International Transfer Fees for Canadian Businesses (2025 Guide)

The Real Cost of Going Global

For Canadian businesses expanding across borders, paying suppliers, contractors, or partners abroad can feel more complex, and costly, than it should. Between fluctuating exchange rates, intermediary deductions, and hidden service charges, the final amount that leaves your account often doesn’t match what your international partner receives.

The challenge isn’t just what you pay, it’s understanding what you’re really paying for.

While traditional financial providers often advertise “flat” international transfer fees, those headline numbers rarely reflect the total cost. Behind every transaction are FX markups, wire network fees, and processing delays that quietly erode your margins. For growing companies managing frequent USD, GBP, or EUR payments, those small percentages add up to thousands each year. Learn more about how to reduce costs on incoming USD payments in our blog here!

Example: A $50,000 CAD transfer with a 2.5% FX markup means $1,250 lost on currency conversion alone, before accounting for outgoing or receiving fees.

The reality is that global payment costs are no longer just about wire fees. They’re shaped by how your provider connects to payment networks, how it handles currency exchange, and how transparent it is about the markups in between.

That’s why leading Canadian SMBs are rethinking how they move money, shifting toward multi-currency infrastructure that offers predictable, transparent pricing and faster delivery times.

Venn was built to change that, giving companies a faster, transparent way to move money between Canada, the U.S., and beyond, without hidden FX markups or slow legacy rails.

What Canadian Businesses Actually Pay for International Transfers

Even with digitization transforming payments, the fee structures behind international transfers remain opaque. Most businesses see only the upfront charge but not the layers beneath it.

Here’s what Canadian companies typically pay when sending or receiving international payments through major providers in 2025:

Base Transfer Fees: The Starting Point

Traditional providers in Canada charge between $30 and $80 CAD per outgoing international wire transfer, depending on amount and destination.

• Small transfers (under $10,000 CAD): usually $30–$40
  
• Mid-range transfers ($10,000–$50,000 CAD): $50–$60
  
• Larger transfers: up to $80 or more
  

Incoming international payments can also trigger deductions, typically $15–$25 CAD per transaction, often withdrawn directly from the amount received.

Venn charges between $6-10 for international wires, the cheapest way to send money overseas for Canadians.

The Invisible Costs: FX Markups, SWIFT Fees, and Delays

1. Exchange Rate Markups

The foreign exchange (FX) markup is the most significant hidden cost for many businesses.
While the “mid-market rate” reflects the true value between two currencies, most financial institutions add a 2–4% spread on top.

For a $100,000 USD transfer, a 3% markup translates to roughly $3,000 in lost value. These markups are rarely disclosed transparently, making cost forecasting difficult for finance teams managing regular cross-border payments.

2. Intermediary and Network Fees

If your payment travels via the SWIFT network, intermediary institutions can deduct small but unpredictable fees, typically $15–$50 per transaction. These fees are applied en route, meaning your recipient often receives less than you sent, complicating reconciliation.

3. Processing Time Delays

Transfers between Canadian and U.S. accounts often take 1–3 business days via traditional channels, and up to 5 days for farther destinations. That lag creates cash flow gaps, especially for SMBs managing recurring supplier payments.

Breaking Down International Payment Fees (2025 Overview)

Understanding what drives international transfer costs is essential for Canadian finance teams looking to forecast cash flow accurately. While most providers publish a simple “transfer fee,” the reality involves several distinct cost layers — each controlled by a different part of the payment infrastructure.

Here’s how those layers stack up in 2025:

1. Outgoing vs. Incoming Fees

Even before currency conversion, a typical cross-border transaction can incur three to four separate charges, often deducted at different points in the process.

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2. FX Markups and Mid-Market Rate Variance

The foreign exchange (FX) markup is the largest and least visible contributor to cost. Providers rarely exchange currency at the mid-market rate, the rate you’d see on Google or Reuters. Instead, they apply a spread of 2–4% to generate revenue on conversion.

Tip: Always compare your provider’s offered rate to the mid-market rate before confirming a transfer. Even a 1% difference on $50,000 equals $500 in hidden cost.

Example

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For businesses sending multiple payments monthly, those markups compound quickly, turning operational expenses into unplanned margin loss.

3. Intermediary and Network Fees

When funds travel through the SWIFT network, they often pass through two or more correspondent institutions. Each intermediary can deduct a service charge before forwarding the payment.

• Typical intermediary deduction: $15–$50 CAD
  
• Number of intermediaries per route: 1–3 (depending on currency and destination)
  
• Result: Recipient may receive less than the amount sent, complicating invoice reconciliation
  

Providers that rely solely on SWIFT are more exposed to these unpredictable deductions and longer processing times.

