The real all-in cost of the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + blockchain + off-ramp) compared to Wise and traditional providers, Sep 21, 2026. Crypto and stablecoin rails were cheaper than banks and fintechs on 260 of 348 measured corridors (75%). Crypto rails averaged -1.29% all-in versus 0.58% for traditional providers.
All-in cost for $1,000 sent: on-ramp fee + blockchain network fee + off-ramp FX spread. Negative = recipient receives more than mid-market.
| Corridor | Sandwich cost | Wise cost | Rail | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD → Mexico (MXN) | -0.36% | 1.40% | Solana | +1.76 pp crypto saves |
| USD → Nigeria (NGN) | -3.06% | -1.66% | Lightning Network | +1.40 pp crypto saves |
| USD → Kenya (KES) | -8.15% | 5.30% | Solana | +13.45 pp crypto saves |
| USD → South Africa (ZAR) | -0.56% | 0.62% | Lightning Network | +1.18 pp crypto saves |
| USD → India (INR) | -3.32% | 0.83% | Stellar | +4.15 pp crypto saves |
| USD → Philippines (PHP) | -0.01% | 4.12% | Solana | +4.13 pp crypto saves |
| GBP → India (INR) | -3.05% | 0.69% | Stellar | +3.74 pp crypto saves |
| EUR → India (INR) | -3.05% | 0.83% | Stellar | +3.88 pp crypto saves |
| Corridor | Crypto cost | Traditional cost | Crypto saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR → PLN Poland | -9.93% | 1.14% | +11.07 pp |
| SEK → PLN Poland | -10.22% | 0.59% | +10.81 pp |
| GBP → PLN Poland | -9.93% | 0.74% | +10.67 pp |
| USD → PLN Poland | -10.22% | 0.46% | +10.67 pp |
| HKD → PLN Poland | -10.09% | 0.48% | +10.56 pp |
| DKK → PLN Poland | -10.22% | 0.34% | +10.55 pp |
| NOK → PLN Poland | -10.22% | 0.30% | +10.52 pp |
| SGD → PLN Poland | -9.93% | 0.53% | +10.46 pp |
| CAD → PLN Poland | -9.93% | 0.33% | +10.26 pp |
| NZD → PLN Poland | -9.67% | 0.54% | +10.21 pp |
| Corridor | Crypto cost | Traditional cost | Traditional saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPY → UAH Ukraine | 3.67% | 0.92% | -2.75 pp |
| NZD → KRW South Korea | 2.02% | 0.48% | -1.54 pp |
| AUD → KRW South Korea | 1.78% | 0.40% | -1.38 pp |
| NZD → MYR Malaysia | 1.60% | 0.32% | -1.28 pp |
| GBP → KRW South Korea | 1.78% | 0.51% | -1.28 pp |
| NZD → IDR Indonesia | 1.68% | 0.42% | -1.26 pp |
| CHF → KRW South Korea | 1.78% | 0.55% | -1.23 pp |
| CHF → IDR Indonesia | 1.44% | 0.23% | -1.21 pp |
| CAD → KRW South Korea | 1.79% | 0.58% | -1.21 pp |
| GBP → IDR Indonesia | 1.44% | 0.23% | -1.21 pp |
Yes, on 75% of the 348 corridors RemitRoutes measures as of Sep 21, 2026. Across all corridors, the average crypto/stablecoin cost was -1.29% versus 0.58% for traditional providers including Wise.
As of Sep 21, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Solana + off-ramp via Binance P2P) costs -0.36% all-in on the USD → Mexico (MXN) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges 1.40% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 21, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Lightning Network + off-ramp via Luno) costs -3.06% all-in on the USD → Nigeria (NGN) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges -1.66% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 21, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Solana + off-ramp via Binance P2P) costs -8.15% all-in on the USD → Kenya (KES) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges 5.30% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 21, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Lightning Network + off-ramp via VALR) costs -0.56% all-in on the USD → South Africa (ZAR) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges 0.62% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 21, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Stellar + off-ramp via Coinbase) costs -3.32% all-in on the USD → India (INR) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges 0.83% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 21, 2026, the corridors with the largest crypto advantage over traditional providers are listed in the table above. Crypto rails are most competitive on long-tail corridors where traditional fintechs have lower transaction volume and thinner liquidity pools.
The stablecoin sandwich is a cross-border payment method where dollars are converted to a stablecoin (like USDC) on the sending side (on-ramp), moved instantly across a blockchain network (e.g. Stellar, Solana, Tron), then converted to local currency at the destination (off-ramp). RemitRoutes measures the all-in cost of all three steps to give a true like-for-like comparison with Wise and other fintechs.
All-in cost = on-ramp fee + blockchain network fee + off-ramp FX spread, measured from live provider data updated every 6 hours. Each weekly report is a frozen snapshot (data captured 2026-09-20). All corridors · all weekly reports · monthly cost index · methodology.