Bank of Italy Research: Stablecoin Cross-Border Remittance Costs Not Lower Than Traditional Channels

According to BeInCrypto, a field research report recently released by the Bank of Italy shows that stablecoins do not possess a systemic cost advantage in cross-border remittances. Researchers tested USDC transfers of $200 through 10 actual remittance corridors, covering routes between Italy and Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, the UAE, and Japan, with total fees ranging from 0.3% to nearly 9%, showing a significant disparity. The study found that on-chain transfers themselves accounted for an average of only 0.4% of the total cost; what truly drove up fees were steps still reliant on banks and exchanges, such as funding, currency conversion, and withdrawal. Taking the UAE-to-Italy corridor as an example, where bank transfers were unavailable and credit card funding was forced, fees alone reached as high as 3.8%. Meanwhile, transfer speeds also differed significantly due to variations in destination payment infrastructure. Instant payment systems like Brazil's Pix could complete settlement within 20 minutes, while South Africa required 1 to 2 business days, no different from traditional bank wire transfers. The report pointed out that stablecoins currently still heavily rely on the banking system they attempt to replace, and the narrative that "stablecoins are quietly replacing traditional payment rails" remains unsubstantiated.