Why Getting Paid Costs More in Emerging Markets

Why Getting Paid Costs More in Emerging Markets

From The Flip by The Flip Media

January 29, 2026 · 9 min · Season 9

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges freelancers and remote workers from emerging markets face in getting paid through the global payments system.

If you're a freelancer or a remote worker from the global south, you likely have a harder time getting paid and participating in the global economy. Maybe a global payments company doesn't operate in your country. Maybe they banned your account or froze your funds. Remote workers and freelancers from emerging markets often have to jump through hoops to get paid, incurring additional costs along the way. Meanwhile, more people than ever are working online, and more of these workers are coming from the developing world. Yet the global payments system is often failing the very people who rely on it the most. Are stablecoins the solution? This episode of Money Trails is presented by Stellar Development Foundation. Watch the full episode on YouTube. 00:00 - The global payments system is broken 01:34 - Freelancing and remote work payment issues 03:38 - Why does this happen? De-risking 04:29 - 1.2 billion people are reaching working age in emerging markets 05:15 - Stablecoins to the rescue? 07:09 - There is a tax on the global south 09:03 - Next episode, we head to Lagos, Nigeria Our Links - 🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@thefliphq 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/thefliphq 👥…

Topics covered

  • freelancing
  • remote work
  • global payments
  • emerging markets
  • stablecoins

Keywords

  • freelancer
  • remote worker
  • global economy
  • payments
  • stablecoins
  • emerging markets
  • de-risking

Sponsors

Stellar Development Foundation

Mentioned in this episode

Places: global south, Lagos, Nigeria

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