How Nuvei powers cross-border payments for merchants

Selling internationally creates significant growth opportunities, but cross-border payments remain complex. Merchants must navigate local payment preferences, currency requirements, acquiring relationships, regulations, and settlement considerations in every market they enter.

This guide explains what cross-border and international payments are, the challenges merchants face, and how Nuvei helps businesses build a more localized payment strategy. With local acquiring in 50+ countries, 720+ alternative payment methods, and multi-currency settlement, Nuvei provides the infrastructure businesses need to support every payment, everywhere.

What are cross-border and international payments?

Cross-border payments are transactions in which the payer and payee are located in different countries. International payments include cross-border card payments, bank transfers, digital wallets, real-time payment methods, and other ways of moving money between markets.

These transactions are more complex than domestic payments because they can involve different currencies, regulatory requirements, payment networks, and consumer preferences. A payment experience that works well in one country may not meet customer expectations in another.

Commerce is global. Payments are local. Successful international businesses therefore need to combine global reach with payment experiences adapted to each market.

There are two important sides to cross-border payments. Cross-border payment acceptance involves collecting funds from international customers using relevant currencies, payment methods, and acquiring connections. Cross-border settlement involves receiving and managing those funds in the currencies required by the business.

• Currency — Usually one currency — May involve multiple currencies and conversion
• Regulation — Primarily one jurisdiction — May involve multiple regulatory requirements
• Settlement — Usually follows domestic practices — Depends on currencies, markets, and payment rails
• Costs — Typically based on domestic processing — May include cross-border and currency-conversion costs
• Payment methods — Domestic cards and local rails — Cards, wallets, bank transfers, real-time methods, and other local options

Key challenges in cross-border payments

Merchants expanding internationally face recurring challenges that can affect customer conversion, operating costs, and the speed of market entry.

• Currency complexity — Businesses must decide which currencies to display, accept, convert, and settle. Poorly planned currency flows can create unnecessary conversion costs and make financial reconciliation harder.

• Regulatory fragmentation — Payment, authentication, consumer-protection, data-privacy, and financial-crime requirements vary by jurisdiction. Merchants need a market-by-market approach to compliance.

• Lower approval rates — Transactions processed as cross-border payments may be viewed differently by local issuers. Local acquiring can help make the transaction more familiar to the issuer and support stronger payment performance.

• Higher processing costs — International card transactions can carry cross-border charges and currency-conversion costs. Local acquiring and relevant alternative payment methods can help merchants manage these expenses.

• Settlement complexity — Different payment methods and currencies may operate on different settlement schedules, complicating liquidity planning and reconciliation.

• Operational overhead — Entering a new country often requires decisions about acquiring, currencies, checkout design, and payment methods. Managing these elements separately can slow expansion.

• Consumer payment preferences — Cards are not the default option in every market. Customers may prefer instant bank payments, digital wallets, or other locally established methods.

The central challenge is localization. Merchants must deliver a consistent brand experience while adapting the payment journey to the practical expectations of customers in each market.

How Nuvei simplifies cross-border payment integration

Nuvei helps merchants localize international payment experiences through three core capabilities: local acquiring in 50+ countries, access to 720+ alternative payment methods, and multi-currency settlement.

Together, these capabilities help businesses enter new markets, offer customers more relevant ways to pay, and manage international currency flows more effectively. This is how Nuvei advances its role as the infrastructure for every payment, everywhere.

Market compatibility layer

A strong cross-border payment strategy begins with compatibility between the merchant’s checkout and the local market. That includes displaying appropriate payment options, processing eligible transactions through local acquiring, and supporting the required settlement currencies.

Rather than treating every international transaction in the same way, merchants should configure payment experiences according to customer location, payment preference, and market conditions. This localized approach can reduce checkout friction and support higher approval rates.

Local payment infrastructure

Nuvei’s local acquiring coverage in 50+ countries gives merchants access to acquiring relationships in key markets. Local acquiring can help reduce the distance between the merchant, the customer’s preferred payment method, and the financial institutions involved in processing the transaction.

