Guide
Guide to international payments with crypto and stablecoins
How stablecoins make cross-border payments faster, cheaper and traceable, and how a Swiss regulated settlement provider completes the fiat leg at each end.
Key takeaways
- Stablecoins reduce cross-border settlement from days to minutes, with the fiat leg completed on domestic rails at each end.
- Fewer intermediaries means fewer fees: one conversion at an institutional rate replaces a chain of correspondent banks and FX margins.
- On-chain records give every payment a traceable, tamper-evident audit trail.
- Compliance is not optional: XEROF screens every counterparty under the Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act.
- The mechanics are simple enough for a finance team to run without new infrastructure.
What are cross-border payments, and why are they slow?
A cross-border payment is any transfer where payer and beneficiary sit in different countries. They fund global trade, supplier purchases and remittances, but the traditional rail routes each payment through a chain of correspondent banks, each with its own cut-off time, FX margin and fee.
- High fees: each intermediary bank and FX conversion adds cost, often opaque until the funds land.
- Slow processing: multiple clearing systems and cut-off times stretch settlement to days.
- Limited access: counterparties in underbanked regions struggle to receive or send funds.
- No visibility: payers rarely know where a SWIFT payment is or what the beneficiary will receive.
Why stablecoins change the economics
Lower cost
One stablecoin transfer and one conversion replace the correspondent chain. XEROF passes the liquidity rate through at cost and shows its fee separately.
Minutes, not days
USDC or USDT moves between wallets in minutes on any hour of any day. Only the final fiat leg depends on banking hours.
Finality
A confirmed on-chain transfer cannot be recalled or reversed, which removes settlement risk from the receiving side.
Traceability
Every transfer has a public transaction hash and, at XEROF, a reference you set, so reconciliation and audit are straightforward.
How a cross-border stablecoin payment works
Five steps from account opening to funds with the beneficiary.
- 1
Open an account
Identity verification with XEROF for the payer, or for the company and its authorised persons.
- 2
Fund and convert
Wire USD, EUR, CHF or GBP to XEROF, or send stablecoins you already hold. Fiat is converted to USDC or USDT at the quoted rate.
- 3
Instruct the payout
Upload the invoice in online.xerof.ch and instruct XEROF to pay it in fiat from your stablecoin balance through the Payouts service.
- 4
Beneficiary receives fiat
XEROF converts the required stablecoins at the quoted rate and pays the beneficiary by bank transfer to an account in their name, with your reference on the payment.
Who uses it
Corporate treasury
Pay suppliers abroad and fund subsidiaries from a stablecoin balance, with the fiat leg handled by XEROF at each end.
Real estate and luxury goods
Settle a high-value purchase across borders in one day, with the seller receiving a conventional bank transfer and source-of-funds documentation from a regulated intermediary.
Commodity and trade finance
Shorten the cash cycle by settling bilaterally in stablecoins and hedging FX only at the point of conversion.
Regulation and compliance
XEROF carries out every payment from Switzerland as a financial intermediary under the Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act, regulated through VQF membership No. 100954 and supervised by FINMA. Every counterparty is identified, every payment screened and every rate confirmed in writing. Regulatory treatment of stablecoins differs by jurisdiction and continues to evolve, so engage your own legal and tax advisers. XEROF does not provide investment, legal or tax advice.
- Are stablecoin payments legal for cross-border business payments?
- In Switzerland, yes, when carried out through a financial intermediary supervised under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The beneficiary receives fiat by bank transfer, so nothing changes on their side. Rules differ by jurisdiction for the payer, so take your own legal and tax advice.
- Which stablecoins does XEROF use?
- USDC and USDT on the networks supported at the time of the transfer. Both are USD-denominated, so exposure to price movement between conversion and payment is minimal.
- Does the beneficiary need a XEROF account?
- No. XEROF pays the invoice in fiat through the Payouts service to a bank account in the beneficiary's name. The beneficiary receives a conventional bank transfer and does not need a wallet or any exposure to cryptoassets.
- What does an international stablecoin payment cost?
- The conversion fee follows the published monthly volume tiers on the pricing page. There is no separate charge for the on-chain transfer beyond network cost, and third-party payouts carry a small surcharge that is also published.
- Does XEROF give advice on international payments?
- No. XEROF is a settlement provider, not an adviser. We explain how the service works and confirm every rate in writing, but decisions on structure, tax and legal treatment are for you and your advisers.
Paying suppliers or counterparties abroad? Our team will walk you through the flow and confirm the cost before you commit.