Cross Border Payments Singapore: A Practical Guide for Businesses

Singapore's position as a regional hub means most businesses here deal with international payments sooner rather than later — whether that is accepting card payments from customers in Malaysia, Australia or the US, paying a supplier in China or Japan, or receiving settlement from a platform operating in multiple currencies.

The challenge is not the volume — it is the fragmentation and opacity. Businesses often end up with one provider for card acceptance, a separate account for foreign currency, a different tool for outbound transfers, and no clear view of what each international transaction is actually costing them.

High FX markups, unclear SWIFT fees and settlement delays compound the problem. What looks like a manageable cost at low volume quickly becomes a significant drag on margin as you grow. A cost-effective cross-border setup brings these pieces together: transparent FX, predictable transfer fees and a single reporting view so you know exactly what each international payment costs.

When a customer pays with a card issued outside Singapore, ONE charges 3.4% plus USD 0.50 per transaction. There is no setup fee and no monthly fee — you only pay when you get paid. That rate covers the major card brands your international customers expect: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB and UnionPay. Apple Pay and Google Pay are included for fast mobile checkout, and PayNow is available for local SGD payments.

You can start accepting payments through a hosted checkout page, a shareable payment link, or a direct API integration — whichever fits your workflow. Because everything runs through one platform, you get a unified view of domestic and international card revenue in a single dashboard, without reconciling multiple providers or dealing with different payout timelines.

For businesses that sell to both local and international customers, the structure is straightforward: domestic cards are charged at 2.7% plus USD 0.50, and international cards add 0.7% on top. No hidden network fees or currency surcharges on top of that.

ONE's multi-currency account lets you hold balances in 13 currencies: SGD, USD, AUD, CAD, CHF, CNY, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NOK, NZD and SEK. Holding funds in the currency you received them in means you convert only when you need to — which reduces the number of FX conversions and gives you more control over your timing.

When you do convert, FX is charged at 1.00% above the interbank rate — a clear reference point that is easy to verify, rather than an opaque internal rate with an undisclosed markup.

For outgoing local transfers, the fee is a flat USD 2.00 per transaction — a cost-effective option for day-to-day supplier payments and payroll. SWIFT international transfers are also supported (USD 28 outgoing flat; 2% minimum USD 20 incoming), though for most Singapore businesses the focus is on local rails where available, since they are faster and cheaper. Keeping your multi-currency balance and transfers on the same platform means your FX costs are visible, your transfers are tracked in one place, and your month-end reconciliation is straightforward.

Paying out to multiple recipients across borders — suppliers, contractors, platform sellers or marketplace participants — is where fragmented setups really show their cost. Batch payouts and API-triggered disbursements let you move funds at scale without creating a manual process for each payment.

ONE supports outgoing transfers in multiple currencies, with a local transfer fee of USD 2.00 and SWIFT available for destinations not covered by local rails. For platforms and marketplaces collecting from customers in one country and paying out in another, having both the acceptance and the payout leg on one platform closes the loop: you see the full flow from collection to disbursement, the FX is applied once at 1.00% above interbank, and reporting covers both sides.

For SaaS businesses and subscription platforms expanding into new markets, consolidating payouts through one provider also simplifies compliance and audit trails — you have a single record of every outgoing payment rather than piecing together exports from different tools. If your payout volume is significant, volume discounts may be available — reach out to the ONE team to discuss.

The real gain from an all-in-one platform is not any single fee — it is the time and cost saved by not running three or four separate systems. With ONE, card acceptance, multi-currency accounts, FX conversion and international transfers all sit inside one dashboard. You see your full payment picture in one place, your reconciliation lines up, and you are not chasing monthly statements from multiple providers.

Pricing is transparent and predictable: no setup fee, no monthly fee, clear per-transaction rates and a known FX margin. For higher-volume businesses, custom rates are available — it is worth a conversation as you scale. Volume discounts can meaningfully reduce your blended cost once international payments make up a significant part of your revenue.

For Singapore businesses looking to grow regionally or globally, the setup is designed to be cost-efficient from day one and scalable as you add currencies, markets and payment methods. You can see the full cost breakdown on the one.ooo pricing page, or contact the ONE team to talk through a setup that fits your business.

Regulated payment services are provided by Airwallex (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., a MAS-licensed Major Payment Institution under the Payment Services Act 2019. ONE Payments acts as a technology provider and merchant service facilitator.

ONE Payments Pte. Ltd. (UEN 202324291R) is registered in Singapore and operates as a technology and merchant services platform. The capabilities described on this page — multi-currency accounts, card acceptance, FX conversion and international transfers — are provided by ONE Payments. Payment processing, fund holding and settlement of regulated payment activities are carried out by the licensed regulated partner named above. Information on this page is provided for general guidance only and does not constitute financial, legal or regulatory advice. Fees quoted are current at the time of writing — please confirm the latest pricing and services available for your specific business when onboarding. Contact the ONE Payments team for details about your setup.