CoinDeskA Bank of Italy mystery-shopping study tested 200 USDC remittances across 10 international corridors. Total customer costs ranged from 0.3% to almost 9%, with fiat conversion, FX spreads and on/off-ramp fees often removing the expected cost advantage over conventional remittance services.
USDC remittances tested
International corridors tested
Observed total customer cost
Watch whether follow-up sources disclose commercial launch, participating institutions, transaction limits, and measured settlement outcomes. Also confirm the regulatory setup for the stablecoin, custody, and fiat on/off ramps.
bank-of-italy-research-suggests-stablecoins-aren-t-nec-32fbaedbThe page already presents the summary and analysis. This section keeps only the copy, download, and technical source record without repeating the same reading view.
# Bank of Italy research suggests stablecoins aren't necessarily cheaper for remittances > Evidence tier: B1 > Evidence type: Independent digital asset media report > Source: [CoinDesk](https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/08/01/bank-of-italy-research-suggests-stablecoins-aren-t-necessarily-cheaper-for-remittances) > Published: 2026-08-01 > Captured: 2026-08-02T04:12:33.164Z ## Source summary A Bank of Italy mystery-shopping study tested 200 USDC remittances across 10 international corridors. Total customer costs ranged from 0.3% to almost 9%, with fiat conversion, FX spreads and on/off-ramp fees often removing the expected cost advantage over conventional remittance services. ## Why it matters For a remittance operator, faster blockchain settlement does not by itself produce a cheaper corridor. Before changing rails, the practical decision is whether both ends have liquid, compliant and low-cost cash-in and cash-out; otherwise the last mile can absorb the saving. ## Key numbers - **USDC remittances tested:** 200 - **International corridors tested:** 10 - **Observed total customer cost:** 0.3% to almost 9% ## Topics and entities - Industry lane: Web3 & stablecoin payments - Entities: Banca d'Italia - Web3 payments - Cross-border payments ## Evidence and credibility note Do not bypass subscription controls or republish restricted text. Keep permitted headline, date, metadata and direct link visible; use authorized UVA research access or public corroboration for body validation. Automatically extracted metadata and material claims should be checked against the linked original before investment use. Date evidence: Automatically verified from JSON-LD datePublished: 2026-08-01T16:00:00.000Z ## First-party corroboration - [https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/mercati-infrastrutture-e-sistemi-di-pagamento/approfondimenti/2026-086/N.86-MISP.pdf?language_id=1](/en/items/https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/mercati-infrastrutture-e-sistemi-di-pagamento/approfondimenti/2026-086/N.86-MISP.pdf?language_id=1) ## Original-source traceback [Open the original CoinDesk report](https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/08/01/bank-of-italy-research-suggests-stablecoins-aren-t-necessarily-cheaper-for-remittances) --- This is a structured Payments Hot Markdown source summary derived from external reporting. Use the original link above to read the publisher's article; copyright remains with the original publisher.