1. Who this guide is for
This page is written for agencies, studios, professional services, and project-based businesses that:
- Work with freelancers, micro-agencies, and partners in South Africa and LATAM
- Manage retainers, milestones, and revenue share arrangements
- Pay multiple people per project in different currencies
- Care about margin, compliance, and cash flow, not just basic transfers
It is also relevant for construction, events, and design build teams that subcontract specialist work across borders.
2. At a glance: Rafiki vs Wise vs PayPal vs Stripe
In simple terms:
- Wise is good for one to one cross-border transfers.
- PayPal is simple but expensive for contractor and agency flows.
- Stripe is strong for client billing but not for paying distributed teams.
- Rafiki is built for multi-party, cross-border project work.
Rafiki handles both the work and the payments. One client invoice in. Rafiki routes everyone’s share out.
Even if you only want a cheaper and faster way to move money into South Africa, Rafiki can undercut Wise and PayPal on many corridors while keeping the option open to upgrade into full project workflows later.
3. Platform comparison
| Platform | Best for | Multi-party support | Typical speed | Indicative cost | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rafiki | Agencies and project teams paying contractors and partner agencies in South Africa and LATAM | Yes, built in split and merge logic | Instant between Rafiki wallets, same day off ramps | About 0.2 to 1.4 percent depending on corridor | Best performance when both sides are onboarded to Rafiki |
| Wise | Simple one to one bank transfers | No native multi-party invoice or project logic | One to two business days in many corridors | About 0.5 to 1.5 percent including FX | Workflow and invoicing still handled elsewhere |
| PayPal | Small, one off consumer style payments | No | Instant in wallet, one to three days to bank | Often 3 to 5 percent including FX and fees | High fee load and limited control for agency workflows |
| Stripe | Client billing and card payments | No project native splits for subcontractors | Two to five days depending on region | Around 2.9 percent plus FX and payout fees | Not designed to pay contractors and partner agencies directly |
4. Rafiki for South Africa and LATAM in detail
Rafiki uses stablecoin settlement and local payment rails to send funds from the US, UK, and EU into South Africa and LATAM quickly and at predictable cost.
For simple flows such as a business in the US, UK, or EU paying a contractor or agency in South Africa, Rafiki can undercut Wise and PayPal on total fees while also giving the option to scale into multi-party projects on the same infrastructure.
| Flow | Region or corridor | Currencies | Indicative fees | Typical behaviour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallet to wallet | Global | USD, EUR, ZAR, USDC, USDT | About 0.2 percent | Instant settlement between Rafiki accounts |
| Pay in | US, UK, EU | USD, GBP, EUR | Low fixed fees on ACH, SEPA, and Faster Payments | Short settlement times, client friendly funding |
| Pay out | South Africa | ZAR | About 1.4 percent | Same day local settlement when within cut off times |
| Pay out | LATAM | ARS, BRL, CLP, COP | About 0.5 to 1.3 percent depending on corridor | Instant or near instant local off ramps into local accounts |
Exact fees can vary by corridor and volume. The figures above are indicative and focus on the difference between Rafiki as a workflow and payments stack combined versus stand alone transfer tools. Some teams use Rafiki first as a lower cost rail into South Africa, then expand into full project and multi-party billing once they are familiar with the platform.
5. Workflow: how agencies use Rafiki vs generic tools
Most cost for agencies is not the transfer fee. It is the time and risk created by scattered tools.
5.1 Traditional approach with Wise, PayPal, or Stripe
- Time is logged in one system.
- Invoices are created in another system.
- Clients pay by bank transfer, card, or PayPal.
- Finance exports data into a spreadsheet.
- Each subcontractor is paid manually with Wise, PayPal, or other tools.
- FX, timing, and status are tracked in separate sheets and emails.
5.2 With Rafiki: one client payment and Rafiki routes everyone’s share
- Projects are created in Rafiki with clients, roles, and revenue shares.
- Time and deliverables are logged and approved.
- Rafiki issues a single invoice to the client.
- The client pays once.
- Rafiki routes funds to each freelancer, micro-agency, or partner in their chosen currency.
- The ledger and compliance records update instantly.
Rafiki acts like a bank that understands projects. It is both the workflow and the payment stack for flexible, distributed teams.
6. Example scenarios
6.1 Paying a South African design studio and a UK copywriter from a US agency
- The US agency bills its client in USD through Rafiki.
- The client pays the invoice using local rails.
- Rafiki converts part of the payment into ZAR for the South African studio and part into GBP for the UK copywriter.
- Both receive local currency payouts. The agency sees the full margin in one dashboard.
6.2 Paying a LATAM growth team for a campaign
- A European agency hires a LATAM micro-agency and several independent contractors.
- All collaborators are onboarded in Rafiki with clear splits.
- The end client pays one invoice in EUR.
- Rafiki routes funds to ARS, BRL, CLP, or COP accounts as required.
- The agency does not need to set up separate bank relationships in each market.
6.3 Revenue share for an ongoing retainer
- An agency runs ongoing campaigns for a client on a shared success model.
- Rafiki tracks revenue share percentages for internal teams and external partners.
- Each month the client pays one retainer or revenue share invoice.
- Rafiki distributes funds according to agreed percentages and currencies.
7. Frequently asked questions
When should I use Rafiki instead of Wise?
Use Wise for simple one to one transfers when you only need to move money. Use Rafiki when you need to manage projects, approvals, invoices, and many recipients across South Africa and LATAM, or when you want lower total cost into South Africa with the option to upgrade into multi-party billing later.
When should I use Rafiki instead of PayPal?
PayPal is simple but often expensive and difficult to reconcile for agency work. Rafiki provides lower fees, better control over compliance, and a full project to payment workflow.
When should I use Rafiki instead of Stripe?
Stripe is strong for client billing and subscriptions but does not handle multi-party payouts and cross border contractor flows. Rafiki fills that gap for agencies and flexible teams.
Is Rafiki only for digital agencies?
No. Rafiki is also used by construction, events, and other project based teams that work with subcontractors and suppliers.
Can Rafiki work alongside Wise, PayPal, or Stripe?
Yes. Some teams continue to use existing tools for certain clients while moving complex multi-party projects or South Africa heavy payment flows onto Rafiki. Over time, Rafiki often becomes the default for cross border projects with several collaborators.
8. Next steps
If you are an agency, studio, or project based team paying collaborators in South Africa and LATAM, Rafiki can remove friction from both workflow and payments.
- Use Rafiki for projects that involve multiple freelancers or micro-agencies in different currencies.
- Start by using Rafiki as a cheaper and simpler rail into South Africa, then move retainer and campaign work into Rafiki for better control of margins and payouts.
- Use Rafiki Talent Services if you also want help finding vetted fractional talent or partner agencies.
