The global payments landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation. In 2024, stablecoins processed $27.6 trillion in transfers, surpassing the combined transaction volume of Visa and Mastercard by 7.68%, according to CEX.IO's annual stablecoin report. What was once dismissed as a niche cryptocurrency experiment has become a serious infrastructure upgrade for businesses moving money across borders.

Yet for all the excitement around crypto cross-border payments, a critical question remains unanswered by most industry commentary: how can enterprises adopt this technology securely? Speed and cost savings mean nothing if a single security breach can wipe out your treasury.

This guide explores how crypto is reshaping international payments, identifies the best crypto for cross-border payments, and provides a practical roadmap for enterprises seeking to implement these solutions with the security standards their operations demand.

What Are Crypto Cross-Border Payments?

How Traditional Cross-Border Payments Work

Before understanding the crypto alternative, it helps to grasp why traditional systems are struggling. When a business in Singapore pays a supplier in Germany, the transaction doesn't travel directly. Instead, it passes through a chain of correspondent banks—intermediaries that each take a cut and add processing time.

The SWIFT network, which handles the messaging for most international wire transfers, was built in the 1970s. While it remains reliable, its architecture introduces inherent delays. A typical cross-border wire takes three to five business days to settle. Hidden costs compound the problem: foreign exchange spreads, intermediary fees, and compliance charges can add 2-7% to every transaction. Consumer cross-border payments often incur bank fees averaging over 11%, while even B2B payments average 1.5% with processing delays up to several weeks.

For businesses operating across multiple markets, this creates serious cash flow challenges. Funds sit trapped in correspondent banking networks, unavailable for operations.

How Crypto Changes the Game

Blockchain technology offers a fundamentally different approach. Instead of routing transactions through a chain of intermediaries, crypto payments use a shared global ledger that settles transactions directly between parties.

When a business sends a stablecoin payment, the transaction is verified and recorded across thousands of computers simultaneously. Settlement happens in minutes—sometimes seconds—regardless of the time zone, banking holidays, or geographic distance. The system operates twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year.

This isn't theoretical. Companies like Thunes and Circle have built infrastructure that enables businesses to move funds across 130 countries using stablecoin rails, with settlement times measured in minutes rather than days.

Best Crypto for Cross-Border Payments

Not all cryptocurrencies are suitable for business payments. While Bitcoin and Ethereum pioneered blockchain technology, their price volatility makes them impractical for treasury operations. Enterprises need predictability.

Stablecoins: The Enterprise Choice

Stablecoins solve the volatility problem by pegging their value to traditional currencies, typically the US dollar. The two dominant options each offer distinct advantages.

USDC (USD Coin) is issued by Circle and backed one-to-one by US dollar reserves held in regulated financial institutions. Monthly attestations from major accounting firms verify these reserves. For enterprises prioritizing transparency and regulatory compliance, USDC has become the preferred choice—accounting for 70% of total stablecoin transfer volume in 2024. It operates across multiple blockchains including Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum, giving businesses flexibility in their infrastructure choices.

USDT (Tether) commands the largest market share by market capitalization and offers the broadest exchange support. Its multi-chain availability—spanning Ethereum, Tron, and numerous other networks—provides maximum flexibility for global operations. While it has faced historical questions about reserve transparency, it remains the most liquid stablecoin in the market.

For most enterprise use cases, the stability and predictability of these dollar-pegged assets make them the best crypto for international transfers. A payment sent in USDC arrives as USDC, with no exposure to the price swings that characterize volatile cryptocurrencies.

Other Cryptocurrencies for International Transfers

Beyond stablecoins, several blockchain networks have focused specifically on payment use cases.

XRP, developed by Ripple, has built partnerships with over 100 financial institutions globally. Banks including Santander and SBI Holdings have tested or deployed XRP-powered infrastructure for cross-border settlements. Its consensus mechanism enables transaction finality in seconds.

Stellar (XLM) focuses on financial inclusion, providing payment infrastructure for regions underserved by traditional banking. Its low transaction costs make it viable for smaller remittance amounts.

However, for enterprise treasury operations where stability and predictability matter most, stablecoins remain the dominant choice. The combination of dollar-equivalent value with blockchain settlement speed addresses both the volatility concern and the efficiency opportunity.

Benefits of Crypto Cross-Border Payments for Businesses

Speed: Settlement in Minutes, Not Days

The most immediate benefit is velocity. Traditional wire transfers operate within banking hours and require multiple business days to settle. Crypto payments settle when the transaction is confirmed on the blockchain—typically within minutes.

This speed advantage compounds for businesses operating across time zones. A payment initiated on Friday evening doesn't wait until Monday for processing. Settlement happens immediately, improving cash flow forecasting and enabling just-in-time treasury operations.

