Visa Study: Consumers Demand Cheaper, Faster Global Money Transfers

A new report by Visa Inc. reveals that consumers want cheaper and faster cross-border remittances. The study, titled “Money Travels 2026”, highlights the growing demand for more efficient international money transfers, with 19% of U.S. consumers and 32% of Canadian consumers having sent money abroad.

According to World Bank data, the U.S. sent outbound remittances in 2025. Despite their impact, these transactions face challenges. 24% of respondents cited fees as a top concern, while 17% mentioned the speed of delivery, and 14% pointed to ease-of-use issues. Among those who experienced problems, 23% found fees too expensive, 12% complained about the time to retrieve funds, and 8% were dissatisfied with ease of use.

Stablecoins, digital assets pegged to stable currencies like the U.S. dollar, could address these issues. However, uncertainty surrounds this option. Visa’s survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers found that increasing education and awareness of safeguards could boost acceptance of stablecoin-based remittances. If such services offered bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance, consumer interest would rise from 36% to 56%.

Trust and Awareness: Key Factors for Adoption

As it stands now, only 16% of respondents trust stablecoins for money transfers, compared to 25% for traditional methods. However, 60% said they would be more likely to use stablecoins if they knew about their value stability and potential tax advantages. Despite this, 56% of respondents have never heard of stablecoins, and 48% equate them with the risk of bitcoin or cryptocurrency.

Traditional banks are trusted at least somewhat by 60% of respondents, with global payment networks, such as Mastercard and Visa, cited by 59%. In contrast, crypto exchanges like Coinbase and Binance are trusted by only 33%. Trust in stablecoins drops further when compared to governments and central banks (49%) and technology companies like Apple and Google (43%).

Consumer Expectations and Payment Innovation

Vira Platonova, global head of Visa Direct, emphasizes the importance of awareness and trust in stablecoin adoption. She notes that consumers prioritize safety, reliability, and transparency in money transfers, with many evaluating the experience as much as the technology itself. Platonova states, “As new forms of money movement emerge, people still want to know their money will arrive safely, reliably, and as expected. Our findings suggest those expectations will shape how quickly new payment technologies gain traction.”