Search by bank name, city, or SWIFT code.
`limit`	integer	optional	Maximum results to return. (default: `20`)

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/swift-bic/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "search_swift_banks", "arguments": {"query": "renewable energy"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/swift-bic/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'query': 'renewable energy'},
            'name': 'search_swift_banks'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`list_banks_by_country`

List banks by country code from the SWIFT/BIC database.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`country_code`	string	required	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (e.g. US, GB, DE, JP).
`limit`	integer	optional	Maximum results to return. (default: `50`)

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/swift-bic/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "list_banks_by_country", "arguments": {"country_code": "US"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/swift-bic/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'country_code': 'US'},
            'name': 'list_banks_by_country'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`report_feedback`

Report a bug, feature request, or general feedback for this data source. Use this when something doesn't work as expected, when you'd like a new feature, or when you have suggestions for improvement. Args: feedback: Describe the issue or suggestion. feedback_type: One of 'bug', 'feature_request', or 'general'.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`feedback`	string	required
`feedback_type`	string	optional	(default: `general`)

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/swift-bic/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "report_feedback", "arguments": {"feedback": "example"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/swift-bic/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'feedback': 'example'}, 'name': 'report_feedback'}},
)
print(resp.json())

Common Patterns

Search then retrieve
Use search_swift_banks to find items, then lookup_swift_code to get full details. This two-step pattern is common for exploring data before drilling down.

Pagination
Several tools support limit, offset, or page parameters. Start with small limits during development, then increase for production queries.

FAQ

What data does SWIFT/BIC Lookup provide?

SWIFT/BIC code lookup — identify banks by SWIFT code, search by name, filter by country. It exposes 4 tools: lookup_swift_code, search_swift_banks, list_banks_by_country, report_feedback.

What do I need to get started?

A Gnist API key (free tier: 100 calls/day). Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup.

What format does the SWIFT/BIC Lookup API return?

JSON, via either MCP protocol (JSON-RPC 2.0) or REST API.