In an era where technology continues to reshape various aspects of our lives, the global landscape for payments and remittance will undoubtedly experience a significant transformation. Traditional methods of sending money across borders have long been plagued by slow processing times and high fees. 

In this article, we will explore how stablecoins can reshape the remittance industry, making cross-border transactions faster, cheaper, and more accessible for people around the world.

The Remittance Conundrum

For most individuals, cross-border remittances play a vital role in supporting families and friends based overseas, as well as drive economic growth in many nations. However, the traditional solutions for cross-border fiat transfers often entails significant hurdles. Exorbitant fees, lengthy transaction times, and currency conversion costs could leave less than desired for users looking to send money overseas. Additionally, the lack of financial infrastructure in certain regions further exacerbates the challenges faced by individuals seeking to send money overseas.

Stablecoins Emerged

Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency, have emerged as a promising solution to the issues that plague traditional payment methods. Unlike volatile cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, stablecoins are pegged to a stable asset like fiat currencies or commodities. This ensures that their value remains relatively steady, providing a reliable means of exchange and store of value.

Speed, Affordability, and Accessibility

One of the key advantages of stablecoins is their ability to facilitate near-instantaneous transactions. By leveraging blockchain technology, stablecoin transfers can be completed within seconds, eliminating the lengthy processing times associated with traditional transfer methods. This speed is particularly crucial for individuals who rely on timely funds to cover urgent expenses or emergencies.

Moreover, stablecoins offer significant cost savings compared to traditional transfer services. By cutting out intermediaries and utilising decentralised networks, stablecoin transfers incur minimal transaction fees, maximising the amount of money that reaches the intended recipients. This reduction in costs has a direct impact on the livelihoods of millions of families worldwide, allowing them to benefit from the full value of cross-border remittances.

Additionally, stablecoins promote financial inclusion by bypassing the need for a traditional bank account. Individuals who may not have access to formal banking services can now participate in the global economy by utilising stablecoins, as all that is required is an internet-enable device. This accessibility opens up new opportunities for individuals in remote areas or underbanked communities, empowering them to receive funds securely and directly.

Enhanced Transparency and Security

Stablecoins leverage blockchain technology, a decentralised and transparent ledger system. This inherent transparency helps to combat fraud, money laundering, and corruption that can be associated with traditional remittance channels. Every transaction is recorded on the blockchain, ensuring a high level of accountability and traceability.

Furthermore, stablecoins enhance security by employing robust cryptographic algorithms to protect user data and prevent unauthorised access. By leveraging cutting-edge encryption techniques, stablecoins offer a secure alternative to traditional remittance methods, giving users a peace of mind.

Stablecoins are ushering in a new era of remittance, providing a transformative solution to the challenges faced by individuals sending money across borders. With their unparalleled speed, affordability, accessibility, transparency, and security, stablecoins have the potential to revolutionise the way we think about cross-border transactions. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, stablecoins offer a lifeline for seamless and cost-effective means of transferring funds.

Lowering the barrier to entry

With the aforementioned in mind, cross-border remittance remains one of the most obvious use cases for stablecoins. To realise such a use case however, consumers and businesses alike will require efficient ways to store, mint, redeem, and even swap between stablecoins of different currencies.

StraitsX Personal and Business accounts

The StraitsX platform offers intuitive solutions for users to get started in the DeFi space - StraitsX Personal and Business accounts provide users with a convenient way to transfer Singapore dollars from a bank account to mint XSGD, and redeem XSGD back as fiat directly from the StraitsX platform. Even without a bank account, account holders are also able to perform blockchain transactions of stablecoins to-and-fro the StraitsX platform.

StraitsX Swap

To further streamline other stablecoin needs, the StraitsX platform also offers other key functions such as trading through StraitsX Swap. Users are also able to swap effortlessly between XSGD and USDC directly from the StraitsX platform today, with more stablecoins to be supported in the near future. StraitsX Swap offers an additional layer of convenience and accessibility to the stablecoin market with trades administered without the need for gas-fees and with the most cost-efficient exchange rates provided. Essentially, users will be able to receive the same exchange rate regardless of swapping 100,000 XSGD or 10 XSGD. 

StraitsX OTC

For larger bulk trades, StraitsX also offers a white-glove OTC trading service to high net-worth individuals with popular stablecoins such as XSGD, USDC, and USDT supported. Block trades start from 50,000 USD, with trades settled within the same working day, and assets bought transferred instantly to a bank account or to a verified StraitsX account.

By removing the complexities to DeFi, the StraitsX platform is able to help consumers and businesses get started on the wider DeFi ecosystem, and thus take advantage of the benefits of fast, affordable, and secure cross-border transactions, empowering economic growth through the stablecoin market.