Title: Paying Overseas Contractors: Methods Compared | Sentvia Source: https://www.sentvia.com/industries/contractor-payments Description: The best way to pay overseas contractors: wires, platforms and stablecoins compared, plus how to pay contractors in USD, EUR, GBP or AED from your own account. --- 1. [Home](https://www.sentvia.com/) 2. [Industries](https://www.sentvia.com/industries) 3. Contractor payments Contractor payments # Paying overseas contractors from an account in your own name Paying overseas contractors means choosing a method, a currency and a set of checks, every month, for people you may never meet. This page sets out how to pay international independent contractors, compares the main methods fairly, and explains how Sentvia pays contractors from accounts in your company's own name. Last reviewed 19 October 2026 [Begin onboarding](https://onboarding.sentvia.com/) [Talk to our team](https://www.sentvia.com/help) At a glance_Sentvia_ For Businesses paying contractors abroad Pay in USD, EUR, GBP or AED Contractors Approved beneficiaries, reviewed once Release After your own approval rules ## What is the best way to pay overseas contractors? The best way to pay overseas contractors is the one that gets them a predictable amount in a currency they can use, with records your finance team can reconcile. For most businesses that means a bank payment in the contractor's currency, from an account in the company's name, to details checked before the first payment. There are four common ways to do it: 1. **An international bank wire** from your company's bank account. 2. **A contractor payments or freelancer platform** that sits between you and the contractor. 3. **Stablecoins sent directly** from a company wallet to the contractor's wallet. 4. **Stablecoins converted and paid out by a regulated provider**, such as Sentvia, so the contractor receives fiat in their bank account. Method Who carries the conversion How the contractor receives it Record-keeping Control and compliance International bank wire Your bank, the contractor's bank or an intermediary, depending on the currency sent A bank deposit, which intermediary banks can reduce in transit Bank statement and payment reference; you match them to the invoice Your bank's payment controls and screening Contractor or freelancer platform The platform, at its own rate Into a platform account, then withdrawn by the methods the platform offers The platform holds invoices and payment history, often with contracts and tax forms The platform onboards contractors; you rely on its checks and its terms Stablecoins from a company wallet The contractor, when they convert to their own currency Stablecoins in their wallet A transaction hash on the blockchain; you tie it to the invoice yourself Whoever holds the wallet keys; screening and checks are yours to run Stablecoins converted by a regulated provider The provider, at a rate you approve before it converts A bank payment in their currency, over the rail for that currency A conversion and payment record for each payment Beneficiary review, screening and your own approval controls ### When each method fits - **Wires** suit occasional payments to contractors with an ordinary bank account, where your existing bank already covers the currency. - **Platforms** suit businesses that want contracts, invoicing and payment in one place and are comfortable with the platform sitting between them and the contractor. - **Direct stablecoin payments** suit contractors who want stablecoins and know how to use them, paid by a company that can run its own wallet controls and keep its own records. - **A regulated provider** suits businesses that hold stablecoins or receive revenue in them, and want contractors paid in fiat, from accounts in the company's name, with checks and records built in. ## Where contractor payments go wrong - **The amount arrives short.** A wire passing through intermediary banks can lose a charge on the way, and the contractor chases the difference. Agree in the contract who bears those charges. - **Nobody agreed the currency.** If the invoice is in one currency and the payment in another, someone carries the conversion, and the contractor may not know which rate was used. Fix the invoice currency in the contract. - **The payment lands after the due date.** Cut-offs, weekends and public holidays in either country push a payment into the next banking day. Instruct early around month-end. - **The details are wrong.** A changed account number sent by email is a classic fraud route. Confirm any change of bank details through a channel you already trust before paying. ## How paying contractors works with Sentvia 1. **Add the contractor as a beneficiary.** Our compliance team reviews each contractor once, with supporting documents such as the contract. After that, paying them is routine. 2. **Fund the payment.** Pay from fiat already in your account, or convert USDT, USDC or EURC first at a rate you approve and lock before it converts. 3. **Approve and release.** Your approval rules decide who can instruct and who must sign off. A payment can need more than one approval, such as two of two, before funds are released. 