Borderless.xyz: stablecoin remittances cost about 84% less than traditional transfers
In brief
- Borderless.xyz says a $200 stablecoin-funded remittance cost a median 1%, versus 6.36% for traditional transfers.
- The 84% gap compares Borderless's Q3 2026 pricing with World Bank data from Q3 2025.
- Brazil's PIX and Colombia's PSE payouts settled in a median two minutes in Q3.
- Standard Chartered now expects a $2 trillion stablecoin market by 2030, two years later than before.
What the report measured
The headline number comes with a caveat. The two data sets don't cover the same quarter, and Borderless (which operates a stablecoin payments network) has a commercial interest in how these findings land.
The regional figures in the Borderless.xyz Q3 report show the same pattern. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it put stablecoin-funded remittances at 2.9%, against 8.46% for traditional transfers. Latin America came in at 1.25% versus 5.64%.
Larger payments show a similar spread. According to the report, a $10,000 stablecoin-funded transfer to the eurozone cost as little as $26 through the lowest-cost provider (the median provider across all corridors came in at $52). The report estimated that a traditional international bank wire for the same amount costs between $135 and $150. That estimate includes transfer fees and assumes a 1% foreign-exchange margin.
Settlement speed
Cost isn't the only claim in the report.
Borderless said stablecoin-funded payments can reach recipients' local bank accounts in minutes, depending on the payment network. In Q3, Brazil's PIX payouts settled in a median of two minutes, and Mexico's SPEI took three. Colombia's PSE also posted a two-minute median. Traditional SWIFT transfers, by the report's comparison, typically settled the next business day, and the slowest 10% took three business days.
Completion rates varied a lot more. Mexico's SPEI completed 98.6% of payouts and Brazil's PIX hit 97.8%, according to the report, while Colombia's PSE managed 79% and Costa Rica's SINPE 73%. That's a gap of more than 25 percentage points between the best and worst performers.
The broader stablecoin picture
The report comes as Standard Chartered has pushed back its stablecoin market forecast. Standard Chartered has pointed to rising stablecoin transaction volumes even though growth in overall stablecoin market capitalization was relatively flat this year, Cointelegraph reported. The bank expects the stablecoin market to reach $2 trillion by 2030, which is two years later than its previous forecast.
Frequently asked questions
How much cheaper are stablecoin remittances, according to Borderless.xyz?
Borderless.xyz's Q3 report said a $200 stablecoin-funded remittance cost a median of 1% ($2), compared with 6.36% ($12.72) for traditional remittances based on World Bank data. That's roughly 84% cheaper. The comparison sets Borderless's Q3 2026 pricing against World Bank figures from Q3 2025, so the two periods differ.
How fast do stablecoin-funded payments settle compared with SWIFT?
According to the Borderless.xyz report, Brazil's PIX payouts settled in a median of two minutes in Q3, Mexico's SPEI took three minutes and Colombia's PSE had a two-minute median. Traditional SWIFT transfers typically settled the next business day, and the slowest 10% took three business days.
