Digital currencies gain ground as Australia-US trade embraces faster, cheaper cross-border payments
In a move highlighting the growing role of digital assets in global finance, XDC Network has partnered with AUDD to modernise payments infrastructure for business transactions between Australia and the United States, one of Australia’s largest national trading partners.
The partnership stands to reform the traditional banking rails, by offering faster settlement times and greater efficiency, in a sector plagued by high costs and multiple intermediaries, adding restrictive costs to businesses.
The innovative payments system works by allowing businesses to convert Australian dollars (AUD) to US currency faster compared to the 3-5 day wait times and hefty fees currently charged by banks for international wire transfers.
The move comes as new figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reveal the Asia-Pacific region has overtaken North America and Europe as the world’s largest market for digital currency adoption with Australian businesses increasingly looking for alternatives to expensive bank transfers.
For Australian businesses, international transfers particularly for trade with the US have long meant accepting fees of 3-7 percent and wait times of up to 4-5 days, costs that can run into tens of thousands of dollars annually for exporters and importers.
Chief Executive Officer at AUDD, Effie Dimitropoulos (pictured), said these inefficiencies are accelerating the shift toward digital payment alternatives. “These cost and efficiency savings for import and export businesses highlight the increasing role of stablecoins in everyday finance and the growth of the sector in Australia.”
“Cross-border payments should work the way businesses expect – fast, affordable, and without currency volatility. This partnership provides Australian and global businesses with a practical alternative to slow, costly banking rails, directly reducing the cost of doing business,” Ms Dimitropoulos said.
“2026 is shaping up to be a breakout year for stablecoins and supporting crypto payments infrastructure, with more use cases, products and services coming to market, with cross-border payments set to be a key area of growth.”
AUDD is issued by AUDC Pty Ltd, in which ASX-listed fintech Novatti continues to hold a major interest. The AUDD stablecoin, essentially a blockchain version of the regular Australian dollars (AUD) that holds its value dollar-for-dollar, is already being used in real trade deals. It’s plugged into the Universal Digital Payments Network that links multiple countries, a Hong Kong–Australia trade program and export systems across Singapore and the UAE. Unlike Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies where their value can fluctuate, AUDD does not, making it beneficial for paying invoices and settling trades without the worry of currency risk.
Head of Growth at XDC Network, Beny Mohammadkhani, said the firm is seeing strong demand for blockchain based payments technology from import and export businesses in Australia and globally.
“As traditional banking rails remain expensive to operate on, more businesses are looking to blockchain based solutions to reduce fees while also improving settlement times and we expect this to be a key growth area in the blockchain industry this year,” Mohammadkhani said.
Adding to this, he said, “As trade volumes increase and margins tighten, payment efficiency becomes a competitive advantage. Blockchain-based settlement on XDC Network enables businesses to free up working capital faster, reduce transaction costs, and operate with greater certainty. That’s why we’re seeing growing adoption from importers, exporters and financial institutions across key trade corridors.”
Disclosure: At the time of writing, Australian FinTech Pty Ltd is a shareholder of Novatti Group Limited.
