Paying a foreign supplier in USDC vs traditional FX

Every Brazilian importer knows the pain: you close the deal with the foreign supplier, open the remittance at the bank, wait 2 to 5 business days, pay spread, IOF, SWIFT fees, and possibly correspondent bank fees. The supplier receives less than you sent, you have no real-time visibility, and the whole process repeats next month.

USDC — the digital dollar issued by Circle, audited and backed 1:1 in dollars — changed this equation for a growing number of Brazilian companies. Not in all cases. But in the right cases, the difference is significant.

"SWIFT took time to become standard. Now it's falling behind — at least for companies that have already discovered the alternative."

The real cost of an international bank remittance

The FX spread that appears on the internet banking screen rarely reflects the full cost of the operation:

FX spread Generally between 1.5% and 3.5% on the amount remitted, depending on the bank and relationship. Rarely negotiable for small and medium companies.

SWIFT fee Between USD 25 and USD 50 per outgoing transaction — and potentially again via correspondent banks. On a USD 5,000 operation, this represents 0.5% to 1% additional.

IOF 0.38% on FX operations for legal entities. Small percentage, but cumulative on recurring operations.

Opportunity cost 1 to 5 business days with capital tied up — neither as BRL generating yield nor as USD available for the supplier. For high-frequency operations, this time accumulates.

How USDC payment works in practice

The flow with USDC via a regulated OTC:

1. You buy USDC with BRL via SuitCoin

Quoted price, locked rate at closing. PIX out, USDC arrives in minutes.

2. You transfer USDC to the supplier's wallet

Direct transaction on the blockchain. Full traceability. Confirmation in less than 1 hour for most networks.

3. Supplier converts or keeps as USDC

If the supplier already operates with crypto, conversion is optional. If not, they convert locally.

International payments USDC — For Brazilian companies with recurring international payments, USDC can significantly reduce cost and timeline compared to SWIFT.

Direct comparison: SWIFT vs. USDC

Item	SWIFT (traditional)	USDC via SuitCoin
Total cost	2% to 4%+ (spread + IOF + fees)	0.5% to 1.5% (OTC spread + network)
Timeline	1 to 5 business days	Minutes to 1 hour
Traceability	Via SWIFT MT103 (limited)	On-chain (complete, immutable)
Reversibility	Possible with cost and time	Irreversible (requires new send)
Brazilian FX compliance	Regulated by BACEN	Requires regulated partner (SPSAV)

When USDC clearly wins

Operational urgency: supplier needs payment in hours, not days
Medium-high volume (above USD 10,000): percentage spread exceeds SWIFT fixed costs
Supplier accepts USDC directly: eliminates conversion step at destination
Recurrence (5+ operations/month): accumulated efficiency is relevant

When traditional FX may still make sense

Very small volume (below USD 3,000): network fee can represent high relative cost
Supplier doesn't operate with crypto and requires local currency directly
Specific contractual requirement for banking FX settlement

The calculation that matters

The real question is not "which is cheaper" in the abstract — it's "for my specific volume, frequency and supplier, which generates less total friction?" That calculation is individual and worth doing.

Want to calculate the impact for your specific operation?

We do the comparison with you — no commitment and in less than 30 minutes.

Jussara Hassan Chief Executive Officer · SuitCoin

Senior executive with a consolidated career in strategy, financial services and digital assets. CEO of SuitCoin, a Brazilian institutional crypto intermediation company structured to operate under the Central Bank's regulatory framework. Writes about what actually changes for companies that adopt crypto as a financial instrument.

Paying a foreign supplier in USDC: faster and cheaper than traditional FX — com segurança regulatória