How to pay a supplier in China with USDT: step by step, documents and precautions
Paying in USDT does not remove the rigor of an international payment: invoice, beneficiary details, wallet verification and receipt. See the eight-step roadmap, from the agreement with the supplier to keeping the documents.
Historical reference: March 17, 2026. Published on this site on November 2, 2026. Dates in the text identify the period covered.
In this article
Key points
- Paying in USDT on TRON only works if the supplier accepts the currency and the network: agree on this in writing before closing the order.
- The invoice (or proforma) should show the amount in dollars, the receiving company's details and the TRC-20 wallet address; confirm the address through a second channel.
- Always make a small test transfer. A confirmed transaction is irreversible and USDT is not covered by the FGC (Brazil's deposit guarantee fund).
- Keep the transaction hash, the receipt and the supporting documents together. They support accounting and reporting.
An importer closes an order for components in Shenzhen. The supplier proposes to be paid in USDT, because it transfers faster than a bank payment order and does not depend on bank hours. The Brazilian buyer already knows how to pay in dollars by SWIFT, but with USDT needs to define three new things: the network, the destination wallet and the proof of payment. This guide organizes the process into eight steps, with the points where most mistakes happen.
Chinese authorities maintain a restrictive stance on crypto. On February 6, 2026, the People's Bank of China and seven other agencies banned the unapproved issuance of yuan-pegged stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets, according to Cointelegraph; the statement does not address payment in USDT. Each supplier decides how to convert and report what it receives. It is not the buyer's problem to solve, but it is a reason to demand clear documentation and, in case of doubt, to review the contract.
Step 1: agree on currency, network and deadlines in writing
Record in the purchase order, the contract or the confirmation email: the amount in dollars, the stablecoin (USDT), the network (TRON, TRC-20 standard) and who bears the network fee. The network matters because the same token exists on several networks, with different addresses. The comparison USDT on TRON, Ethereum or Solana shows the differences in cost and confirmation.
Step 2: ask for a complete invoice
The supporting document is what the service provider, your accounting team and any audit will ask for. Ask the supplier for an invoice (or proforma) with fields that will show up again in the payment.
- Beneficiary: legal name of the receiving company, country and address, matching the contract.
- Amount and currency: in US dollars, with the price term (for example, FOB or CIF).
- Description of the goods, quantity and order number.
- TRC-20 wallet address that will receive the payment, written on the invoice itself.
- Date and numbering of the invoice, to match the receipt.
Step 3: confirm the wallet through a second channel
The most common scam in this flow is the swapping of the supplier's details: someone breaks into the email or poses as the supplier and asks for the payment to go to a different wallet. A TRC-20 address has 34 characters, starts with T and cannot be checked by eye. Confirm it through a different channel from the one that sent the invoice, such as a video call with someone you already know or the phone number on file in the contract. How the fraud works is explained in fake supplier and swapped bank details.
Step 4: understand the framework in Brazil
Since February 2, 2026, BCB Resolutions 519, 520 and 521 are in force. Resolution 521 brings into the foreign exchange market the virtual asset services that involve international payments and the buying, selling and swapping of assets referenced to a fiat currency, such as USDT, carried out by a provider. When the counterparty abroad is not authorized to operate in the foreign exchange market, the limit is the equivalent of US$ 100,000 per transaction (art. 29, IV, of BCB Resolution 277/2022, as amended by 521). The details are in Resolution 521 and foreign exchange with stablecoins.
In practice, the provider asks for the beneficiary's identification, the purpose of the payment and the document that supports it. Gather this information before asking for the quote. Taxes and ancillary obligations depend on each transaction: your accountant needs to see the case.
Step 5: ask for the quote with all costs
The cost of paying with USDT has layers: the spread or fee of whoever buys the USDT, the network fee and, if any, the supplier's cost to convert what it received. Ask for the quote before confirming and compare the total in reais per dollar delivered, not the isolated rate.
Swapo, for example, converts reais received via Pix (Brazil's instant payment system) into USDT on the TRON network (TRC-20) and sends it to the wallet the customer indicates, usually the supplier's. It acts as an intermediary, on the customer's behalf and order, and does not hold custody of the USDT. The intermediation fee (spread) starts at 0.8% and is shown, along with the network fee, before confirmation and on the receipt. Support is human, in Portuguese, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Swapo never asks for a password, access code or private key.
Step 6: make a test transfer
Before the full amount, send a small sum (for example, the equivalent of a few tens of dollars) to the same address and ask the supplier to confirm receipt in writing. A transfer confirmed on the blockchain is irreversible: if the address is wrong, the money does not come back. The test costs an extra fee and avoids the most expensive mistake in the process.
Step 7: pay and keep the hash
After sending, you receive the hash, the unique identifier of the transaction on the blockchain. Check it on a public explorer such as Tronscan: the status, the amount, the destination address and the official USDT contract. The walkthrough is in how to check a USDT transaction on Tronscan. Send the hash and the receipt to the supplier so it can release the shipment.
Step 8: file everything in the same place
Virtual assets are not covered by the FGC, USDT can lose its peg to the dollar and a confirmed transfer is irreversible. The larger the amount, the more it is worth repeating the address check before the main transfer, even after the test.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay any Chinese supplier with USDT?
No. The supplier must accept USDT and provide the network and the receiving wallet. Agree on this in writing before closing the order and require an invoice with the receiving company's details.
Which network should I use to pay in USDT: TRON or Ethereum?
The one the supplier indicates. TRON (TRC-20) is widely used for payments because of its low fee and fast confirmation, but the decision is the receiver's, who needs to operate the network in their wallet or exchange. Sending on the wrong network can lose the funds.
What should I do if the supplier changes the payment wallet?
Treat it as a warning sign. Confirm the change by phone or video call with someone you already know, ask for the change in writing on the invoice and make a new test transfer. Swapped details are the most common scam in this type of payment.
Which documents should I keep from a USDT payment?
Order or contract, invoice, confirmation of the wallet address, quote and receipt with the fees, the transaction hash and the supplier's confirmation of receipt. These documents support accounting and any later questions.
Found it useful? Share it with anyone who pays suppliers abroad.
Sources
- Resolução BCB nº 521, de 10 de novembro de 2025 · Banco Central do Brasil, Nov 10, 2025
- Resolução BCB nº 277, de 31 de dezembro de 2022 (arts. 29 e 76-A, na redação da Resolução 521) · Banco Central do Brasil, Dec 31, 2022
- China bans stablecoin and RWA issuance by foreign and domestic companies · Cointelegraph, Feb 6, 2026
- Paying for resources: Energy and Bandwidth burn rates · TRON Developer Hub, Mar 17, 2026
For information only, not investment advice. Third-party brands mentioned belong to their owners; the mention is journalistic and does not indicate a partnership or relationship with Swapo Finance.
International payments with the speed of Pix and Central Bank rules.
Convert reais into USDT and send it to your supplier on the TRON network. One fee shown upfront, asset segregation policy, human support. Virtual assets have no FGC coverage; authorization application filed with the BCB.
