The real all-in cost of the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + blockchain + off-ramp) compared to Wise and traditional providers, Sep 28, 2026. Crypto and stablecoin rails were cheaper than banks and fintechs on 318 of 348 measured corridors (91%). Crypto rails averaged -1.37% 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) | -0.19% | 1.01% | Lightning Network | +1.20 pp crypto saves |
| USD → Nigeria (NGN) | -3.35% | -2.64% | Lightning Network | +0.71 pp crypto saves |
| USD → Kenya (KES) | -3.94% | 5.15% | Solana | +9.09 pp crypto saves |
| USD → South Africa (ZAR) | -0.89% | 4.72% | Stellar | +5.61 pp crypto saves |
| USD → India (INR) | -4.58% | 0.56% | Stellar | +5.14 pp crypto saves |
| USD → Philippines (PHP) | -0.13% | 1.08% | Stellar | +1.21 pp crypto saves |
| GBP → India (INR) | -4.30% | 0.26% | Stellar | +4.56 pp crypto saves |
| EUR → India (INR) | -4.30% | 0.65% | Stellar | +4.95 pp crypto saves |
| Corridor | Crypto cost | Traditional cost | Crypto saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD → PKR Pakistan | -8.05% | 0.35% | +8.41 pp |
| GBP → PKR Pakistan | -7.77% | 0.38% | +8.15 pp |
| EUR → PLN Poland | -6.88% | 1.14% | +8.02 pp |
| CHF → ARS Argentina | -5.39% | 2.56% | +7.96 pp |
| USD → ARS Argentina | -5.66% | 2.18% | +7.85 pp |
| SEK → PLN Poland | -7.16% | 0.63% | +7.79 pp |
| GBP → PLN Poland | -6.88% | 0.74% | +7.62 pp |
| USD → PLN Poland | -7.16% | 0.46% | +7.61 pp |
| NOK → ARS Argentina | -5.66% | 1.93% | +7.59 pp |
| HKD → PLN Poland | -7.03% | 0.48% | +7.51 pp |
| Corridor | Crypto cost | Traditional cost | Traditional saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPY → UAH Ukraine | 3.86% | 0.66% | -3.20 pp |
| NZD → IDR Indonesia | 0.86% | 0.43% | -0.43 pp |
| CHF → IDR Indonesia | 0.56% | 0.23% | -0.34 pp |
| GBP → IDR Indonesia | 0.57% | 0.25% | -0.32 pp |
| NZD → THB Thailand | 0.72% | 0.41% | -0.31 pp |
| AUD → IDR Indonesia | 0.56% | 0.30% | -0.27 pp |
| MYR → THB Thailand | 0.74% | 0.51% | -0.24 pp |
| AED → IDR Indonesia | 0.41% | 0.19% | -0.22 pp |
| CAD → IDR Indonesia | 0.57% | 0.36% | -0.21 pp |
| CAD → JPY Japan | 0.57% | 0.36% | -0.20 pp |
Yes, on 91% of the 348 corridors RemitRoutes measures as of Sep 28, 2026. Across all corridors, the average crypto/stablecoin cost was -1.37% versus 0.58% for traditional providers including Wise.
As of Sep 28, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Lightning Network + off-ramp via Bitso) costs -0.19% all-in on the USD → Mexico (MXN) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges 1.01% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 28, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Lightning Network + off-ramp via Luno) costs -3.35% all-in on the USD → Nigeria (NGN) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges -2.64% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 28, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Solana + off-ramp via Binance P2P) costs -3.94% all-in on the USD → Kenya (KES) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges 5.15% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 28, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Stellar + off-ramp via VALR) costs -0.89% all-in on the USD → South Africa (ZAR) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges 4.72% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 28, 2026, the stablecoin sandwich (on-ramp + Stellar + off-ramp via Coinbase) costs -4.58% all-in on the USD → India (INR) corridor for a $1,000 transfer. Wise charges 0.56% on the same corridor. Data from RemitRoutes, updated every 6 hours.
As of Sep 28, 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 2026-09-27). All corridors · all weekly reports · monthly cost index · methodology.