CZK correspondent banking: who clears the CZK

Tracing a CZK chain

Each instruction names the institution holding that bank's CZK account. Following those links repeatedly ends at a bank that publishes no onward CZK instruction — the ultimate clearer, with direct access to clearing. That is where the money actually settles before moving inwards to the beneficiary.

Who clears CZK payments?

CZK settles through the local clearing system. Banks without direct access hold a nostro account with a correspondent that has it, so a CZK payment reaches the beneficiary by settling at that correspondent first and moving inwards. In the current dataset 266 distinct institutions act as CZK correspondents.

How concentrated is CZK clearing?

The three largest CZK correspondents between them serve about 20% of the banks that publish a CZK instruction. Concentration matters because the withdrawal of one correspondent can affect a large number of respondent banks at once.

How do I find a bank's CZK correspondent?

Search the bank's BIC, select CZK, and the chain resolves hop by hop to the institution that clears the currency, including the nostro account number on each relationship.