[Italian Bank Research: Stablecoin Remittances Lack Sustained Cost Advantage, Fiat Deposit and Withdrawal Friction as Main Bottleneck] According to a report by Cointelegraph, a study by an Italian bank found that stablecoin-based remittance methods do not offer significant advantages in terms of cost or speed compared to traditional payment channels, as the friction in fiat currency deposits and withdrawals is the primary cause of costs and transfer delays. Researchers tested 200 USDC remittances conducted through 10 bidirectional payment corridors connecting Italy with Brazil, Argentina, Japan, the UAE, and South Africa, comparing the end-to-end costs and settlement times with traditional remittance services. They discovered that exchange fees and currency conversion fees accounted for the majority of the costs, while blockchain transaction fees constituted only a small portion.