A field guide to moving money online
Where the internet’s money actually works.
Which payment, payout, multi-currency and stablecoin products a business can use in each country, and how customers around the world prefer to pay. 29 providers and 170 countries, 65 reviewed in depth, every fact sourced.
Who the internet’s money reaches
Only 39% of the world’s people live where a local business can choose from 8 or more global payment providers. Another 27% live where 3 or fewer will sign one up. For 20% of the world, the local rules leave room for stablecoins to fill that gap.
- Well served39%8 or more providers
- Thin coverage30%4 to 7 providers
- Gap, with a stablecoin path20%3 or fewer providers
- Gap, stablecoins restricted7%3 or fewer providers
- Closed4%Sanctions or provider exits
Share of the world’s population, by how many of the 19 payment, account and payout providers we track will onboard a business registered in their country. Population: World Bank, population 2024. How we classify countries.
Who’s missing out
2.2 billion people live where 3 or fewer global payment providers will sign up a local business. 494 million of them work for themselves, from market traders to freelancers: the small businesses with the fewest ways to get paid by customers abroad.
Sources: World Bank / ITU, internet users, World Bank Global Findex, account ownership, World Bank / ILO, self-employment. Self-employed includes market traders, farmers and freelancers (ILO estimates).
Find what works for you
My business is registered in and I want to from customers in .
21 providers can help a business in United States accept payments.
Cards, wallets and 100+ local payment methods. You can sell to customers in almost every country.
PayPal wallet, cards and (in the US) Venmo at checkout, with buyer and seller protection.
Online payments with cards and 160+ local methods, settled into multiple currencies.
Payment links and Quick Pay for getting paid. This is not a full online checkout.
Invoices your customers pay by card or ACH debit, also available through the API.
Accept stablecoin payments, kept as stablecoins or converted to fiat.
May work for businesses in United States, but we have not reviewed it yet: EBANX.
Not available to businesses in United States: Mercado Pago, Paystack, Xendit.
The map
How open is each country?
The deeper the violet, the more global payment companies will onboard a business registered there. Click a country to see the detail.
See where the gaps are →01
Where you are registered decides who will onboard you
Payment companies are licensed country by country. A business in Lagos and one in London get very different options, even when selling the same product to the same customers.
02
Where your customers are decides how they want to pay
Cards work almost everywhere, but Brazilians reach for Pix, Kenyans for M-Pesa, the Dutch for iDEAL. Offering the local method often matters more than the price.
03
Stablecoins are legal in some places, banned in others
Dollar-backed stablecoins move across borders in minutes, but the rules for using them to pay range from full licensing regimes to outright bans.
Who’s who
The providers
Payments infrastructure for internet businesses
One platform for online and in-person payments at scale
Enterprise payments with deep Middle East and European reach
Digital wallet and checkout used in 200+ markets
Global merchant acquirer for large businesses
Global business account with local rails in dozens of countries
Multi-currency account at the mid-market rate
Getting paid from abroad, especially in emerging markets
PayPal’s payout platform for marketplaces and gig platforms
One contract to sell and pay out across emerging markets
Corporate cards and bill pay for US companies
Business banking built for startups
Stablecoin APIs for moving, storing and issuing money (a Stripe company)
Stablecoin payments infrastructure (a Mastercard company)
Card issuing powered by stablecoins
Merchant of record for software, SaaS and app businesses
Stripe’s merchant of record service for digital products
Open-source merchant of record for software and digital products
Creator storefront that is merchant of record for all sales
Merchant of record for software, SaaS and digital products
Merchant of record for SaaS, AI and digital products
Estonian merchant of record for SaaS and digital products
Card acquiring, local payment methods, payouts, wallets and issuing
Mercado Libre's payments arm: online checkout and local methods
Local payment methods and payouts in Latin America, Africa and Asia
Payments and payouts across African markets, plus US and UK
Online payments for businesses in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa
Payment gateway for India, with Malaysia, Singapore and the US
Payments and payouts for Southeast Asia and Hong Kong
Stablecoin rules
See every countryLegal in some places. Banned in others.
Keep us honest
Spotted something wrong?
Tell us.
Every fact has a source and an “Is this right?” button. Vote, suggest a fix, or point us to a better source. Payment companies can submit corrections too.