SWIFT names the world’s most used currencies

Global payments and FX flows show growing diversification.

October 30, 2025

The latest data from SWIFT highlights a new stage in the evolution of international finance: corporate and cross-border payments are spreading across more currencies and markets than ever before.

For global businesses, this means a clear trend toward multi-currency operations, optimized FX management, and regional diversification of payment flows.

Global overview

According to the SWIFT RMB Tracker (October 2025), the total volume of international payments grew by 6.7% in September compared to August, driven by stronger global trade and B2B activity.

Top currencies in global payments (including the Eurozone)

  1. USD — 47.8%
  2. EUR — 22.8%
  3. GBP — 7.4%
  4. JPY — 3.7%
  5. CNY — 3.2%
  6. CAD — 3.1%
  7. HKD — 2.0%
  8. AUD — 1.6%
  9. SGD — 1.4%
  10. CHF — 1.0%

While the US dollar and the euro remain the leading currencies for international payments, other currencies — including the pound sterling, yen, yuan, and Canadian dollar — are steadily gaining ground.

Expanding FX and offshore payment activity

SWIFT’s FX data also reflects this diversification: the top 10 currencies used in FX spot transactions are USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CAD, CNY, CHF, AUD, KRW, and HKD — showing a more balanced global foreign exchange landscape.

According to SWIFT’s “Top 15 offshore RMB economies by weight – September 2025”, cross-border payment activity is distributed across Hong Kong SAR, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United States, France, Taiwan, Macao SAR, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Canada.

This geographic spread underscores the increasingly interconnected and multi-hub nature of global finance.

MAGMA Finance: enabling global business payments

At MAGMA Finance, we support companies in this evolving financial environment — enabling corporate B2B payments in 100+ currencies with competitive FX conversion, transparent rates, and efficient cross-border settlement.

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