Cross-Border Payments: Delivery Reliability Becomes the Key Competitive Edge
Reliability is becoming the deciding factor in cross-border payments
Cross-border payment providers have narrowed price differences, shifting competition toward a more consequential question: does the money arrive, and does it arrive on time? For consumers and businesses, a low fee matters less when a transfer is delayed or fails. My read is that delivery performance is becoming a stronger measure of provider value as international payment volumes grow.
Moshe Kimhi, CEO and founder of Neema, a cross-border payments platform serving fintechs, digital wallets and financial institutions, argues that providers need to adapt transaction routes to changing conditions. The views in this contributed piece are his own.
Official targets expose a gap in payment speed
International payments still face more friction than domestic transfers, and the latest progress figures show how far performance has to improve. The G20’s Financial Stability Board said in a 2025 report that access to reliable cross-border payments had improved, but that progress was not moving fast enough.
Figures from the Bank for International Settlements put the shortfall in sharper terms: only 35 per cent of global cross-border retail payments and 55 per cent of wholesale and remittance payments are credited within an hour. Both figures are below the G20 target of 75 per cent. The data suggest that delivery outcomes remain a material point of difference among providers, even as pricing becomes more alike.
More volume raises the cost of failed transfers
The sums involved are expanding. Cross-border spending stood at $194.6 trillion in 2024 and is projected to reach $320 trillion by 2032. Remittances are one source of that growth. About three-quarters of the world’s 280 million migrant workers send money home every month or two, across more than 190 countries.
Digital wallets account for roughly 62 per cent of global remittance transactions, well ahead of bank transfers. Many users choose mobile and online services for their convenience and speed. At the same time, more than 85 countries have adopted real-time payment systems, raising expectations for faster transfers across borders as well as within them.
That combination leaves providers with a clear commercial stake in execution. A transfer that arrives late can undermine the customer experience, while one that never reaches its destination can damage trust and prompt users to take their business elsewhere.
Payment routes need to respond to changing conditions
Kimhi’s comparison is to driving: a route that works one day may be blocked the next, and the best path depends on the destination and conditions along the way. Cross-border payments also travel through changing networks. Route performance can vary by corridor, time and payment method, so a fixed path may not be the most reliable choice for every transaction.
Navigation services such as Waze, Google Maps and Apple Maps assess a journey’s origin, destination, available routes and current traffic. Kimhi says payment systems need comparable real-time routing: assess available paths for each transfer, then weigh reliability alongside cost, speed and payment method.
A route that is efficient at one hour may be less dependable later. Technology that can evaluate alternatives as conditions change could help providers avoid stalled transfers and improve the chance that funds reach the intended destination.
Failures carry costs beyond the transaction
For consumers, fees and exchange rates affect how much a transfer costs; reliability determines whether the money arrives in time to serve its purpose. Delays and failed payments can therefore create a more immediate problem than a small difference in price.
Providers face their own costs when transactions repeatedly fail. Customers may lose confidence, transaction volumes can fall, and churn and acquisition costs may rise. Resolving repeated payment issues also adds operational work.
With cross-border payments growing and customer expectations shaped by faster domestic systems, the competitive test is increasingly operational: providers need to identify dependable routes as conditions change. The ability to deliver consistently may matter more to customer retention than another marginal reduction in price.
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