Across Asia-Pacific, access to affordable cross-border payments remains uneven. Many who rely on remittances, especially migrant and remote workers, face high costs and slow, inconsistent services, particularly on corridors with illiquid currencies. Despite global targets for cost, speed, access and transparency, progress varies widely. Layered fees, fragmented rails and barriers for smaller digital providers continue to exclude vulnerable users and keep underserved corridors behind.

This Working Group exists to support a more inclusive and affordable cross-border payments landscape by helping the industry reduce the structural costs that keep many corridors out of reach for the people who rely on them most. Its purpose is to build capability, deepen understanding and accelerate readiness across providers so they can deliver lower-cost, sustainable payment services.

Project Concorde focuses on addressing the disparities in cost and access by identifying the variables that drive total processing costs in cross-border payments. The initiative will equip financial service providers with a practical Tool Box that helps them understand and reduce their internal cost drivers, enabling them to offer more affordable services to end users while maintaining viable margins. Through shared insights, coordinated action and targeted tools, the Working Group supports a more efficient and inclusive cross-border payments ecosystem.

• Map barriers to affordable access across under-served corridors—including regulatory, infrastructural, and operational constraints.
• Impact–Effort Assessment Matrix
• Standards, technical requirements, and/or specifications relevant progress discussion.