Interview with Sean White of XDC Network: Transforming Cross-Border Trade Settlement with AUDD–USDC Pool

XDC Network’s Sean White shares insights on how the newly launched AUDD–USDC pool is significantly reducing settlement times between Australia and the U.S. from several days to mere minutes.

Key Takeaways

The AUDD–USDC liquidity pool offers a faster, cheaper, and more transparent settlement process for businesses in Australia and the U.S.
Traditional banking methods involve multiple intermediaries, leading to lengthy settlement times; XDC’s system operates on-chain for near-instant transactions.
There is considerable demand from Australian exporters and payment providers, stemming from needs in trade invoices and treasury management.
XDC has successfully completed over $1 billion in transactions in just 90 days, showing significant advantages over conventional banking.
The initiative aims to create an interconnected trade settlement network, leveraging proven assets like AUDD in new markets.

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In a recent interview, Sean White from XDC Network discussed the launch of their AUDD–USDC liquidity pool and its potential to revolutionize cross-border payments between Australia and the United States. By utilizing blockchain technology, XDC Network aims to minimize transaction times and costs while enhancing transparency and compliance.

Transforming Cross-Border Payments

Australian businesses often encounter significant obstacles when conducting transactions with their U.S. counterparts. High transaction fees and lengthy settlement durations—typically ranging from 4 to 5 days—can create unnecessary challenges in an environment where time is essential. To tackle these issues, XDC Network has introduced a blockchain-based payments infrastructure designed specifically for business transactions between Australia and the U.S. We spoke with Sean White, XDC Network's BD and Ecosystem Manager, to learn more about how this infrastructure could disrupt traditional banking systems.

The Significance of the AUDD–USDC Pool

Q: Sean, XDC Network has just launched an AUDD–USDC liquidity pool on Curve Finance. Why is this important for businesses transferring funds between Australia and the U.S.?

Sean White: Cross-border payments are reaching a critical juncture. Businesses have grown tired of waiting three to five days for transactions to settle, not to mention paying fees ranging from 3% to 7%. The technology now allows us to complete these transactions in just minutes. The AUDD–USDC pool provides Australian and U.S. businesses with a direct, on-chain route for quicker, more cost-effective, and transparent settlements—all while fulfilling regulatory requirements.

Direct Transactions vs. Traditional Banking

Q: How does XDC facilitate near-instant AUD–USD settlements as compared to conventional banks?

Sean White: Traditional banking depends on multiple intermediaries and batch processing, resulting in delays. With XDC, the value moves directly on-chain. AUDD serves as a fully reserved digital equivalent of the Australian dollar, while USDC represents the U.S. dollar. The Curve pool ensures robust liquidity between both currencies, enabling fast conversions with minimal price fluctuations. This way, settlements occur directly on the blockchain, bypassing the many correspondent banks that typically add time and cost.

Response from Australian Businesses

Q: The IMF highlights the Asia-Pacific region as a leading adopter of digital currencies. What feedback are you receiving from Australian businesses?

Sean White: There is strong interest, especially among exporters, payment processors, and trade finance entities. Although we are still in the early days after our launch, we are seeing growing demand related to the settlement of trade invoices, management of treasury functions, and cross-border supplier payments.

Processing High Volume Transactions

Q: Reports indicate that XDC’s U.S. dollar infrastructure has handled over $1 billion in transactions within the last 90 days. What benefits does this offer over correspondent banking, and how do you address security and regulatory issues?

Sean White: The key benefits we offer are speed, reduced costs, and increased reliability. By settling transactions on blockchain, we eliminate hidden fees, timezone challenges, and reconciliation delays associated with traditional banking. Additionally, XDC is built with institutional needs in mind—complying with ISO 20022 and designed to work with existing financial messaging frameworks. Our security measures operate at both the protocol level and through high-quality infrastructure utilized by participants, making our system more secure than many people realize.

Expanding into New Markets

Q: AUDD is already in use for live trade initiatives throughout Asia and the Middle East. How does expanding into the Australia–U.S. corridor capitalize on this momentum?

Sean White: This move is a logical progression. AUDD has already demonstrated its effectiveness as a settlement asset in critical trade areas like Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UAE. Adding the Australia–U.S. corridor not only scales up operations but also elevates its global relevance. By connecting these trade networks through shared on-chain liquidity, we can begin to build a truly integrated trade settlement network, rather than continuing with isolated bilateral arrangements.

Steps for SMEs to Adopt

Q: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) often face the burden of high cross-border fees. What practical steps should Australian businesses take to leverage this new infrastructure?

Sean White: The initial step would be to partner with payment providers or platforms that are already integrating with XDC. Many businesses have begun embedding this infrastructure into their services. From there, companies can settle invoices, transfer treasury funds, or finance trades using stablecoins like AUDD, all without overhauling their existing operations. Building trust is crucial, which is why XDC prioritizes enterprise-level security and adherence to compliance standards, such as ISO 20022, to ensure an easy transition.

Looking Ahead for XDC Network

Q: What does this launch indicate about XDC Network’s broader aims in the realm of global trade and payments?

Sean White: This launch underscores our commitment to real-world applications rather than theoretical concepts. Stablecoins are increasingly becoming the standard for cross-border transactions, and XDC is positioning itself as the blockchain layer that regulated institutions and businesses can truly utilize. Our goal is to modernize trade and payments infrastructure, starting in the Asia-Pacific region but with ambitions for global reach.