North America · GDP rank #1

United States

US · USD @ 1.0000/USD

The world's largest card market remains stubbornly fragmented on rails: FedNow, RTP, Zelle and Nacha ACH compete where most peers run a single national instant scheme. Interchange revenue underwrites a rewards arms race that is now at structural risk from the 2024 CFPB §1033 open-banking rule and the GENIUS Act stablecoin framework, which entered OCC and Treasury rule-making during early 2026.

Tab 05

Cross-border

Inbound and outbound remittance corridors, tourism flows, FX markup on retail cross-border, and the country's posture on stablecoin adoption. Corridor figures come from the World Bank RPW feed or the publishing central bank; both are cited when they disagree.

Remittance inflows

US$7.6B

USD · 2023

Remittance outflows

US$87.0B

USD · 2023

Inbound tourism spend

US$215B

USD · 2024

Outbound tourism spend

US$175B

USD · 2024

Avg. corridor cost

5.8%

% · Q4 2024

Net position

Net sender

Top inbound corridors

  • CanadaUS$1.9B

    via bank

Top outbound corridors

  • MexicoUS$61.8B

    via MTO

  • IndiaUS$26.7B

    via MTO

  • PhilippinesUS$17.7B

    via MTO

Cross-border card

Card flow leaving and arriving

Cards issued domestically and used abroad reflect outbound consumer travel and cross-border e-commerce; volume acquired from abroad reflects inbound tourism and foreign online shoppers.

Issued volume spent abroad

US$175B

USD/year · 2024

Acquired volume from abroad

US$215B

USD/year · 2024

FX cost

What consumers pay above the interbank

Retail FX markup is the spread between the mid-market rate and the rate the consumer receives — the single largest friction point in small-ticket cross-border.

FX regime
free-float
Reference
USD is the global reserve currency; floats freely

Source · US Treasury OFAC

FX markup not reported.

Full reference

Remittances

Net Position: sender

Source: