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CBU: the twenty-two digits that identify your account in Argentina
The CBU is the key that lets any institution transfer money to you. What it contains, how it differs from a CVU, and why it never changes.
Somebody asks for your CBU and you open the app looking for a number. Several show up: a short one next to the balance, a long one in the detail, and an alias made of words. The one being asked for is the twenty-two-digit one.
What it actually is
The CBU, the uniform banking key, identifies an account held at an Argentine financial institution to the whole system. It carries the institution, the branch, and the account, which is what lets any other institution route a payment to it without ambiguity.
What separates it from its neighbors
| Identifier | What it identifies | Can it be changed |
|---|---|---|
| CBU | An account at a financial institution | No |
| CVU | An account at a payment service provider | No |
| Alias | A readable label pointing to a CBU or a CVU | Yes, the holder picks it |
One CBU per account, and with its currency
If you hold several accounts, each has its own CBU. And the number identifies the account without changing what that account accepts: a peso savings account receives pesos, even with the CBU written correctly.
That is why the destination decides the conversion
When a payment arrives from abroad in another currency, the conversion happens before it lands, applied by whichever leg handles it. How that destination gets chosen is in the twenty-two digits of an Argentine destination.
Where you will be asked for it
On any payment form, local or foreign, and when registering a withdrawal destination on a platform. It is worth copying from the account detail rather than from memory: twenty-two digits, and a mistake gives no warning until the end.
Related terms
Its wallet equivalent is the CVU, the label pointing to it is the alias, and the equivalent identifier in Peru is the CCI. The rest is in the glossary.
This is not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice.
Questions on this topic
Are a CBU and a CVU interchangeable?
For transfers inside Argentina they work the same, and both are twenty-two digits. The difference is what they identify: a CBU an account at a financial institution, a CVU an account at a payment service provider. Some platforms abroad accept only one of the two as a destination.
Can I change my CBU?
No. The CBU is assigned by the institution and stays with the account while it is open. What you can change is the alias, a label pointing to the CBU that the holder chooses.
Does it work for receiving euros?
Not on its own. The CBU identifies the account, but the currency is set by the account. A peso savings account receives pesos, so if the money arrives in another currency, someone converts before it lands.
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