Why are cross-border payments so expensive?

A cross-border card sale stacks interchange, cross-border assessments, and currency conversion, and bank transfers add correspondent-bank fees and multi-day delays. The cost of moving money across borders is well documented: the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide database tracks global averages that remain high by any standard.

For a merchant, that shows up as thinner margins on international orders and slower access to the cash.

How do stablecoins change the maths?

A dollar stablecoin is the same dollar everywhere. A buyer in another country pays USDC or USDT, and the exact amount arrives on-chain, no currency conversion spread, no correspondent chain. On a Layer 2 the network fee is cents, and settlement is minutes, not days.

  • No FX conversion spread, the buyer pays dollars, you receive dollars.
  • Network fees in cents on Layer 2s, regardless of borders.
  • Settlement in minutes, swept to a wallet you control.
  • On-chain finality, no cross-border chargeback exposure.

Is there real demand for this?

Yes, and it is concentrated in exactly the markets where traditional rails are weakest. The Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Index shows stablecoin usage running highest across emerging markets, where buyers already hold dollars on-chain and want to spend them.

How do you start taking cross-border stablecoin payments?

Connect a settlement wallet, choose the stablecoins and networks you accept, and share a payment link or drop in the SDK. Buyers anywhere with an EVM wallet can pay, and funds settle non-custodially to you. With no setup fee or monthly minimum, you can add the rail and only pay when a cross-border order actually settles. See the pricing page for how volume lowers the take rate.