1. Why this matters
Cross-border collaboration is now standard for agencies, startups, and fractional teams. Paying contractors or micro-agencies in South Africa and across LATAM often brings FX cost, settlement delay, and fragmented admin. Mainstream tools handle payments, not projects, so anything involving several roles or suppliers becomes slow and expensive to manage. Rafiki connects time tracking, invoicing, multi-party payments, and compliance, so work turns into money with fewer steps.
2. Comparison overview
| Platform | Speed to South Africa | Speed to LATAM | Cost to South Africa | Cost to LATAM | Best for | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rafiki | Instant between Rafiki accounts; ZAR cash out T+0 local banking (cut off ~15:00 GMT) | Instant between Rafiki accounts; off-ramps instant in ARS, BRL, CLP, COP | $1.50 + 1.40 percent off-ramp; wallet-to-wallet about 0.2 percent | ARS 0.50 percent FX; BRL $0.25 + 1.30 percent IOF; CLP $1.20 + 0.95 percent; COP $0.35 + 0.95 percent GMF | Multi-party payouts, fractional teams, agencies, B2B transfers across US, EU, SA, LATAM | Fastest and cheapest when both parties are onboarded to Rafiki |
| Wise | Same day to two business days | Varies by country, often one to three business days | Transfer fee + FX spread, 1.5–3.0 percent typical | Transfer fee + FX spread, corridor dependent | One-to-one bank transfers | No multi-party workflow |
| PayPal | Instant wallet; 1–3 days withdrawal | Instant wallet; 1–3 days withdrawal | 3.5–5.5 percent including cross-border and FX | 3.5–5.5 percent including cross-border and FX | Small transactions, card-like acceptance | High fees, chargeback risk |
| Stripe | Card settlement cycle | Card settlement cycle | Card processing + FX + payout fee | Card processing + FX + payout fee | Businesses needing card acceptance | Not designed for contractor or split payouts |
3. Rafiki rates and currencies
Wallet-to-wallet inside Rafiki is about 0.2 percent and instant. Local banking times depend on partner rails.
| Flow | Currency | Fee | Processing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay in | EUR | €0.50 + 1.00% | Instant (SEPA) | EU clients |
| Pay in | USD | $0 + 0.20% | T+1 ACH or T+0 wire | US clients |
| Pay in | GBP | ≈2.0% | Instant (Faster Payments) | UK payers |
| Pay out | ZAR | $1.50 + 1.40% | T+0 | Local bank transfer |
| Pay out | EUR | $1 + 0.60% | Instant (SEPA) | Local off-ramp |
| Pay out | USD | $0.50 + 0.50% | T+0 wire / T+1 ACH | Fedwire / ACH |
| Pay out | ARS | 0.50% FX | Instant | Local off-ramp |
| Pay out | BRL | $0.25 + 1.30% (IOF) | Instant | PIX |
| Pay out | CLP | $1.20 + 0.95% | Instant | Local off-ramp |
| Pay out | COP | $0.35 + 0.95% (GMF) | T+0 / T+1 | Local off-ramp |
4. The workflow advantage
Most cost hides in workflow gaps. Rafiki removes extra tools by turning approved time into invoices and compliant split or merged payments. This keeps projects and money in sync.
| Step | Traditional tools | Rafiki OS |
|---|---|---|
| Time logging | Manual export | Integrated with approvals |
| Invoicing | Manual or individual | Auto-generated |
| Payments | One to one | Split or merged |
| Compliance | External | Embedded KYC / KYB |
5. Frequently asked questions
How fast can I pay a South African contractor or LATAM agency
Instant between Rafiki accounts. ZAR T+0 local banking, LATAM off-ramps instant in ARS, BRL, CLP, COP (depending on rail uptime).
What are Rafiki’s end-to-end costs
- ZAR: $1.50 + 1.40 percent (T+0)
- EUR: $1 + 0.60 percent (instant SEPA)
- USD: $0.50 + 0.50 percent (T+0/T+1)
- ARS: 0.50 percent FX (instant)
- BRL: $0.25 + 1.30 percent IOF (instant)
- CLP: $1.20 + 0.95 percent (instant)