4. **The contractor is paid** into their own bank account, over the rail for the currency. Every payment is still screened, and monitoring runs in real time on every transaction. See [how first- and third-party payments work](https://www.sentvia.com/platform/payments) and [how to set approval flows](https://www.sentvia.com/platform/controls-and-approvals) for your team. ### Currencies and rails Pay contractors in Rail USD SWIFT wire EUR SEPA; SEPA Instant settles in seconds where both banks support it GBP Faster Payments, which runs around the clock AED UAE local transfer If you fund contractor payments from stablecoins, the corridors that apply are [USDT to EUR](https://www.sentvia.com/currencies/usdt-to-eur) for contractors paid in euros, [USDT to GBP](https://www.sentvia.com/currencies/usdt-to-gbp) for those paid in pounds, and the rest of our [supported currencies and stablecoins](https://www.sentvia.com/currencies). Processing times depend on currency, jurisdiction and bank rails used. ### Contractors who want stablecoins Some contractors would rather be paid in USDT or USDC. Sentvia converts fiat to stablecoins and sends them as required. Raise it during onboarding, so we understand who you pay and how before the first payment. ### Records for each payment Each payment and conversion sits in your transaction history, on the web or in the Sentvia Pay app, alongside your accounts. Keep the contractor's invoice with it, and month-end reconciliation becomes a matching exercise rather than a search. ## What to collect before the first payment - **The contractor's full legal name and address**, or the registered name of their company if they invoice through one. - **Bank details in that same name**, with the currency of the account. A name that doesn't match the account invites questions from the receiving bank. - **A signed contract or statement of work** setting out the services, rates, currency and payment terms. - **An invoice for each payment**, matching the amount and currency you send. - **Tax and status documents** your own jurisdiction requires. These are the payer's responsibility, not the payment provider's. Check your own tax and employment obligations; this is general information. Whether someone is a contractor or an employee, and what you must withhold or report, depends on the countries involved and the facts of the working relationship. ## Compliance on contractor payments Paying contractors is a third-party payment, so the same rules apply as for any supplier: the beneficiary is reviewed, the payment is screened, and we may ask for information when something doesn't add up. A request for information is routine. Sentvia Services Ltd is regulated by the Bank of Canada as a payment service provider under the Retail Payment Activities Act and registered with FINTRAC as a Money Services Business; our [compliance and regulation](https://www.sentvia.com/compliance) page explains how checks work day to day. For other sectors, see [industries we serve](https://www.sentvia.com/industries). This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. FAQ ## Common questions Do our contractors need a Sentvia account? No. Contractors are added as approved beneficiaries and are paid into their own bank account. Our compliance team reviews each beneficiary once, with supporting documents, before the first payment. Which currencies can we pay contractors in? US dollars, euros, pounds sterling and UAE dirhams, each over the rail for that currency: SWIFT wire for USD, SEPA for EUR, Faster Payments for GBP and UAE local transfer for AED. Can we pay a contractor in USDT or USDC? Sentvia converts fiat to stablecoins and sends them as required. If some of your contractors want to be paid in stablecoins, raise it during onboarding so we can set the flow up from the start. Can we fund contractor payments from stablecoins we hold? Yes. Convert USDT, USDC or EURC to fiat at a rate you approve first, then pay the contractor from the account in their currency. How long does a contractor payment take? It depends on the rail. Faster Payments runs around the clock, SEPA Instant settles in seconds where both banks support it, and wires follow correspondent banking hours. Processing times depend on currency, jurisdiction and bank rails used. Does Sentvia check whether someone is a contractor or an employee? No. Classification, tax forms and withholding are the payer's own responsibility and depend on the countries involved. Check your own tax and employment obligations with a qualified adviser. ## Further reading - [First- and third-party payments](https://www.sentvia.com/platform/payments) - [Controls and approvals on outgoing payments](https://www.sentvia.com/platform/controls-and-approvals) - [Why won't my settlement provider pay a third party?](https://www.sentvia.com/blog/named-iban-third-party-payments) - [How businesses convert stablecoins to fiat: currencies and settlement times](https://www.sentvia.com/blog/stablecoin-to-fiat-settlement) Get started ## Pay contractors from your own name Tell us about the payments you expect and a dedicated onboarding officer will guide you through set-up. [Begin onboarding](https://onboarding.sentvia.com/)[Talk to our team](https://www.sentvia.com/help)