- Bank of Italy researchers found stablecoin remittances offered no systematic cost or speed advantage over traditional channels due to fiat on- and off-ramp frictions.
- In a study testing 200 USDC transfers across 10 corridors, total costs ranged from 0.3% to nearly 9%, with exchange fees and currency conversion accounting for most expenses.
- The authors concluded that stablecoins would be far more competitive if they could be spent directly without conversion back into fiat currency.
A Bank of Italy study published July 31 tested 200 USDC remittances across 10 bidirectional payment corridors linking Italy with Brazil, Argentina, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. Researchers compared end-to-end costs and settlement times with traditional remittance services, finding that stablecoin-based transfers did not offer a systematic cost or speed advantage.
Exchange fees and currency conversion made up most of the cost, while blockchain transaction fees represented only a small share, according to the study. Total costs ranged from 0.3% to nearly 9% depending on the corridor, and transfers settled in less than 20 minutes where instant payment systems were available or one to two business days where they were not.
Using the World Bank’s global average remittance cost of 6.65% as a benchmark, stablecoin transfers were cheaper in most corridors examined. However, they were less expensive than Wise in only three of seven comparable corridors.
The study concluded that investment in domestic instant payment infrastructure could improve the competitiveness of stablecoin-based cross-border payments. The authors argued that the biggest gains may come when stablecoins no longer require conversion back into fiat currency, writing: “If stablecoins could be spent directly in the real economy, for goods and services, rents, or school fees, without reconversion into local fiat currency, the economic advantages of stablecoin-based transfers would be substantially higher.”
Regulatory design also played a major role in transfer efficiency. Prohibitionist regimes failed to suppress demand and pushed users toward offshore platforms, while overly restrictive frameworks increased operational complexity for retail users. The stablecoin market has grown to about $307 billion, up roughly 16% over the past year, according to DefiLlama data.
✅ Follow BITNEWSBOT on Telegram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X.com, and Google News for instant updates.
