In FXC Intelligence's 2026 list of the world's top 100 cross-border payment providers, Ripple and Stellar were included alongside traditional payment and banking institutions such as Visa, Barclays, PayPal, and SWIFT. Foreign media believe this indicates that blockchain settlement networks are being re-evaluated within the mainstream payment infrastructure system.
The list covers traditional payment giants
This list is not specifically for the crypto industry, but rather covers the global cross-border payments market. Institutions included are Barclays, Bank of America, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank, and long-standing leaders in cross-border fund flows such as Visa, PayPal, BNY, and MoneyGram.
The article states that the inclusion of Ripple and Stellar alongside these institutions indicates a shift in the market's perception of blockchain networks. They are no longer seen as merely experimental technologies, but rather as payment infrastructure that can be used for actual clearing and transfers.
The two networks have different entry points.
The article mentions that Ripple has been continuously strengthening its position in cross-border settlement for institutions in recent years, focusing on serving banks, remittance service providers and financial intermediaries, aiming to improve liquidity efficiency and provide alternatives to the traditional correspondent banking system.
In contrast, Stellar places greater emphasis on low-cost transfers and inclusive financial scenarios, particularly targeting remittance needs in emerging markets. The article argues that while the two are often compared within the same sector, the specific payment scenarios they address are not entirely the same.
The payment industry is accelerating its integration.
Besides Ripple and Stellar, the list also includes other digital asset-related companies such as Circle, Coinbase, Binance, and Tether. The article argues that this indicates a deeper integration within the payments industry, with digital asset infrastructure gradually embedding itself into the existing financial system rather than operating independently of it.
The article also mentions that recently, Stellar and Ripple have been discussed as competitors in relation to DTCC-related tokenization projects. However, from a broader perspective of payment and tokenization strategies, different networks may be adopted based on compliance requirements, liquidity conditions, and settlement efficiency.
Foreign media commentators believe that the inclusion of Ripple and Stellar on this list simultaneously signals not one replacing the other, but rather that blockchain networks are being more broadly incorporated into the cross-border financial infrastructure system.
