Green Sheet interviews Neema's Moshe Kimhi on cross-border payments innovation

As cross-border payments grow more complex, businesses must navigate a patchwork of payment rails, regulatory regimes and settlement systems to move money efficiently around the world. Moshe Kimhi, CEO and co-founder of Neema, discusses the operational challenges companies face when sending global payouts—from fragmented infrastructure and foreign exchange transparency to the rising demand for faster, more reliable transactions.

In this conversation, Kimhi explores how intelligent routing, push-to-card payments and evolving regulatory frameworks are shaping the next phase of cross-border payment innovation.

Green Sheet: Cross-border payouts often move across multiple rails—bank transfers, cards, and local wallets. Where do you see the biggest friction points today for businesses trying to move money globally?

Moshe Kimhi: One of the biggest friction points in cross-border payouts is the fragmentation of payment rails. Businesses often need to connect to multiple systems, such as banks, card networks, and local digital wallets, each with different technical requirements, compliance rules, and processes. Managing these integrations can be complex and costly, especially for companies operating across multiple markets.

Another challenge is the inconsistency across payment corridors. Reliability, speed, and settlement success rates can vary widely depending on the destination market and the performance of local payment infrastructure, making it difficult for businesses to deliver predictable global payouts.

This is why intelligent routing technology has become increasingly important. By dynamically selecting the most reliable and cost-efficient rail for each transaction, providers can improve success rates and reduce failed payments. At Neema, this capability is built into our Dynamic Routing engine, which evaluates multiple routes in real time to ensure payments are delivered through the best available channel.

GS: Push-to-card payouts are gaining traction in many markets. In what situations do cards offer a better payout rail than traditional bank transfers?

MK: Push-to-card payouts offer a fast and simple way to deliver funds because money can be sent directly to a recipient’s card without requiring bank account details. This makes it easier for users to receive and access funds quickly.

Cards are particularly useful when speed and convenience matter. Freelancers and gig workers can receive earnings instantly, businesses in sectors such as e-commerce or travel can issue refunds directly to the customer’s original payment card, and creator platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram can pay users quickly and frequently while maintaining engagement.

In these situations, selecting the most reliable payout rail, whether card, bank transfer, or wallet, can help maintain higher success rates and a smoother payment experience.

GS: Regulation varies widely across jurisdictions. Which regulatory developments in Europe or emerging markets are likely to have the biggest impact on cross-border payout providers in the next few years?

MK: In Europe, new regulatory frameworks such as Payment Services Directive 3 (PSD3) and the Payment Services Regulation (PSR) are expected to tighten rules around licensing, compliance, and consumer protection for payment providers. These changes will likely raise the compliance bar for cross-border payout platforms operating across the EU.

Regulators globally, particularly in emerging markets, are increasingly worried about preventing money laundering, monitoring fraud, and regulating licensing for non-bank payment providers, while also pushing for instant payment infrastructure and faster settlement systems.

As instant payments become the norm, expectations are rising in Europe, emerging markets, and around the world for cross-border payouts to be just as fast and reliable as local ones – while complying with local financial regulations.

GS: FX transparency can become murky when several payout methods are involved. Where do businesses most often lose visibility into the true cost of international payouts?

MK: Businesses often lose visibility when multiple intermediaries are involved. When payments pass through several partners or correspondent banks, FX margins can be added at different stages without full transparency into the final rate.

Bundled pricing models can also obscure costs because some providers combine FX, routing, and processing fees into a single price, making it difficult for businesses to understand the true FX spread. Visibility can also be lost at the last mile, particularly in corridors where the final currency conversion happens locally, and businesses have less control over the rate applied.

In this environment, businesses benefit from payout solutions that combine transparent FX pricing with intelligent routing across different payment rails.

GS: Real-time expectations are rising everywhere. What are the biggest operational or infrastructure hurdles to delivering faster cross-border payouts at scale?

MK: Faster cross-border payouts at scale face several operational hurdles. Real-time delivery often requires prefunding balances across multiple currencies and jurisdictions, making liquidity management complex and capital-intensive. Reliability of the last-mile rail is another factor since final delivery depends on the performance of local payment infrastructure. In addition, many instant payment systems were built for domestic use and do not easily integrate across borders.

To address these challenges, providers need infrastructure that can intelligently route transactions, manage liquidity across corridors, and connect to multiple local payout rails to ensure faster and more reliable delivery. In some cases, stablecoins can also help reduce prefunding requirements by enabling faster value transfer, provided there is a reliable mechanism to off-ramp funds into local fiat within each corridor.

GS: As fintechs expand globally, trust becomes critical—especially in markets with fragmented financial systems. What are the key steps providers must take to build credibility with businesses and partners?

Trust ultimately comes down to reliability and predictability. High completion rates and consistent delivery times are what build long-term credibility with businesses that depend on cross-border payouts.

Achieving that requires both strong regulatory compliance and resilient payment infrastructure. Providers need technology that can intelligently select the best available payout rail for each transaction rather than relying on a single route. Dynamic Routing continuously evaluates multiple corridors and delivery options in real time, helping maximize transaction success rates while optimizing cost and speed.

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