Cost Savings: Reduce Fees by Up to 80%

According to PYMNTS Intelligence research, blockchain and decentralized finance can reduce cross-border payment costs by up to 80%. Traditional bank wires incur fees of 2-7% including FX spreads and intermediary charges, while stablecoin payments typically cost 0.5-2% according to industry benchmarks.

For businesses making regular international payments—to suppliers, contractors, or subsidiaries—these savings accumulate quickly. A company processing $10 million annually in cross-border payments could save hundreds of thousands of dollars by switching to stablecoin rails.

Global Reach: Access Underbanked Markets

Perhaps most significantly, crypto payments can reach regions where traditional banking infrastructure is limited or unreliable. According to the World Bank Global Findex 2025 report, approximately 1.3 billion adults globally remain outside the formal financial system—with over half concentrated in just eight countries. Yet of those without bank accounts, around 900 million own a mobile phone, with more than 530 million owning smartphones, creating a significant opportunity for digital wallet-based payment solutions.

For businesses expanding into emerging markets—Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America—crypto payments provide a viable alternative to unreliable correspondent banking relationships. A digital wallet is all that's needed to receive payment.

The Security Challenge: Why Infrastructure Matters

Risks of Holding Crypto at Scale

Here is where industry discussion typically falls short. The speed and cost benefits of crypto payments are real, but so are the security risks.

Digital assets are secured by private keys—cryptographic strings that authorize transactions. Whoever controls the private key controls the assets. This creates challenges that traditional banking doesn't face:

A lost or stolen private key means permanent loss of funds. There is no "forgot password" option, no customer service to reverse a fraudulent transaction. Hot wallets connected to the internet for operational efficiency become attack vectors. A single compromised server can drain an entire treasury.

For enterprises, these aren't theoretical concerns. Exchange hacks have resulted in billions of dollars in losses. The security model that works for individual consumers—a hardware wallet in a desk drawer—doesn't scale to business operations requiring multiple approvers, audit trails, and compliance documentation.

Why Enterprises Need Secure Custody Solutions

The gap between consumer-grade and enterprise-grade security is substantial. Businesses need infrastructure that provides:

• Elimination of single points of failure: No single device, person, or server should be able to authorize transactions unilaterally

• Flexible approval workflows: Treasury operations require multiple signers, spending limits, and policy controls

• Compliance-ready audit trails: Regulators expect the same documentation standards for crypto as for traditional assets

• Operational continuity: Key recovery procedures that work even if key personnel become unavailable

This is where custody infrastructure becomes critical. The choice of how you secure digital assets is as important as the choice of which assets to use.

How MPC Custody Enables Secure Crypto Payments

What Is MPC (Multi-Party Computation)?

Multi-Party Computation represents the current state of the art in enterprise digital asset security. Rather than storing a complete private key in any single location, MPC distributes cryptographic key shares across multiple independent parties.

To authorize a transaction, these parties must collaborate—each contributing their key share to collectively sign without ever reconstructing the complete key. No single party ever holds enough information to move funds unilaterally.

This architecture eliminates the single point of failure that plagues traditional key storage. Even if an attacker compromises one key share, they cannot authorize transactions without the others.

Benefits of MPC for Cross-Border Payments

For enterprises using crypto for international payments, MPC custody provides several critical advantages:

Security without sacrificing speed: Unlike hardware-based solutions that require physical presence, MPC enables fast transaction signing through secure computation. Cross-border payments can still settle in minutes while maintaining institutional-grade security.

Flexible approval workflows: Enterprises can configure policies that mirror their existing treasury controls—requiring CFO approval for transactions above certain thresholds, geographic restrictions, time-based limits, and more.

Compliance-ready infrastructure: Every transaction generates an immutable audit trail documenting who approved what and when. This documentation satisfies regulators and auditors who expect enterprise-grade controls.

Operational resilience: Key share distribution means no single point of failure for business continuity. Even if a key share holder becomes unavailable, recovery procedures can restore operations without compromising security.

How to Implement Crypto Cross-Border Payments

Step 1: Choose the Right Stablecoin

Begin by evaluating which stablecoin fits your operational requirements. Consider:

• Regulatory posture: USDC's regulated status may matter for certain jurisdictions

• Liquidity: Where will you need to convert back to local currency?

• Chain availability: Which blockchain networks support your volume and speed requirements?

For most enterprise use cases, starting with USDC provides the clearest regulatory pathway while maintaining excellent liquidity across major exchanges.

Step 2: Select Secure Custody Infrastructure

Your custody solution determines your security posture. Key questions to evaluate providers:

• Does the architecture eliminate single points of failure through MPC or similar technology?

• Can approval workflows be customized to match your treasury policies?

• What compliance certifications does the provider hold?

• How does key recovery work if personnel change?

• What is the provider's security track record?

Step 3: Integrate with Your Treasury Operations

Practical implementation requires connecting your custody infrastructure with existing systems:

• API connectivity: Can transactions be initiated programmatically from your ERP or treasury management system?

• On-ramp procedures: How will you convert fiat currency to stablecoins for outbound payments?

• Off-ramp procedures: How will recipients convert stablecoins to local currency if needed?

Step 4: Ensure Regulatory Compliance

Crypto payments don't exempt businesses from compliance obligations. Ensure your implementation addresses:

• Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements for payment recipients

• Anti-Money Laundering (AML) transaction monitoring

• Regional regulatory requirements in your operating jurisdictions

• Tax documentation and reporting obligations

Real-World Use Cases

B2B Supplier Payments

A manufacturing company paying suppliers across Asia can reduce payment cycles from five days to same-day using stablecoin rails. The supplier receives funds immediately, improving their cash flow and potentially earning the buyer early payment discounts.

Payroll and Contractor Payments

Companies with distributed global workforces—remote employees, freelance contractors, gig workers—can pay in minutes rather than waiting for international wire processing. This is particularly valuable in regions where local banking infrastructure is unreliable.

Treasury Repatriation

Multinational corporations often face trapped liquidity in emerging markets where converting and moving local currency is slow and expensive. Stablecoin conversion provides an alternative rail for repatriating funds to headquarters.

The Future of Crypto Cross-Border Payments

Industry projections suggest stablecoins could capture twenty percent of the global cross-border payments market by 2030, up from a few percent today. Several factors are driving this trajectory:

Regulatory clarity is improving across major jurisdictions. The EU's MiCA framework, evolving US guidance, and Singapore's progressive licensing regime are creating clearer rules for institutional adoption.

Infrastructure maturity means enterprises no longer need to build crypto capabilities from scratch. Custody providers, payment processors, and on/off-ramp services offer turnkey solutions.

Competitive pressure will accelerate adoption as early movers demonstrate cost advantages. Businesses paying seven percent in cross-border fees will face margin pressure against competitors paying under one percent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which crypto is the best for cross-border payments?

Stablecoins like USDC and USDT are the best cryptocurrencies for cross-border payments. USDC offers regulatory compliance with 1:1 USD backing verified by monthly attestations, while USDT provides the largest liquidity and broadest exchange support. Both eliminate volatility risk that makes Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies impractical for business treasury operations.

Can cryptocurrency be used for cross-border transactions?

Yes, cryptocurrency—particularly stablecoins—can be used for cross-border transactions. In 2024, stablecoins processed $27.6 trillion in transfers, surpassing Visa and Mastercard combined. Crypto payments settle in minutes rather than 3-5 business days, operate 24/7/365, and can reduce transaction costs by up to 80% compared to traditional wire transfers.

What are cross-border payments in blockchain?

Cross-border payments in blockchain are international money transfers that use distributed ledger technology instead of traditional correspondent banking networks. Transactions are verified across thousands of computers simultaneously and settle directly between parties without intermediaries. This eliminates the delays, hidden fees, and trapped liquidity associated with SWIFT-based wire transfers.

Is XRP being used for cross-border payments?

Yes, XRP is used for cross-border payments through partnerships with over 100 financial institutions globally, including Santander and SBI Holdings. Its consensus mechanism enables transaction finality in seconds. However, for enterprise treasury operations, stablecoins like USDC and USDT remain the preferred choice due to their dollar-equivalent stability and predictable value.

How much can businesses save with crypto cross-border payments?

Businesses can reduce cross-border payment costs by up to 80% using crypto and stablecoin rails. Traditional wire transfers cost 2-7% in fees including FX spreads and intermediary charges, while stablecoin payments typically cost 0.5-2%. A company processing $10 million annually in international payments could save hundreds of thousands of dollars by switching to blockchain-based settlement.

Conclusion

Crypto cross-border payments represent a genuine infrastructure upgrade for international commerce. The speed, cost, and accessibility improvements are substantial and increasingly proven at scale.

But realizing these benefits requires more than simply buying stablecoins. Enterprises need custody infrastructure that matches the security standards of traditional finance while enabling the speed advantages of blockchain settlement.

The combination of stablecoin efficiency with MPC custody security creates a path for businesses to modernize their international payment operations without compromising on the controls that regulators, auditors, and boards expect.

For enterprises ready to explore how secure crypto infrastructure can transform their cross-border payments, the technology is mature and the roadmap is clear.

Ready to learn how enterprise-grade custody can enable your cross-border payment strategy? [Explore Cobo's MPC Wallet solutions →]