Leakage index · 72 international contractor markets · 72 corridors ranked
The Global Cross-Border Banking Leakage Index (2026)
Comparing traditional correspondent wire deductions and hidden exchange rate markups across 72 international contractor markets.
Average retail bank spread
3.8%
typical correspondent wire + FX markup on a $1,000 payout.
Modern digital rails
0.45%
aggregate spread on regulated money-transfer rails like Wise.
Worst corridor penalty
$93
on $1,000 to Iraq (IQD).
| Rank | Country & Currency | Typical Bank Wire Penalty ($ on $1k) | Best Digital Rail | Savings % | Direct Audit Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Iraq IQD | $93 | Wise | 8.1% | Audit IQD |
| #2 | Ghana GHS | $91 | Wise | 8.3% | Audit GBP-TO-GHS |
| #3 | Nigeria NGN | $89 | Wise | 8.1% | Audit GBP-TO-NGN |
| #4 | Kenya KES | $87 | Wise | 7.9% | Audit GBP-TO-KES |
| #5 | South Africa ZAR | $85 | Wise | 7.9% | Audit GBP-TO-ZAR |
| #6 | Nigeria NGN | $83 | Wise | 7.5% | Audit EUR-TO-NGN |
| #7 | Bangladesh BDT | $83 | Wise | 7.6% | Audit GBP-TO-BDT |
| #8 | Turkey TRY | $81 | Wise | 7.4% | Audit EUR-TO-TRY |
| #9 | Kenya KES | $81 | Wise | 7.3% | Audit EUR-TO-KES |
| #10 | Philippines PHP | $80 | Wise | 7.4% | Audit GBP-TO-PHP |
| #11 | Egypt EGP | $80 | Wise | 7.3% | Audit GBP-TO-EGP |
| #12 | Brazil BRL | $78 | Wise | 7.1% | Audit EUR-TO-BRL |
| #13 | Pakistan PKR | $76 | Wise | 7.0% | Audit GBP-TO-PKR |
| #14 | Mexico MXN | $75 | Wise | 6.8% | Audit EUR-TO-MXN |
| #15 | Argentina ARS | $73 | Wise | 6.3% | Audit ARS |
| #16 | Philippines PHP | $72 | Wise | 6.6% | Audit EUR-TO-PHP |
| #17 | Bangladesh BDT | $72 | Wise | 6.5% | Audit EUR-TO-BDT |
| #18 | Egypt EGP | $71 | Wise | 6.4% | Audit EUR-TO-EGP |
| #19 | Brazil BRL | $68 | Wise | 6.1% | Audit BRL |
| #20 | United Kingdom GBP | $68 | Wise | 6.1% | Audit GBP |
| #21 | Eurozone EUR | $68 | Wise | 6.1% | Audit EUR |
| #22 | Nigeria NGN | $68 | Wise | 6.1% | Audit NGN |
| #23 | Bangladesh BDT | $68 | Wise | 6.1% | Audit BDT |
| #24 | Egypt EGP | $68 | Wise | 6.1% | Audit EGP |
| #25 | South Africa ZAR | $68 | Wise | 6.1% | Audit ZAR |
| #26 | Pakistan PKR | $68 | Wise | 6.3% | Audit EUR-TO-PKR |
| #27 | Ukraine UAH | $67 | Wise | 5.8% | Audit UAH |
| #28 | Zambia ZMW | $67 | Wise | 5.6% | Audit ZMW |
| #29 | Ghana GHS | $66 | Wise | 5.5% | Audit GHS |
| #30 | Pakistan PKR | $65 | Wise | 5.8% | Audit PKR |
| #31 | Kenya KES | $65 | Wise | 5.8% | Audit KES |
| #32 | Turkey TRY | $65 | Wise | 5.8% | Audit TRY |
| #33 | India INR | $64 | Wise | 5.7% | Audit INR |
| #34 | Colombia COP | $64 | Wise | 5.7% | Audit COP |
| #35 | Uruguay UYU | $64 | Wise | 5.7% | Audit UYU |
| #36 | Costa Rica CRC | $64 | Wise | 5.7% | Audit CRC |