4. Processing Speeds and Cut-Off Windows

Transfer speed directly affects working capital management.

• SWIFT transfers: 1–5 business days depending on destination and intermediary count
  
• Local payment networks: typically same or next business day
  

Delayed transfers can impact supplier relationships and limit a company’s ability to capitalize on early-payment discounts.

5. Summary: Where the Real Costs Come From

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The takeaway? Transfer fees aren’t the real problem, markups and network inefficiencies are. Understanding where your costs come from helps you evaluate new platforms on infrastructure rather than just headline pricing.

Why Exchange Rates Matter More Than Fees

When Canadian businesses compare international payment providers, most focus on the visible fee. The $30 or $50 line item labeled as the transfer cost.
But in practice, exchange rate markups are where the real costs hide.

Even small FX spreads, often just one or two percent, can quietly eclipse all other charges combined. For companies paying invoices or managing payroll in foreign currencies, that difference compounds with every transaction.

Understanding the Mid-Market Rate

The mid-market rate (sometimes called the interbank rate) represents the midpoint between the buy and sell rates on global currency markets. It’s the most accurate reflection of what one currency is worth relative to another at a given moment.

However, most traditional providers don’t offer that rate directly. Instead, they apply a markup or spread, converting your funds at a less favorable rate to generate margin.

How FX Markups Add Up

Even a small percentage difference can significantly affect large or recurring transfers.

Here’s how much that markup costs Canadian businesses in real terms:

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Insight: For finance leaders, FX markups act like a silent tax on growth, draining profitability with every cross-border transaction.

Why Markups Are Hard to Spot

Providers rarely disclose their FX spreads transparently. Instead, they present “convenient” all-in rates that obscure how much of the margin comes from currency conversion.

Key red flags:

• Exchange rates that differ by more than 1.5% from public mid-market data (e.g., Google, Reuters).
  
• “No transfer fee” claims, often offset by higher FX margins.
  
• Lack of transparency on when exchange rates are locked in (real-time vs. end-of-day).
  

FX Example: What Businesses Actually Pay

The following example compares how the same $100,000 CAD transfer to USD can vary depending on provider type:

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This illustrates how a business could lose nearly $1,800 CAD per $100,000 transfer simply from FX markups, even if both providers advertise “low fees.”

How Transparent FX Supports Smarter Planning

For SMB finance leaders, clarity on FX rates directly improves forecasting and budgeting accuracy.
Transparent rates allow teams to:

• Anticipate conversion costs with precision
  
• Lock in favorable exchange rates when the market moves
  
• Reconcile invoices accurately without unexplained variances
  

Modern infrastructure gives businesses the ability to see, control, and optimize their FX exposure rather than absorbing it as a sunk cost.

How Modern Payment Infrastructure Cuts Costs

While traditional international transfers rely on legacy wire systems like SWIFT, new infrastructure built on local payment rails is changing how Canadian businesses move money abroad.

Instead of routing funds through multiple intermediaries, each taking a fee and adding time, modern platforms connect directly to domestic payment networks in each market. This allows funds to move faster, cheaper, and more predictably between currencies and countries.

The Old Way: SWIFT and Intermediary Chains

Most traditional transfers move through the SWIFT network, a messaging system that coordinates transfers between correspondent institutions. Each intermediary along the chain may deduct a small fee, often between $15–$50 CAD, before the payment reaches its destination.

In addition to higher costs, this multi-hop process creates delays and uncertainty:

• Transfers can take 1–5 business days depending on time zones and routing paths
  
• Recipients may receive less than the intended amount due to intermediary deductions
  
• Businesses face reconciliation delays and unpredictable processing timelines
  

The New Way: Local Payment Networks

Modern payment providers leverage local clearing systems, like ACH in the U.S., SEPA in Europe, and Faster Payments in the U.K., to send and receive funds within each currency’s domestic framework.

For Canadian SMBs paying suppliers, contractors, or partners abroad, this approach eliminates most intermediary deductions and delivers funds faster.

Here’s how the two models compare:

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💡 Insight: Payments routed locally don’t cross international networks, which means no intermediary deductions, faster settlement, and clearer reconciliation for finance teams.

Multi-Currency Accounts: Reducing Conversion Frequency

Multi-currency accounts further reduce FX costs by allowing businesses to hold, send, and receive funds in multiple currencies, CAD, USD, GBP, and EUR -without converting immediately.

This helps teams:

• Avoid unnecessary FX conversions on incoming USD or EUR revenue
  
• Time conversions strategically when rates are most favorable
  
• Settle supplier invoices in their local currency directly
  

Instead of paying the conversion spread every time a payment crosses borders, businesses can consolidate global operations through one multi-currency structure.

