Imagine sending an instant message in 2025 that takes five days, going through three transfer stations along the way, with fees deducted at each station. It sounds like something from before the Industrial Revolution, but this is precisely the reality of cross-border transfers in TradFi.

When we casually talk about millisecond settlements in Web3, the bank wire transfer system is still using methods from fifty years ago. The SWIFT system, on the surface, is the backbone of global finance, but in reality, it resembles an old city full of cumbersome checkpoints, each of which charges a fee.

**Why is SWIFT ridiculously slow?**

Simply put, SWIFT is a credit relay race. When you transfer money from Beijing to Brazil, the money doesn't fly over; instead, it is completed through a series of debit and credit operations involving intermediary banks. This structure is inherently inefficient—each node involves a data check, a settlement delay, and a fee. Five days is not the limit; sometimes waiting, approval, and checks can extend the time even longer.

Moreover, the fees are ridiculously high. With remote bank fees, intermediary bank fees, and agent bank fees piling up, how many users really understand the cost ratio of small transfers? Most people are just being taken advantage of without even realizing it.

**Rethinking On-Chain Stablecoins**

For stablecoins like USDD based on the TRON network, the underlying logic is completely different. Every transaction of USDD is an atomic operation on the blockchain, without any intermediaries. From Beijing to Brazil? It arrives in seconds. There are no multiple transfer stations, and no fees deducted at each station.

The more crucial aspect is transparency. Every transaction is traceable on the chain, and the fees are clear at a glance, with no behind-the-scenes manipulation. Transfers between wallets are as fast as information transmission, which is how finance should be.

**Power is quietly shifting**

After all, this is a process of power restructuring. SWIFT is controlled by traditional financial institutions, and every link follows the rules set by them. But what about on-chain payment systems? They are open, transparent, and truly under the control of users.

It's not that SWIFT will disappear overnight, but the user's choices are increasing. When you can receive stablecoins instantly, do you still have to wait five days?

This is not just a matter of technological upgrade, but also a game of efficiency and trust. The days of the old system are indeed being gradually eroded.