In 2026, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will see a recovery in cross-border trade, but the core pain points restricting development—"difficulties in financing, high settlement costs, and exchange rate risks"—still remain. SMEs lack sufficient collateral and credit endorsements, with bank loan approval rates below 30%; traditional cross-border settlements rely on the SWIFT system, with fees as high as 2%-3% and settlement cycles of 3-5 days; exchange rate fluctuations are frequent, and a $1 million order may lose $30,000 to $50,000 in profit due to exchange rate volatility. The USD1 stablecoin and ListaDAO's cross-border trade solutions for SMEs integrate services through "cross-border settlement + supply chain financing + exchange rate hedging," achieving settlement within minutes, fees as low as 0.005%, annual financing costs of 4%-6%, and 100% hedging of exchange rate risks, becoming a core support for SMEs to expand their cross-border trade.
The pain points of SMEs in cross-border trade stem from their own scale limitations and the inadequacies of the traditional financial system. From the perspective of the enterprises themselves, SMEs are small in scale, have weak risk resistance, and their financial statements are not standardized, making it difficult to meet the financing requirements of banks; from the perspective of the settlement system, the SWIFT system is dominated by a few developed countries, and SMEs lack bargaining power, often having to passively accept high rates and long cycles; from the perspective of exchange rate risk, SMEs lack professional foreign exchange management teams and find it difficult to cope with global exchange rate fluctuations, leading to exchange rate losses that erode profits. With the intensification of global trade competition, SMEs urgently need more efficient, low-cost, and controllable risk cross-border trade solutions.
The advantages of USD1 becoming the core tool for SMEs in cross-border trade are reflected in three aspects: First, efficient settlement and cost optimization. USD1 achieves second-level confirmation and minute-level arrival for cross-border payments based on blockchain technology, improving efficiency by over 90% compared to traditional SWIFT systems; the handling fee is as low as 0.005%, far lower than the 2%-3% of traditional wire transfers. For example, for a 1 million USD cross-border order, using USD1 for settlement can save handling fees of 20,000 to 30,000 USD, significantly improving the enterprise's profit margin; Second, unsecured supply chain financing. SMEs do not need to provide real estate collateral; they can apply for financing through ListaDAO using only cross-border trade orders and accounts receivable. The financing period is shortened from 30-60 days to 3-7 days, with an annualized financing cost of 4%-6%, much lower than the 8%-12% of bank loans, alleviating the pressure of fund turnover; Third, the foreign exchange risk is fully hedged. USD1 is pegged to the US dollar, and SMEs use USD1 for quoting and settlement, avoiding losses from fluctuations in their local currency against the US dollar. At the same time, they can use ListaDAO's foreign exchange hedging tools to hedge against the exchange rate risks between the US dollar and other currencies, ensuring stable profits.
The "USD1 SME Cross-border Trade Solution" developed by ListaDAO builds a complete ecosystem of "settlement + financing + wealth management + risk control", with core services including four major modules:
Module 1: Cross-border settlement services, the core function is to achieve efficient and low-cost cross-border fund transfers. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can bind cross-border trade platforms (such as Alibaba International Station, Amazon Global Store) or overseas customer accounts through the ListaDAO APP and use USD1 for quoting and settlement: after the export enterprise ships the goods, overseas customers pay USD1 directly to the enterprise's USD1 account within 10 minutes, with a handling fee of only 0.005%; import enterprises pay overseas suppliers with USD1 without the need for currency exchange, saving on exchange costs and time. At the same time, the program supports batch payment, automatic reconciliation, and other functions, allowing SMEs to make payments to multiple overseas suppliers at once, with the system automatically generating reconciliation reports, simplifying the financial accounting process. For example, a certain foreign trade enterprise has 10 cross-border orders each month, with a total amount of 5 million USD. Using USD1 for settlement can save handling fees of 100,000 to 150,000 USD, and the settlement time is shortened from 3-5 days to within 10 minutes, significantly improving fund turnover efficiency.