| #37 | Tanzania TZS | $63 | Wise | 5.3% | Audit TZS |
| #38 | Rwanda RWF | $63 | Wise | 5.3% | Audit RWF |
| #39 | India INR | $63 | Wise | 5.8% | Audit EUR-TO-INR |
| #40 | Indonesia IDR | $63 | Wise | 5.7% | Audit EUR-TO-IDR |
| #41 | Vietnam VND | $62 | Wise | 5.5% | Audit VND |
| #42 | Indonesia IDR | $62 | Wise | 5.5% | Audit IDR |
| #43 | Bosnia and Herzegovina BAM | $62 | Wise | 5.5% | Audit BAM |
| #44 | Georgia GEL | $62 | Wise | 5.5% | Audit GEL |
| #45 | Croatia EUR | $60 | Wise | 5.3% | Audit HRK |
| #46 | Uganda UGX | $60 | Wise | 5.1% | Audit UGX |
| #47 | India INR | $60 | Wise | 5.5% | Audit GBP-TO-INR |
| #48 | Sweden SEK | $59 | Wise | 5.2% | Audit SEK |
| #49 | Norway NOK | $59 | Wise | 5.2% | Audit NOK |
| #50 | Denmark DKK | $59 | Wise | 5.2% | Audit DKK |
| #51 | Vietnam VND | $59 | Wise | 5.4% | Audit EUR-TO-VND |
| #52 | Thailand THB | $58 | Wise | 5.2% | Audit THB |
| #53 | Philippines PHP | $55 | Wise | 4.8% | Audit PHP |
| #54 | Morocco MAD | $55 | Wise | 4.8% | Audit MAD |
| #55 | Peru PEN | $55 | Wise | 4.9% | Audit PEN |
| #56 | Chile CLP | $53 | Wise | 4.7% | Audit CLP |
| #57 | Nepal NPR | $53 | Wise | 4.7% | Audit NPR |
| #58 | Poland PLN | $53 | Wise | 4.9% | Audit GBP-TO-PLN |
| #59 | Mexico MXN | $52 | Wise | 4.7% | Audit MXN |
| #60 | Sri Lanka LKR | $51 | Wise | 4.5% | Audit LKR |
| #61 | Romania RON | $50 | Wise | 4.5% | Audit RON |
| #62 | UAE AED | $50 | Wise | 4.5% | Audit AED |
| #63 | Saudi Arabia SAR | $50 | Wise | 4.5% | Audit SAR |
| #64 | Malaysia MYR | $49 | Wise | 4.3% | Audit MYR |
| #65 | Serbia RSD | $49 | Wise | 4.4% | Audit RSD |
| #66 | Bulgaria BGN | $47 | Wise | 4.2% | Audit BGN |
| #67 | Kazakhstan KZT | $47 | Wise | 4.2% | Audit KZT |
| #68 | Czechia CZK | $46 | Wise | 4.1% | Audit CZK |
| #69 | Poland PLN | $45 | Wise | 4.1% | Audit PLN |
| #70 | Hungary HUF | $44 | Wise | 4.0% | Audit HUF |
| #71 | Singapore SGD | $42 | Wise | 3.8% | Audit SGD |
| #72 | Hong Kong HKD | $41 | Wise | 3.7% | Audit HKD |
How the index is computed
Each corridor is benchmarked at a $1,000 gross payment with a 0% platform cut — isolating the pure banking layer. The bank-wire penalty stacks the corridor's own direct-wire fee, the default receiving bank's intermediary SWIFT cut (from the statutory bank database), and the hidden FX markup. Net savings compare that total against the cheapest digital rail's fee and spread on the same corridor, so Singapore, Sweden, Brazil, Pakistan and Mexico each land on their own authentic benchmark.
Figures are indicative public benchmarks compiled from merchant and commercial rate cards — not quotes or guaranteed mid-market rates. Confirm live rates and fees with your provider before transacting.
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