Stablecoin-based remittances and business payments can be substantially cheaper and faster than conventional international transfers, according to a third-quarter report from payments network Borderless.xyz cited by Cointelegraph.
Lower costs for remittances
The report compared the cost of sending $200 through stablecoin-funded payment rails with traditional remittance pricing. The median cost for the stablecoin transfer was 1%, or $2. Traditional remittances cost 6.36%, equivalent to $12.72, based on World Bank data.
That represents a cost reduction of about 84% for the stablecoin-funded transfer. The comparison combines Borderless pricing from the third quarter of 2026 with World Bank figures from the same period in 2025, so the figures are not drawn from identical datasets.
The savings were also visible in major emerging-market regions. In Sub-Saharan Africa, stablecoin-funded remittances cost 2.9%, compared with 8.46% for traditional transfers. In Latin America, the corresponding figures were 1.25% and 5.64%.
Stablecoins are digital tokens designed to maintain a relatively stable value, often by tracking a fiat currency such as the US dollar. Their use in payments can involve sending the digital asset and then delivering local currency to the recipient through a domestic payment network.
Business transfers can also be cheaper and faster
Borderless found a significant difference in the cost of larger business payments. A $10,000 stablecoin-funded transfer to the eurozone cost as little as $26 when sent through the lowest-cost provider. At the median provider across all corridors, the cost was $52.
A conventional international bank wire for the same amount cost between $135 and $150 in the report’s comparison. That estimate included transfer charges and an assumed 1% foreign-exchange margin.
Speed was another distinction. Stablecoin-funded payments could reach recipients’ local bank accounts within minutes, although settlement times depended on the payment network. During the third quarter, payouts through Brazil’s PIX and Colombia’s PSE each had a median settlement time of two minutes. Mexico’s SPEI recorded a median of three minutes.
Traditional SWIFT transfers generally settled on the next business day, while the slowest 10% took three business days.
Completion rates varied by network
The report also showed that faster settlement did not mean uniform reliability across markets. Mexico’s SPEI recorded a 98.6% payout completion rate, followed by Brazil’s PIX at 97.8%.
Colombia’s PSE completed 79% of payouts, while Costa Rica’s SINPE recorded a 73% completion rate. The differences underline that the performance of stablecoin payment systems depends not only on the digital asset rail but also on the local network used to deliver funds.
The findings come as stablecoin transaction activity expands. Standard Chartered has pointed to rising transaction volumes despite relatively flat growth in total stablecoin market capitalization this year. The bank expects the market to reach $2 trillion by 2030, two years later than its previous forecast.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar data at 21:39 on October 17, 2026, showed the following prices and performance:
- CRO: $0.0566553637, down 2.62% over 24 hours and 6.65% over seven days.
- ASTER: $0.6974881037, down 1.56% over 24 hours and 1.95% over seven days.
- STABLE: $0.0254416083, down 3.15% over 24 hours and 6.45% over seven days.
- BAN: $0.0538858355, down 2.87% over 24 hours and 11.38% over seven days.
