Bank, FX broker, global account or USDT: a comparison for paying an overseas supplier
Four paths take a Brazilian company's money to a supplier abroad, each with a different cost, timeline and paperwork. See the public data side by side, with no ranking of the paths, and the questions that help you decide.
Historical reference: March 31, 2026. Published on this site on November 2, 2026. Dates in the text identify the period covered.
In this article
Key points
- Banks, FX brokers and global accounts handle traditional foreign exchange; USDT is a virtual asset, and international payments made with it came under the Central Bank's exchange rules on February 2, 2026.
- The total cost adds up a fixed fee, the spread on the exchange rate, a network or correspondent bank fee, and IOF; comparing only one of these misleads.
- Timing varies as much as cost: according to the FSB, using Swift data, a little over half of wholesale bank payments are credited within one hour, and more than 90% within one business day.
- The documents requested are similar on every path (invoice, beneficiary, purpose). The prices cited come from dated versions of public pages and may have changed.
Paying a supplier abroad seems like a simple decision, until someone asks for quotes from four places and gets four price formats: a fixed fee in reais, a percentage, a spread hidden in the exchange rate and a crypto network fee. This comparison gathers what is public about banks, FX brokers, global accounts (like Wise) and USDT, with the source and date of each number. The paths are not ranked: what suits a company depends on the amount, the urgency and who is receiving.
The prices cited come from the providers' public pages, in versions archived by the Wayback Machine, with the date of each version in the sources. Fees change: ask for the current schedule before you commit. When a provider does not publish a price, the cell says so. When you request quotes, always use the amount in reais paid per dollar the supplier receives, not just the fee.
How each path works
Costs: what each path charges and where to look
The price of an international payment has at least four parts: the fixed sending fee, the spread between the quoted rate and the reference rate, the charges of intermediary banks, and tax. Each path hides a piece in a different place.
| Path | Fixed fee | Spread or percentage | Other charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank | Varies by bank and channel, and each bank publishes its own schedule. Example of the structure: in Bradesco's exchange fee schedule effective from 07/01/2024, editing an import exchange contract cost R$ 900.00 and issuing a payment order cost R$ 450.00. Ask for the current schedule | Built into the day's commercial exchange rate; it does not appear as a fee | Correspondent bank fee, deducted from the amount or charged to the beneficiary |
| FX broker | Varies by institution; it should be requested with the quote | Spread over the commercial exchange rate, stated in the quote | There may be a fee abroad, depending on the network used |
| Global account (Wise) | One-time fee of R$ 250 to access the business account funds, according to the Wise Business pricing page archived on 02/25/2026 | Percentage fee starting at 0.78% per transfer, varying by currency; automatic discount above US$ 25,000, according to the same page | Exchange at the commercial rate, with no declared margin; IOF appears in the simulation, separate from the fee |
| USDT on TRON | TRON network fee: about 6.4 TRX for a destination that already holds USDT, with energy at 100 sun | Spread on the USDT purchase, set by the intermediary | The supplier may have a cost to convert USDT into local currency |
The table shows why comparing by "fee" misleads. The bank fee is the most visible and the spread is the hardest to see; on a global account, the minimum percentage is public, but the exact fee for each currency only appears when you simulate the transfer; with USDT, the network fee is small compared with the spread. The honest way to compare is to ask four places for the same simulation, for example US$ 10,000 delivered to the supplier, and write down how much it cost in reais.
Timing: from order to the supplier's account
How long a bank order takes depends on the cutoff time, the chain of correspondent banks and the destination time zone. In its October 2025 report on the G20 targets, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) says, using Swift data, that more than 90% of wholesale payments (from US$ 100,000) are credited within one business day and a little over half within one hour. The slowest step is usually the last one: the time the beneficiary's bank takes to credit its customer.
- Bank: depends on the exchange cutoff time and on business days in Brazil and at the destination. Ask for the timeline in writing with the quote.
- FX broker: depends on the network used and the cutoff time. Ask for the timeline in writing with the quote.
- Global account: the simulation shows the estimated arrival, which changes with the currency and the payment method.
- USDT: a transfer on TRON is confirmed in seconds, with finality in about a minute. The total timeline includes buying the USDT and the time the supplier takes to confirm. See USDT on TRON, Ethereum or Solana.