Summary: Efficiency Is the New Savings

When evaluating cross-border payment options, the lowest advertised fee isn’t always the most cost-effective.
Real savings come from:

• Using local payment rails instead of SWIFT
  
• Reducing FX conversions through multi-currency accounts
  
• Automating reconciliation and accounting integration to prevent costly errors
  

Together, these infrastructure shifts are reshaping how Canadian companies manage global payments, creating a faster, more predictable way to move money internationally.

Canada’s Regulatory Shifts: What’s Changing in 2025

The international payments landscape is undergoing one of its biggest transitions in decades.
For Canadian businesses, these regulatory shifts are designed to increase transparency, improve interoperability, and strengthen consumer protection — but they also have direct implications for cost and operational efficiency.

In 2025, three major developments are reshaping how payments are processed and priced:

1. Open Banking
   
2. ISO 20022 adoption
   
3. Enhanced transparency under FINTRAC oversight

Open Banking: Data Sharing Meets Payment Innovation

Open Banking is an emerging framework that allows consumers and businesses to securely share financial data with approved third parties. For SMBs, this means the potential for faster onboarding, better rate comparison tools, and more integrated financial management systems.

When fully implemented, Open Banking could:

• Enable direct connections between accounting tools and payment providers
  
• Eliminate redundant identity verification steps across platforms
  
• Drive competitive pricing through data-driven transparency
  

ISO 20022: Global Payment Language Standardization

In March 2025, the U.S. Federal Reserve and several major payment systems began migrating to ISO 20022, a universal standard for payment messaging. Canada’s modernization is following suit, led by Payments Canada.

For businesses, this standardization means:

• Faster cross-border reconciliation, thanks to standardized data fields
  
• Fewer failed or delayed payments, due to consistent formatting
  
• More detailed remittance data, improving invoice tracking and automation
  

ISO 20022 doesn’t directly reduce transfer fees, but it reduces friction and human error, both of which contribute to hidden operational costs.

FINTRAC and Safeguarding: Transparency in Motion

As global payment systems evolve, compliance and transparency remain central.
Under FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada), registered payment service providers must adhere to rigorous anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Business (KYB) standards.

For legitimate Canadian SMBs, this means stronger fund protection and clearer transaction visibility — without compromising speed or access to global networks.

Providers that maintain direct regulatory registration, rather than operating under intermediaries, can often offer more consistent fee structures and faster resolution of cross-border issues.

Summary: Canada’s 2025 Payment Regulation Landscape

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Why These Changes Matter for SMBs

These regulatory shifts may feel technical, but for SMB finance teams they translate into practical benefits:

• Fewer unexplained deductions on international payments
  
• Faster settlement and reconciliation cycles
  
• Access to more transparent FX rates
  
• Stronger protection of business funds under direct safeguarding models
  

In short: Canada’s evolving payments framework is making it easier — and safer — for small and mid-sized businesses to operate globally.

International Transfer Fee Calculator: Estimating Your True Costs

Even when providers promote “low transfer fees,” the real cost of sending money internationally often includes several hidden layers.
A practical way to uncover them is by breaking down every charge — from base fees to FX markups and network deductions — into a single transparent equation.

How to Estimate Your True Transfer Cost

You can calculate your total cost per transfer using this simple framework:

Total Transfer Cost = Base Fee + (Transfer Amount × FX Markup %) + Intermediary Fees + Additional Service Charges

Here’s a static calculator-style table showing how those variables combine to reveal the true cost of an international transfer:

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How to Use This Framework

1. Identify your provider’s advertised transfer fee
   → This is usually the only visible fee, but it’s rarely the largest.
   
2. Check your FX rate against the mid-market rate
   → Use a public source (like Google’s exchange rate) to estimate your markup percentage.
   
3. Add intermediary or receiving fees
   → If you’re sending via SWIFT, assume $25–$50 may be deducted mid-transfer.
   
4. Include recurring frequency
   → Multiply your total by 12 or 24 to understand your annualized cost impact.
   

Example Calculation

Let’s say your business sends a $50,000 CAD payment to a U.S. supplier every month:

• Transfer fee: $50
  
• FX markup: 2.5% ($1,250)
  
• SWIFT deductions: $25–$50
  

That adds up to roughly $1,325 per transfer, or $15,900 annually if you send just one payment per month.

Tip: If your provider offers local payment delivery instead of SWIFT, you could save over $1,000 per transfer by eliminating intermediary and markup-based fees.