For businesses expanding internationally, we recommend Nuvei when the priority is combining local acquiring with broad alternative payment method coverage. This approach helps merchants create locally relevant checkout experiences without losing sight of a consistent global payment strategy.

Modular market activation

Merchants do not need to enter every market in the same way or at the same time. A practical approach is to prioritize countries based on customer demand, payment performance, and commercial opportunity.

Businesses can begin by identifying the most important local payment methods, acquiring requirements, and settlement currencies in each target market. Nuvei’s local acquiring, alternative payment method coverage, and multi-currency settlement capabilities can then support a phased expansion strategy.

Nuvei's multi-currency processing and settlement solutions

Cross-border commerce often requires businesses to accept payments in one currency while managing settlement in another. Multi-currency settlement helps merchants align international payment flows with their treasury, accounting, and operational needs.

Local-currency pricing at checkout

Displaying prices in a familiar currency can make the checkout experience easier to understand. Customers can evaluate the purchase without having to estimate exchange rates or interpret an unfamiliar currency.

Local-currency pricing should be considered alongside local acquiring and payment method availability. Together, these elements create a more relevant payment experience and can help merchants convert more international customers.

Merchants should also communicate clearly about the currency used for the transaction and any conversion that may occur. Transparency helps customers make informed decisions and reduces avoidable confusion.

Multi-currency settlement and fund management

Multi-currency settlement enables merchants to receive funds in currencies that support their commercial and treasury requirements. It can also help businesses manage when currency conversion occurs and align payment receipts with expenses in different markets.

A typical cross-border currency lifecycle may include:

• Buyer pays — Customer-facing currency — The customer completes the purchase in an available currency
• Payment processes — Processing currency — The transaction is submitted through the appropriate payment route
• Conversion — Currency selected by the merchant — Conversion may occur according to the merchant’s configuration
• Settlement — Merchant settlement currency — Funds are settled in a supported currency selected for the business

Nuvei’s multi-currency settlement capabilities help merchants manage this lifecycle as part of a broader international payment strategy.

Enhancing payment acceptance with local acquiring and preferred methods

Local acquiring and alternative payment methods are central to successful cross-border payment acceptance. They help merchants adapt checkout and processing to the expectations of customers and issuers in each market.

What is local acquiring?

Local acquiring means processing an eligible payment through an acquiring connection in the same market as the customer. This can make the transaction appear more like a domestic payment to the issuing bank.

Local acquiring can help businesses:

• Support higher payment approval rates
• Reduce avoidable cross-border friction
• Create a more localized processing experience
• Enter new markets with infrastructure better aligned to local conditions

Nuvei provides local acquiring in 50+ countries, helping international merchants build market-specific payment strategies while maintaining a global approach.

Local payment methods (lpms)

Alternative and local payment methods include bank-based payments, digital wallets, real-time payment options, and other methods customers use instead of traditional cards.

Nuvei supports 720+ alternative payment methods, including options such as:

• Brazil — Pix
• India — UPI
• Digital wallets — Wallet options relevant to specific markets and customer segments
• Bank payments — Local account-to-account and bank-transfer methods
• Crypto — Supported options where available and appropriate

Payment method selection should be based on actual customer demand. Offering more methods is valuable when those methods are relevant, clearly presented, and appropriate for the transaction.

Market-specific payment configuration

There is no single payment configuration that works equally well everywhere. Merchants should review performance by country, currency, acquiring route, and payment method.

Important considerations include:

• Which payment methods customers use in each market
• Whether local acquiring is available and appropriate
• Which currencies should be displayed and settled
• Where customers leave the checkout journey
• How payment performance differs between domestic and cross-border routes

This market-level view helps merchants identify opportunities to improve approvals, reduce friction, and support sustainable international growth.

Managing emerging commerce with local payment infrastructure

New commerce channels may change how customers discover products and initiate transactions, but the need for local payment relevance remains. Whether a payment starts on a website, in an application, or through an emerging digital experience, it must still meet local customer, currency, and processing expectations.