Documents, limits and IOF
On every path, the Central Bank expects to know who is paying, who is receiving and why. What changes is the channel and the level of formality.
| Path | Usual documents | Limits and rules | IOF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank | Exchange contract, invoice or supporting document, beneficiary details | Commercial exchange follows Central Bank rules; the limit depends on the bank | Applies to the exchange: 3.5% on remittances without a specific rate, a group in which law firms include import payments. See the IOF rates in force since the Supreme Court decision |
| FX broker | Exchange contract, invoice, beneficiary details | Authorized institution; the limit follows its policy | Applies to the exchange, at the same rates as the bank |
| Global account (Wise) | Company and transaction documents, as required by the platform | Limits and purposes defined by the platform | The pricing page refers IOF to the simulation; check the amount before sending |
| USDT | Invoice, beneficiary identification (name, country, TRC-20 wallet), purpose | BCB Resolution 521: international payment in stablecoin is treated as foreign exchange; US$ 100,000 per transaction when the counterparty is not authorized to carry out foreign exchange | The IOF decree sets no specific IOF rate for buying stablecoin; the treatment depends on the transaction and should be confirmed with your accountant. No exemption is promised |
The USDT rules are summarized in Resolution 521 and foreign exchange with stablecoins. On every path, confirm the tax treatment of each payment with your accountant.
What Swapo does in this picture
Swapo works only on the USDT path: it 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, uses liquidity from OTC desks, is not a counterparty and does not hold custody of the USDT. The intermediation fee (spread) starts at 0.8%, is shown before confirmation along with the TRON network fee, and is repeated on the receipt. The customer receives the transaction hash, which can be checked on public explorers such as Tronscan. Support is human, in Portuguese, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Virtual assets are not covered by the FGC (Brazil's deposit guarantee fund), USDT can lose its peg and a confirmed transfer is irreversible.
Questions to help you decide
- Does the supplier accept USDT and provide a network and wallet? If not, the path is already set.
- What are the amount and frequency? A fixed fee weighs more on small amounts; a spread weighs more on large ones.
- Is the urgency hours or days? Compare timing by when the end customer is credited, not just by when the payment is sent.
- What is the total cost in reais to deliver the same amount in dollars? Ask for the same simulation everywhere.
- Which documents will your accountant and the bank require? Gather the invoice, contract and beneficiary details before requesting quotes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to pay a supplier abroad?
There is no single answer, because the total cost adds up a fixed fee, spread, intermediary bank charges and IOF. The right comparison is to ask a bank, a broker, a global account and a USDT intermediary for the same simulation (for example, US$ 10,000 delivered to the supplier) and compare how much it costs in reais.
Does paying with USDT eliminate IOF?
There is no way to state that. Since February 2, 2026, BCB Resolution 521 treats international payment with stablecoin as a foreign exchange transaction, and the tax treatment depends on the transaction. Confirm with your accountant before choosing a path.
Which documents do I need to pay a supplier abroad?
In general, an invoice or supporting document for the purchase, the beneficiary's full details (name, country and account or wallet) and the purpose of the payment. Banks and brokers also formalize an exchange contract. For USDT, the supplier's TRC-20 wallet is part of the details.
Does a global account like Wise work for businesses?
Wise offers a business account. On the pricing page archived on 02/25/2026, the one-time fee was R$ 250 and the transfer fee started at 0.78%, depending on the currency. Limits, accepted purposes and IOF should be checked in the simulation and in the platform's terms.
Found it useful? Share it with anyone who pays suppliers abroad.
Sources
- Wise Empresas: tarifas e preços (versão arquivada em 25/02/2026) · Wise, via Wayback Machine, Feb 25, 2026
- Wise: tarifas para enviar dinheiro (versão arquivada em 01/03/2026) · Wise, via Wayback Machine, Mar 1, 2026
- G20 Roadmap for Cross-border Payments: Consolidated progress report for 2025 · Financial Stability Board, Oct 9, 2025
- Resolução BCB nº 521, de 10 de novembro de 2025 · Banco Central do Brasil, Nov 10, 2025
- Serviços bancários: tabela de tarifas de operações de câmbio (vigência a partir de 01/07/2024) · Bradesco, via Wayback Machine, Jul 1, 2024
- Paying for resources: Energy and Bandwidth burn rates · TRON Developer Hub
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.
