Payment rails determine who participates
in the economy. Here's how they really
work. This is stronghold 101. Think of
payment rails like highways. More routes
means more access. Better infrastructure
means faster commerce. But most
businesses only have access to a few
roads as some have none at all. And that
exclusion cost the global economy
trillions. Traditional rail serve their
purpose well. Card networks enable
global commerce. Banks provide trusted
infrastructure. Swift connects
international markets, but gaps persist
everywhere. Some legal businesses can't
access traditional banking. Crossber
payments take 3 to 5 days. Small
transactions get priced out. Try sending
$10 internationally. Watch fees eat $5
or more. Each rail has its strengths and
its limitations.
AC is cheap but slow. Wires are reliable
but expensive. Cards are convenient but
costly for merchants. That's exactly why
choice matters. Here's what parallel
rails look like in practice. Traditional
wire transfer to Singapore. Dozens and
fees, multiple days. Stable coin
transfer on Stellar. Cents, minutes.
Same money moved, radically different
experience. Instant payment networks
already move trillions globally. And
alternative rails handle billions of
transactions monthly. The infrastructure
is proven and running at scale. The
challenge is just connecting it all.
Modern infrastructure finally creates
real options. Blockchain enables instant
settlement pathways. APIs bridge old and
new systems seamlessly, and competition
drives cost down across the board. At
Stronghold, we're rail agnostic. Connect
to traditional networks, leverage
emerging technologies, and let the smart
routing choice be the best path. More
rails mean more access, and more access
means more opportunity for everyone.
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