How It Works in Practice

Paying an overseas supplier or contractor with a stablecoin follows the same basic logic as accepting a crypto payment, with the roles reversed. This time the business is the one sending money, not receiving it. The business buys a stablecoin such as USDC (or PayPal's PYUSD), each worth one US dollar per token, through its existing payment processor or crypto account. It sends the USDC to the supplier’s wallet address. The supplier receives the funds within minutes^[1]. They can then convert to local currency through their own platform or exchange, or hold in USDC if they prefer. The cost is typically 0.5 to 2 percent of the transaction^[2], compared to the 5 to 10 percent when you total all the wire fees and currency conversion rates. BVNK’s 2026 stablecoin survey, covering 4,600 businesses across 15 countries, found that stablecoin transfers cost an average of 40 percent less than traditional remittance channels. Platforms like Deel already use this approach for contractor payroll^[3], letting businesses pay remote workers in USDC regardless of country. The recipient gets paid the same day and can convert to local currency on their side. For a small business, sending one of these payments feels about the same as sending a PayPal transfer. The main practical requirement is that the recipient has a crypto wallet address to receive funds. Many freelancers and international contractors already do.