Intrabank

Intrabank is a term used to describe transactions and activities that occur within a single bank, involving internal accounts, ledgers, and settlement processes. It covers transfers between customer accounts held at the same institution, as well as internal settlements between branches, subsidiaries, or departments, and liquidity management operations such as cash pooling within the bank.

Intrabank transfers are typically processed by the bank's core banking system and internal settlement engines. Depending on the institution and jurisdiction, they may be executed in real time or within the same business day, with updates to the bank's internal ledgers before any external messaging is required.

This concept is distinct from interbank payments, which move money between different banks and rely on external payment networks and settlement systems (for example, wire networks, card networks, or real-time gross settlement systems). Intrabank activity does not involve external counterparties, minimizing external settlement risk and delays.

In business practice, intrabank arrangements support liquidity management, client cash pooling, and accurate real-time balance reporting to customers and internal departments. For customers, intrabank transfers between their own accounts in the same bank often incur little or no fees compared with interbank transfers.

Security and controls are essential in intrabank operations. Banks implement access controls, multi-factor authentication, reconciliation routines, audit trails, and fraud detection to monitor internal transfers and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.