Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Stroke may be ischemic or hemorrhagic. Ischemic stroke may be due to cardioembolism, large vessel disease, small vessel disease or multiple pathologies. Of them, cardioembolism is the commonest etiology, accounting for up to 40% of all ischemic strokes, having higher recurrence rates as well as poorer outcomes. Atrial fibrillation is the commonest cause of cardioembolism. The treatment also involves anticoagulants and not antiplatelets. Unfortunately detection of cardioembolism requires complicated long term monitoring through devices to detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, which is as deadly as persistent atrial fibrillation. The use of biomarkers would simplify the process of detecting cardioembolism, leading also to earlier detection. NT–pro BNP is one such biomarker, which has been shown to be useful in identifying cardioembolic stroke within 72 hrs of symptom onset. This review addresses the role of NT–pro BNP in the detection of cardioembolic stroke