SEPA
Single Euro Payments Area
SEPA connects 36 European countries with instant euro transfers — Bitwage's primary rail for EUR contractor payments.
SEPA Key Facts
Europe Rail · Bitwage
SEPA Technical Specifications
How Bitwage Uses SEPA
SEPA is Bitwage's primary payment rail for all European contractor and vendor payments denominated in EUR. When a US client pays a German, French, or Spanish contractor, Bitwage converts USD to EUR at the locked FX rate and routes via SEPA to the recipient's IBAN.
Bitwage uses SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) wherever the recipient's bank supports it — delivering funds in under 10 seconds, 24/7 including weekends and holidays. For banks not yet on SCT Inst (some regional banks in Eastern Europe), Bitwage falls back to SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT), which settles in 1 business day.
The recipient needs only an IBAN and BIC to receive SEPA payments. No special setup, no crypto wallet. For European contractors, receiving via SEPA is identical to receiving from any other European bank — it just arrives from Bitwage's payment partner rather than directly from their client's bank.
SEPA vs SWIFT
SWIFT wires to European banks cost $25–$50 at the sending bank and take 1–3 business days. SEPA transfers within Europe have no interbank fees and settle in 10 seconds (Instant) or 1 day (standard). SWIFT is essentially obsolete for EUR payments to SEPA-connected banks — there is no scenario where SWIFT is faster or cheaper for EU contractor payments.
Full stablecoin vs SWIFT comparisonSEPA FAQ
Common questions about Single Euro Payments Area and how Bitwage uses it.
Bitwage uses SEPA transfer Instant (SCT Inst) where the recipient's bank supports it — typically delivering funds within 10 seconds. For banks on standard SCT only, settlement takes 1 business day. Most major European banks now support SEPA Instant.
An IBAN and BIC (SWIFT code for their bank). That's it. No crypto wallet, no special account — just the same details they'd give any European bank. Bitwage collects these during contractor onboarding.
The UK left SEPA after Brexit. UK contractor payments route via faster payments in GBP instead. For contractors in the UK paid in EUR, SWIFT or alternative EUR payment rails are used.
Yes. Bitwage holds EUR settlement capacity and converts your USD to EUR at the locked rate, then routes via SEPA to any European IBAN. The vendor receives a standard SEPA credit transfer — indistinguishable from a domestic EUR payment.
Pay via SEPA — Automatically
Bitwage routes payments through SEPAwhen it's the optimal rail for your recipients. No configuration required.