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 , Founder · 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
CEO @ Plexo

Author of How Top Cross-Border Payment Companies Actually Work. Building a stablecoin clearing network, solving interoperability between licensed financial institutions across stablecoins, chains, and jurisdictions. He focuses on connecting payment infrastructure between emerging and developed markets. Speaker at Money20/20 Asia 2025, Stablecoin Summit Africa (Johannesburg, 2025), Stablecoin & Blockchain Conference Kenya (2026), and Fintech Week Central Europe (2026).