Research1 min read

How Top Cross-Border Payment Companies Actually Work

Deep research into the operational models of Wise, Remitly, WorldRemit, and others — what stablecoin companies can learn.

By , Co-Founder & CEO · Plexo Institute

Deep research into the operational models of Wise, Remitly, WorldRemit, and others — what stablecoin companies can learn.

How Top Cross-Border Payment Companies Actually Work

Behind every "instant, cheap transfer" is a complex web of pre-funded accounts, FX hedging, and local banking partnerships. Here's how the top players actually operate.

The Pre-Funding Model

Wise, Remitly, and WorldRemit all rely on pre-funded local currency pools. This is capital-intensive but enables instant delivery.

Lessons for Stablecoin Companies

Stablecoin-based payment companies face the same last-mile challenges. The off-ramp is the hard part.

Data as of March 2026.

Anton Titov
Anton Titov
Co-Founder & CEO

Anton Titov is the co-founder and CEO of Plexo, the coordination network for financial institutions, and the editor of Plexo Institute, its open stablecoin intelligence platform. He has spent 13 years in business innovation and fintech, including four building cross-border stablecoin products and payment operations. Before Plexo, he co-founded Archway Finance, which built a cross-border stablecoin gateway for more than 30 emerging markets. He has spoken at Money20/20 Asia and the Africa Stablecoin Summit.