Morning Edition · Sunday, August 2, 2026Published at 1:31 AM EDT · New York
Bank of Italy Study Finds Stablecoin Remittances Often No Cheaper Than Traditional Transfers
A mystery-shopping experiment found that exchange fees, foreign-exchange spreads, and banking systems erase the on-chain savings that stablecoins are marketed on.

Research from the Bank of Italy, the country's central bank, concludes that stablecoins are not necessarily cheaper than conventional means for sending money across borders. Using a mystery-shopping experiment that priced real transfers, th…
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Race to Bank and Distribute Stablecoin Reserves
Over 3-6 months, established financial and payments firms compete to custody stablecoin reserves and embed stablecoin rails into cross-border settlement, institutionalizing the plumbing beneath stablecoins.
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