Morph has published a survey on cross-border payments among businesses in five Asia-Pacific markets, finding that 94% of respondents want an alternative payment option.

The research covered 150 independent operators, freelancers, solo consultants and business decision-makers involved in cross-border payments in Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Delays in receiving funds remained a common problem after an international payment was sent. Some 83% of respondents said they wait at least two business days for international invoice payments to reach their local business bank accounts.

Costs were another concern. Some 65% said they lose at least 3% of international earnings to fees and foreign exchange, while 79% identified transaction fees and FX markups as a problem in cross-border payments.

Businesses also pointed to uncertainty over when money would arrive. According to the findings, 68% said slow processing had made it harder to manage incoming money, and 66% said they struggled to predict when a cross-border payment would arrive.

The report examined whether stablecoins could serve as a complementary payment rail for businesses facing those frictions. While interest appeared high, current use remained limited.

Among 149 respondents familiar with stablecoins, 38% said they were actively evaluating adoption within the next 12 to 24 months, and a further 26% said they might consider it later. Only 15 of those 149 respondents, or 10%, said they currently use stablecoins.

Expectations for wider use were stronger than current adoption levels. Among respondents familiar with stablecoins, 78% thought stablecoins or programmable tokenised cash were at least somewhat likely to become a standard checkout or payout option in their industry within three years, with 44% saying this was absolutely or very likely.

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