International Payments: Bridging the Gap in a Borderless World

As any West Berliner over the age of 40 can attest, you don’t need a coastline to feel like you’re living on an island. Yet, while the Iron Curtain is becoming a distant memory even in the minds of those it once divided, European businesses today face a similar barrier that makes it practically impossible to trade or engage beyond their borders.
This isn’t a physical wall: it is the failure of the established banking industry to provide fast, reliable, and affordable international payments.

Cross-border transactions have always been time-consuming and expensive, but in the pre-internet days, this never mattered much to most businesses. Today, however, any business of any size can potentially be a multinational – especially digital businesses, which typically look to the Web (and so, the world) for their customers, rather than just their local High Street. Yet while the internet has made commerce borderless, the banking industry hasn’t kept pace by supporting seamless international payments for all, strangling the global growth ambitions of digital-first businesses.

While most domestic transactions are seamless and straightforward, especially following the Open Banking revolution, all but the biggest enterprises face significant challenges in doing business beyond their borders. They must contend with slow, cumbersome, and costly international payments; indeed, for many digital businesses, the fees and charges can outweigh the value of the transactions they are trying to complete. Traditional banking systems are meanwhile plagued by delays, high fees, and unreliable processes. Transactions can take days or even weeks, and the associated costs can be prohibitive for SMEs that do not have the financial capacity to absorb such expenses.

This is bad news for everyone. The exclusion of agile, innovative businesses from international commerce undermines overall market competitiveness, reinforcing the dominance of large corporations and limiting consumer options. So why, given that technology has transformed so many other aspects of international business, have international payments failed to evolve?

Barriers to Efficient International Payments

The challenges of cross-border transactions go beyond simple data transfers. Effective international operations require specialised processes, including risk assessments, Know Your Customer (KYC), and Know Your Business (KYB) protocols. Banks must also navigate complex legal landscapes in various jurisdictions and establish relationships with correspondent banks and national regulators.

Traditional banks possess the capabilities to address these needs but often choose not to invest in the necessary infrastructure.
From a purely financial perspective, supporting the unique requirements of digital businesses, particularly those with international ambitions, may not seem profitable. Establishing the requisite systems, hiring experienced and expert personnel, and forming global partnerships demand substantial resources at a time when banks are already struggling to replace legacy systems. It may not be a priority for them now, but the emergence of fintechs specialising in cross-border payments is a warning shot across their bows.

Legacy-free challengers

While traditional banks may be hesitant to adapt, fintech is stepping into the breach. This new breed of financial service provider offers fast, reliable, and affordable international payments tailored to the needs of digital businesses. Free from the constraints of legacy systems, harnessing the latest technologies and – most importantly of all – investing in the required relationships and skills, these fintechs are designed to meet the demands of today’s global digital economy.
Traditional banks might view these fintech solutions as serving niche markets, but this perspective could change as digital businesses continue to grow. The COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, prompted companies of all sizes to re-evaluate their supply chains and explore new international markets, highlighting the need for efficient cross-border payment systems.

Banks can continue to promote their (domestic) open banking achievements, but without providing truly global services, their claims will increasingly fall flat. If the growing community of digital businesses question why their financial partners cannot support their international needs, adjusting their ad campaigns and marketing messages will be among the least of their worries.

The question facing the traditional banking industry is how long they can afford to maintain their parochial, inward-looking focus. When ambitious digital businesses feel like they’re living on an island, it’s only natural that they will start looking for a bridge to the rest of the world.

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