June 11 – Payment and Banking Issues in International Trade – Including Crypto as a Payment Method

Presented By: Viktoria Soltesz

1. Payment and Banking Are Not Just Finance Tasks

• Payments and banking affect operations, timing, tech, risk, product, and customer experience.
• Treating them as a sub-function of finance is a common—and costly—mistake.
• Import/export businesses often overlook this in planning.
• The issue is the lack of education.

2. Real Risks in Cross-Border Payments

• How “banks think”.
• Why banks freeze accounts or reject or delay transfers.
• Sanctioned or high-risk jurisdictions.
• A poor treasury function causes silent losses on margins.
• Regulatory mismatches between sender, receiver, and goods flow.

3. Common Setup Mistakes in Import/Export

• Registering entities in “tax-friendly” countries while ignoring banking risks.
• Using nominee directors/shareholders.
• Lack of local banking and payment options.

6. How Poor Planning Leads to Lost Funds

• Case study 1: €200k stuck due to sending USD via SWIFT to a EUR SEPA account. Funds were returned only after 2 months, minus FX and investigation fees.
• Case study 2: Accepting funds from China – a country with capital controls – international payments are subject to SAFE’s review, leading to delay.

7. Crypto as a Payment Method
Benefits: speed, low cost, borderless. less regulated

Problems:

• Damages traditional banking relationships
• Compliance exposure if poorly documented
• Volatility risk—profit manipulation
• Accounting and taxation problems

8. When to Use Crypto in International Trade
Only if:

• The origin of funds can be checked
• You can document the full transaction trail
• You have separate wallets/accounts for each legal entity
• You have already disclosed it to your banking partner
• Both your tax advisor and accountant know and approve the process

9. The Importance of the Payment and Banking Strategy

• How to plan for cash flows.
• How to adapt to ever changing tech innovations, regulation news, and fir them to your company needs.
• Build operations around what’s possible, not the other way around.
• Choose tools (banks, PSPs, crypto) after the strategy is clear.

The Soltesz Payment Framework
Easy to implement 8 step framework, for all international companies:

1. Collect Information
2. Create a Visual Group Chart
3. Identify Relationships and Key Personnel
4. Consider Fees and Taxes
5. Define Terms and Timelines
6. Plan Hedging and Foreign Exchange (FX)
7. Conduct a Comprehensive Risk Assessment
8. Establish Ongoing Monitoring and Evaluation

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