an internationally agreed upon system of identifying bank accounts across national borders to facilitate the communication and processing of cross border transactions with a reduced risk of transcription errors.

A permanent account number is a ten-character alphanumeric identifier Foundational ID, issued in the form of a laminated "PAN card", by the Indian Income Tax Department, to any person who applies for it or to whom the department allots the number without an application.

In India, a Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number is a 10 digit alpha-numeric number issued by the Income Tax Department to the persons who are required to deduct or collect tax on payments made by them under the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961.