Cross border payments

Bangkok-based The Siam Commercial Bank will use the New York-based bank's 24/7 clearing and tokenized deposit service in a sign that the banking industry is beginning to look past individual tokenized deposit platforms and toward interoperability.

Just as internet connectivity destroyed the market for long-distance telephone service, blockchain technology is going to make high-margin transactions, like cross-border funds transfers, dirt cheap. Established players should brace themselves.

Wise grew its net revenue 19% year over year to $2.5 billion in its fiscal 2026, aided by increased deposits, cross-border volume and spending on the Wise card. It's the latest sign that interest in cross-border payments and multicurrency accounts is heating up.

The company's forthcoming stablecoin, PAYO-USD, is designed to spur increased transaction volume revenue rather than interest income on reserves, a model championed by most stablecoin issuers.

Analysts say Payoneer is an attractive addition in a market where fast-moving developments in international payments, AI and digital assets are pressuring payment companies to scale quickly.

The domestic focus of most instant settlement rails is evolving toward cross-border, creating an opportunity for the bank to approach corporate clients.

Belgian prosecutors say they're finalizing charges over €500 million in suspect transactions. Wise calls the case, like its U.S. run-ins, a routine matter.

Whether red or blue, leaders share an affinity for battling fintech giants, as the liberal mayor is pressuring regulators to scuttle Western Union's plan to buy digital transfer Intermex, shortly following PayPal's 'DEI settlement' with the Trump administration.

The B2B payments fintech contends the digital asset can wring inefficiencies out of corporate payments processing.

The card network, which reported earnings on Thursday, reports some early impacts on travel payments, and has set up a site to help customers with questions about changes in consumer and business spending habits.

Tether launches a wallet, Rain issues a crypto card and MoneyGram extends stablecoin services in El Salvador. That and more in American Banker's global payments and fintech roundup.

The international messaging network is attempting to standardize consumers' cross-border payment experience as other payment rails such as Visa Direct, Mastercard Send and stablecoins pressure the correspondent banking system.

Brazil's real-time payment rail is adding PayPal as an option for small- to medium-size business payments; HSBC is launching a Hong Kong dollar-denominated stablecoin; Sezzle expands BNPL; and more in this week's global payment roundup.

As bitcoin plays an ever-larger role in cross-border transactions, what remains to be seen is how prepared the various bodies overseeing global finance are to engage with an asset that operates largely beyond their ability to meaningfully control it.

Australia's national Payments Systems Board has decided to remove surcharges on prepaid, debit and credit cards for electronic funds transfers, while lowering the cap on interchange fees. Also, Wells Fargo is seeking banks for its international payment network, and more in American Banker's global payments and fintech roundup.

Bank of Montreal has introduced a tokenized cash and deposit platform, while the London-based Monument is partnering with the Midnight Foundation's distributed ledger. Also, Starling Bank's AI play, stablecoins gain ground in APAC and Africa and more in the American Banker global payments and fintech roundup.

The payment firm's P2P app, which has only been available in the U.S., will provide a new lane for remittances and other cross-border payments.

New research from American Banker finds that the largest banks are the top players in stablecoin issuance and on-chain technology adoption.

Fintechs and the technology behind cryptocurrency are becoming popular, putting trillions in transaction value at risk for banks, according to Accenture.

When even a savvy expert in payments systems can't efficiently manage the transfer of funds to relatives in a crisis zone, it demonstrates that the system is failing us. We can and must do better.