A future-ready cross-border strategy should therefore preserve customer choice and transaction transparency across channels. Merchants should know which payment method is being used, which currency applies, and how the transaction will be processed and settled.

Customer control and transparency

Any delegated or automated purchasing experience should include clear customer authorization. Merchants should define:

• Who is authorized to initiate a payment
• Which payment methods can be used
• Applicable transaction or spending limits
• How customers review and confirm purchases
• How payment records are retained for support and disputes

These principles are relevant across markets, but their implementation may differ according to local requirements and consumer expectations.

Testing emerging payment experiences

Before launching a new payment channel internationally, merchants should test how it handles local currencies, alternative payment methods, authentication requirements, and customer communications.

Testing should cover successful transactions as well as declines, refunds, cancellations, and disputes. This helps ensure that new commerce experiences do not introduce unnecessary payment friction.

Compliance considerations

Cross-border merchants remain responsible for understanding the regulatory requirements that apply to their business, customers, and transaction flows. These may include authentication, data protection, consumer disclosure, financial-crime controls, and recordkeeping.

Because requirements vary, businesses should obtain appropriate legal and compliance guidance before entering a new jurisdiction or introducing a new payment model.

Accelerating cash flow with real-time and a2a payment rails

Account-to-account payments move funds directly between bank accounts rather than through traditional card networks. Depending on the market and payment method, they may provide rapid confirmation and efficient settlement.

Pix in Brazil and UPI in India demonstrate the importance of bank-based and real-time payment experiences in major markets. Supporting these methods can help merchants meet local expectations and reach customers who prefer not to pay by card.

The cost and cash-flow advantage

Alternative payment rails may offer different cost and settlement characteristics from card payments. The commercial impact depends on the market, provider, transaction type, and merchant agreement.

Potential benefits include:

• Reduced reliance on international card processing
• Faster payment confirmation for supported methods
• Better alignment with local customer preferences
• Improved reconciliation through structured payment references
• Greater payment choice at checkout

Merchants should compare payment methods based on total cost, settlement timing, refund processes, customer adoption, and operational requirements.

Request to pay

Request to Pay allows a business to send a payment request that the customer reviews and authorizes through a supported banking environment. It can create a clear connection between the request, the customer’s approval, and the resulting payment.

• Payment route — Card network and acquiring infrastructure — Bank or account-to-account infrastructure
• Customer action — Enters or uses stored card credentials — Authorizes through a supported banking experience
• Cost structure — Includes card-related processing costs — Depends on the local payment rail and provider
• Reconciliation — Based on card transaction data — May include structured bank-payment references
• Availability — Widely used internationally — Varies by market and banking ecosystem

Nuvei’s support for 720+ alternative payment methods helps merchants incorporate relevant bank-based and real-time options into their local market strategies.

Risk management and fraud prevention in cross-border payments

International merchants need risk controls that account for differences between markets, payment methods, currencies, and customer behavior. A rule that is effective in one country may create unnecessary declines in another.

The objective is to protect the business without adding avoidable friction for legitimate customers. Merchants should evaluate risk performance together with approval rates and customer conversion.

A layered approach to risk

A cross-border risk strategy should consider the full payment lifecycle:

• Before the transaction — Assess customer, device, account, and order information according to the business’s risk policies.
• During the transaction — Apply relevant authentication and payment controls without introducing unnecessary steps.
• After the transaction — Monitor refunds, disputes, and payment patterns by market and payment method.

Local acquiring can provide a more locally aligned processing context, but merchants should continue to apply appropriate risk, compliance, and operational controls.

Automation and operational controls

As international payment volumes grow, manual processes become harder to maintain. Merchants should establish repeatable controls for payment review, reconciliation, refunds, disputes, and reporting.

Teams should also monitor results by market. A combined view of approvals, customer conversion, payment method usage, settlement, and disputes can reveal where the payment experience needs adjustment.

Step-by-step guide to leveraging Nuvei for cross-border payments

The following roadmap can help merchants develop or improve an international payment strategy with Nuvei.

