Fintechs, Stablecoins, and Competition with Harvard’s Wenxin Du

Steven Davis welcomes Harvard’s Wenxin Du discuss her analysis of how to cost-effectively transfer funds across international borders. Perhaps surprisingly, the all-in costs of using stablecoins for small-amount transfers (less than $10,000) greatly exceeds the cost of using fintech apps and sometimes exceeds the cost of relying on commercial banks. Along the way, Wenxin’s analysis also highlights the consumer benefits of greater competition in the market for remittances and other cross-border payments. Join our newsletter to get more commentary like this from leading experts on economic developments and their ramifications: https://www.hoover.org/podcasts/economics-applied?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=ea_youtube&utm_content=10062026 __________ 🔔 Subscribe for more discussions: @HooverInstitution 👍 Like and share this video! 🌐 Follow us on social media: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HooverInstStanford • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hoover-institution-at-stanford-university • Instagram: https://instagram.com/hooverinstitution • X: https://www.twitter.com/HooverInst The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. © 2026 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.