Why This Matters for Finance Teams

Building a transparent cost model helps finance leaders:

• Accurately forecast international payables
  
• Validate whether “no-fee” offers hide FX spreads
  
• Quantify savings opportunities when evaluating new platforms
  
• Support compliance and audit readiness with clear breakdowns
  

Compliance Note

Figures shown above are examples for informational purposes only and do not represent actual or guaranteed exchange rates or provider fees. Always confirm pricing directly with your payment provider or financial advisor before making transfer decisions.

Making International Transfers More Predictable

For Canadian businesses, managing international transfers isn’t just about lowering fees, it’s about gaining clarity, control, and consistency.
By understanding the full cost equation, from FX markups and intermediary deductions to regulatory changes shaping transparency, finance leaders can make smarter, faster global payment decisions.

Modern infrastructure, transparent FX rates, and multi-currency functionality mean you no longer need to accept unpredictable costs as the norm.

Whether you’re paying U.S. suppliers, receiving USD revenue from global customers, or settling invoices across multiple currencies, having the right payment infrastructure gives you the visibility and efficiency your team needs to operate globally with confidence.

Key Takeaways

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Final Word

International transfers don’t have to drain profits or waste time. When finance leaders understand how fees, markups, and payment networks interact, they can make informed choices that deliver measurable savings and stronger cash flow visibility.

Modern payment infrastructure, built for multi-currency control, transparent pricing, and automation - are transforming how Canadian businesses move money around the world.

And the best part? Those savings aren’t hidden in fine print, they’re built into the system itself.

Learn more about how Venn can help to support your business now!

FAQ: International Transfers for Canadian Businesses

Q: What are typical international transfer fees for Canadian businesses?
A: Most Canadian providers charge between $30 and $80 CAD per outgoing international transfer, depending on destination and amount. However, the total cost is often much higher once FX markups (2–4%), intermediary fees, and receiving charges are included.

Q: Why are FX markups often the biggest hidden cost?
A: The foreign exchange (FX) markup, the difference between the mid-market rate and the rate offered by your provider , can add up to thousands of dollars per year. A 2.5% markup on a $50,000 CAD transfer equals $1,250 in hidden cost. Platforms like Venn help reduce this by offering transparent, low-spread FX rates tied to real-time market data.

Q: How can I reduce international transfer costs for my business?
A: Compare providers’ full fee structures, not just their advertised rates. Businesses can lower costs by using multi-currency accounts (to avoid unnecessary conversions), local payment rails (to skip SWIFT deductions), and automated reconciliation tools. Venn combines all three to help finance teams control costs and gain visibility.

Q: What’s the difference between SWIFT and local payment networks?
A: SWIFT transfers rely on intermediary banks to route payments across borders, which adds fees and delays. Local payment networks, such as ACH in the U.S. or SEPA in Europe, allow funds to move directly between domestic institutions. Venn uses these local rails so Canadian businesses can send and receive international payments faster and with fewer deductions.

Q: Can I receive USD payments in Canada without conversion?
A: Yes. With multi-currency accounts, businesses can hold and receive funds in USD, GBP, or EUR without immediately converting to CAD. Venn offers Canadian companies access to genuine local USD and CAD account details, helping them avoid unnecessary FX conversions and inbound wire fees.

Q: Is it safe to use a fintech provider for international payments?
A: Yes, as long as the provider is FINTRAC-registered and works with safeguarded accounts through regulated financial institutions. Venn meets these requirements and uses safeguarding to ensure customer funds remain separate from operating balances, meaning your money stays protected.

Q: How do I calculate the true cost of an international transfer?
A: Add your base transfer fee, FX markup, and intermediary fees to find the full cost. For example, a $50,000 CAD transfer with a $50 fee and 2.5% FX markup totals roughly $1,325 CAD. Venn’s transparent FX rates make it easier for businesses to forecast this cost upfront.

Q: Are there upcoming changes that will affect transfer fees in Canada?
A: Yes. Open Banking and ISO 20022 payment modernization are introducing more transparency and faster data exchange between providers. These updates will help Canadian SMBs access more competitive rates and better-integrated global payment solutions, including those already supported by Venn’s infrastructure.

Q: How does Venn help Canadian businesses manage cross-border payments?
A: Venn offers Canadian SMBs access to local CAD, USD, GBP, and EUR accounts; low, transparent FX rates; and same- or next-day global transfers using local payment rails. Businesses can automate payables from tools like QuickBooks or Xero, receive USD payments directly into their accounts, and manage global cash flow from a single, secure platform.

Disclaimer

This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Rates, fees, and examples are illustrative and subject to change. Businesses should confirm pricing, exchange rates, and compliance requirements directly with their payment provider before initiating international transfers.