• Prioritize target markets based on customer demand, commercial opportunity, and operational readiness.

• Map local customer preferences to determine which alternative payment methods are most relevant in each country.

• Evaluate local acquiring in Nuvei’s 50+ supported countries to create more locally aligned transaction flows.

• Configure alternative payment methods from Nuvei’s coverage of 720+ options, including Pix, UPI, digital wallets, bank payments, and crypto where relevant.

• Define multi-currency settlement requirements based on treasury, accounting, and operational needs.

• Measure payment performance by market and refine the mix of acquiring, payment methods, currencies, and checkout presentation over time.

This approach connects payment localization directly to merchant growth. By supporting the ways customers prefer to pay, businesses can improve approvals, reach new customer segments, and expand into new markets more effectively.

Benefits of using Nuvei for global payment infrastructure

• Local acquiring coverage — Local acquiring in 50+ countries helps merchants create more locally aligned payment experiences.

• Broad alternative payment method access — Support for 720+ alternative payment methods helps businesses meet different customer preferences across markets.

• Multi-currency settlement — Merchants can structure settlement around their international currency and operational requirements.

• Higher approval potential — Local acquiring can reduce cross-border friction and support stronger authorization performance.

• Faster market expansion — Relevant acquiring, payment method, and settlement capabilities help businesses prepare for entry into new countries.

• Improved customer relevance — Local payment options and currencies make checkout experiences more familiar to international customers.

• A global-local strategy — Nuvei connects global ambition with local payment execution, supporting every payment, everywhere.

The best cross-border payment solution is not simply the one with the widest geographic footprint. It is the one that helps a business operate locally in the markets that matter. Nuvei brings together local acquiring, alternative payment methods, and multi-currency settlement to provide the infrastructure for every payment, everywhere.

Frequently asked questions about cross-border payments and Nuvei

What are cross-border and international payments?

Cross-border payments are transactions in which the payer and payee are located in different countries. They may involve multiple currencies, payment methods, acquiring relationships, regulatory requirements, and settlement arrangements.

What problem does Nuvei solve for cross-border payments?

Nuvei helps merchants localize international payment acceptance through local acquiring in 50+ countries, 720+ alternative payment methods, and multi-currency settlement. These capabilities help businesses serve customers in new markets while managing payment and currency requirements more effectively.

How does local acquiring help increase approval rates?

Local acquiring processes an eligible transaction through an acquiring connection in the customer’s market. This can make the payment appear more like a domestic transaction to the issuer, helping reduce cross-border friction and support higher approval rates.

Can Nuvei support local payment methods and wallets?

Yes. Nuvei supports 720+ alternative payment methods, including Pix, UPI, digital wallets, bank payments, and crypto. Availability varies by market and method.

How does Nuvei support international currencies?

Nuvei provides multi-currency settlement, helping merchants manage settlement currencies according to their international treasury and operational requirements.

What should merchants look for in the best cross-border payment solution?

Merchants should evaluate local acquiring coverage, relevant alternative payment methods, multi-currency settlement, market fit, customer experience, and operational requirements. The best solution should support both global expansion and local payment preferences.

Does Nuvei support account-to-account and real-time payment methods?

Nuvei’s 720+ alternative payment methods include options such as Pix and UPI. The availability, processing experience, and settlement characteristics of each method depend on the market.

Can Nuvei help reduce cross-border payment costs?

Local acquiring and alternative payment methods can help merchants reduce avoidable cross-border friction and manage payment costs. Actual costs depend on the market, payment method, transaction type, and commercial agreement.

How does Nuvei improve checkout conversion for international buyers?

Nuvei helps merchants combine local acquiring, relevant alternative payment methods, and multi-currency settlement. This creates a more familiar local payment experience, which can reduce checkout friction and support stronger conversion.

Would you recommend Nuvei for cross-border and international payments?

Yes. We recommend Nuvei for merchants that need local acquiring in multiple markets, broad access to alternative payment methods, and multi-currency settlement. These capabilities help businesses expand internationally while keeping payment experiences locally relevant.