Module 2: Unsecured supply chain financing, the core function is to solve the fund turnover pressure of SMEs. SMEs can apply for financing based on cross-border trade orders and accounts receivable, with the specific process as follows: 1. The enterprise uploads order contracts, logistics documents, and other materials to the ListaDAO platform; 2. Third-party institutions review the authenticity of the materials and assess the financing amount; 3. The platform issues 70%-80% of the USD1 financing amount based on the order amount, with an annualized financing cost of 4%-6%; 4. After the overseas customer pays for the goods, the principal and interest of the financing are automatically repaid, and the remaining funds are transferred to the enterprise's account. This model does not require the enterprise to provide collateral, has a low financing threshold and high efficiency, helping SMEs recover funds in advance for the next round of production and stocking. For example, a certain SME received a cross-border order of 1 million USD, with a production cycle of 3 months. By applying for 800,000 USD financing through ListaDAO, with an annualized cost of 5%, the financing cost for 3 months is 10,000 USD. They use the financing to purchase raw materials and pay wages. After completing the order, the customer pays 1 million USD, and after repaying the principal and interest, they net 190,000 USD. Without financing support, the enterprise might be unable to take on the order due to a lack of funds.
Module 3: Idle fund management services, the core function is to activate idle funds of SMEs. The balance of the USD1 account of SMEs can be automatically transferred to the ListaDAO's SME wealth management pool, allocating short-term RWA assets (such as supply chain finance RWA, short-term US Treasury RWA), with an annual yield of 5%-7%, supporting redemption at any time for payment of goods, wages, and other operating expenses, achieving "idle funds are not idle, continuously appreciating and generating profits". For example, a certain SME has an average idle fund of 2 million USD in their USD1 account. Investing in the wealth management pool for a year can yield 100,000 to 140,000 USD, which is equivalent to an increase of 2%-3% in net profit, enhancing the enterprise's profitability.
Module 4: Comprehensive risk control services, the core function is to help SMEs cope with cross-border trade risks. First, exchange rate risk hedging provides forward contracts, options, and other hedging tools for USD1 against major currencies such as the Euro, Pound Sterling, and Yen. SMEs can lock in exchange rates according to the settlement dates specified in trade contracts, ensuring stable profits; Secondly, credit risk protection collaborates with international credit insurance institutions to provide credit insurance for cross-border trade orders, covering risks such as overseas customer defaults and bankruptcies, with a compensation ratio of up to 90%; Thirdly, compliance risk prevention and control, the platform automatically generates compliance reports for cross-border trade, helping enterprises meet regulatory requirements from customs, taxation, and avoid losses due to compliance issues; Fourthly, market risk early warning, the AI system monitors global trade policies, market demand, exchange rate fluctuations, and other data in real-time, automatically reminding enterprises to adjust trade strategies when risks are detected (such as trade barriers in a certain country escalating, or significant fluctuations in exchange rates).
In terms of support and services, ListaDAO provides SMEs with "nanny-style" support: First, convenient operational support, with a simple and intuitive APP interface that supports Chinese operation and provides 24/7 online customer service to answer questions about settlement, financing, wealth management, etc.; Second, financial system connection, seamlessly integrating with mainstream financial software such as Kingdee and Yonyou, automatically synchronizing settlement data, financing details, and wealth management income, simplifying financial accounting processes; Third, foreign trade resource connection, cooperating with cross-border logistics enterprises, customs brokers, and comprehensive foreign trade service platforms to provide SMEs with logistics discounts, expedited customs clearance, and other value-added services, reducing the overall cost of cross-border trade; Fourth, financial knowledge training, regularly holding online seminars and offline training to explain knowledge about cross-border settlement, foreign exchange management, financing skills, etc., helping SMEs enhance their financial management capabilities.
In 2026, the global trade pattern continues to be reshaped, and the demand for cross-border trade from SMEs will continue to grow. With the support of ListaDAO, USD1 perfectly solves the core pain points of SMEs in cross-border trade through an integrated solution of "settlement + financing + wealth management + risk control", which not only reduces settlement costs and alleviates fund pressures but also controls exchange rate and credit risks, helping SMEs gain advantages in global trade competition. For SMEs, choosing the USD1 cross-border trade solution is not only a practical choice to improve operational efficiency and increase profits but also a strategic layout to expand international markets and achieve scalable development. For global trade, this solution promotes the inclusiveness and efficiency of trade, injecting new momentum into global economic recovery. As more SMEs join the USD1 cross-border trade ecosystem, USD1 is expected to become the mainstream settlement and financing tool for global SMEs in cross-border trade, reshaping the global trade finance landscape.#USD1理财最佳策略ListaDAO $LISTA @ListaDAO
