Banking and Business Abbreviations for English Learners

It's common in banking and business to use abbreviations for a wide range of specific business expressions. You'll find each expression followed by the appropriate abbreviations below. Remember that abbreviations and acronyms are used differently in English. Abbreviations are used to replace words or expressions while acronyms simply take the first letter of each word. It's true that some abbreviations are acronyms, but not all.

• Against all risks = a.a.r.
• Account = a/c
• Account current = A/C
• Accommodation = ACC/ACCOM
• Account = acct.
• Actual cash value = a.c.v.
• After date = a.d.
• Addition/Additional = add.
• Advise = adv.
• Air freight bill = a.f.b.
• Agency = agcy.
• Agent = agt.
• Air mail transfer = a.m.t.
• Account of = a/o
• Accounts payable = A.P.
• Authority to pay = A/P
• Accounts receivable = A.R.
• All risks = a/r
• Arrive/Arriving = arr.
• Arrange/Arrangement/Arranging = arr/arrng.
• Approximate/Approximately = approx.
• Account sales = A/S, A.S.
• At sight = a/s
• As soon as possible = asap
• Attention = attn.
• Atomic weight = at. wt.
• Average = av.
• Actual weight = a/w
• Air waybill = a.w.b.
• Balance = bal.
• Barrel = bar.
• Barrel = bbl.
• Brought down = b/d
• Bill of exchange = B/E, b/e
• Brought forward = b/f
• Before = bfor.
• Bill of health = B.H.
• Bank = bk.
• Brokerage = bkge.
• Bill of lading = B/L
• Brought over = b/o
• Bills payable = B.P.
• By procuration = b.p.
• Bills receivable = B.R.
• Balance sheet = B/S
• Berth terms = b.t.
• Bushel = bu.
• Book value = B/V
• Circa: centaire = ca.
• Chartered accountant = C.A.