Cross-Border Living
Scenario: People earning income in one currency, living/spending in another country
Examples:
- Spanish retiree in the Dominican Republic (EUR pension → Dominican merchants)
- Remote worker in Mexico (USD salary → Mexican merchants)
- Seasonal worker between Europe and North Africa.
The Problem
Common pattern across demographics:
- Income in home currency (EUR, USD, GBP)
- Living in different country (lower cost of living)
- Need local currency for daily expenses
- Traditional conversion is expensive and complicated
Traditional friction:
- International wire transfers: €25-40 per transfer + poor exchange rates
- ATM withdrawals: €5-8 per withdrawal + 2-3% foreign transaction fee
- International debit/credit cards: 2-3% fee on every purchase
- Local bank account: Difficult to open, requires residency/visa in many countries
Cost impact: €100-200/month in fees and spreads on typical spending
Asgaya Solution
Flow:
- Person receives income in home currency (pension/salary in EUR)
- Needs to pay local merchant (Thailand, Mexico, Morrocco, etc.)
- Opens Asgaya when making payment
- Pays BCH seller via home payment method (SEPA, Bizum, etc.)
- Local merchant receives BCH payment
- Done - home currency → local merchant, no conversion
Key benefit: Keep income in home currency, spend directly at local merchants via Asgaya
Why This Works
For sender:
- Keep money in the preffered currency (avoid forced conversion)
- No expensive wire transfers or ATM fees
- Not forced to have local bank account (avoid unnecesary paperwork)
- Use familiar or more reliable banking tools (online banking, Bizum)
- Predictable costs (no surprise foreign transaction fees garanteed market rate)
For merchant:
- Receives BCH
- Expands customer base to expats/remote workers/retirees
- No credit card processing fees
For BCH seller:
- Provides liquidity for home currency → BCH
- Can be local or international
Target Demographics
1. Retirees
Profile:
- Fixed income (pension) in home currency
- Living abroad long-term (6+ months/year)
- Cost-sensitive (chose location for lower cost of living)
- Want to avoid local banking complexity
- Freedom to choose the banking services they value the most.
Geographic hotspots:
- Thailand (large European/American expat retiree population)
- Philippines
- Mexico (Pacific coast, Yucatan)
- Colombia (Medellin, Cartagena)
- Portugal (Algarve)
- Costa Rica
- Costa del Sol (Spain)
Typical income: €800-1,500/month pension
2. Digital Nomads / Remote Workers
Profile:
- Salary/freelance income in EUR/USD
- Living in lower-cost countries
- Often younger, more tech-savvy
- May move between countries seasonally
Geographic hotspots:
- Mexico (Mexico City, Playa del Carmen, Oaxaca)
- Colombia (Medellin, Bogotá)
- Thailand (Chiang Mai, Bangkok)
- Bali, Indonesia
- Portugal (Lisbon, Porto)
- Spain (Barcelona, Málaga)
Typical income: €1,500-4,000/month salary/freelance
3. Seasonal Workers
Profile:
- Split time between countries
- Summer in Europe, winter in Latin America/SEA
- Service industry, freelance, or location-independent income
Pattern: Same Asgaya flow works in both locations - merchant network is global
Economic Impact
Traditional monthly costs (€1,200 spending):
- Wire transfer fees: €30
- Exchange rate spread: €20-30
- ATM withdrawals (4x): €20
Total monthly cost: €70-80 (5-7% of spending)
Annual cost: €840-960
Asgaya monthly costs (€1,200 spending):
- Seller fee (BCH purchase): 0.5% (€6)
Total monthly cost: €6
Annual cost: €72
Note: Merchant receives and keeps BCH (no cash-out fee). If merchant converts BCH to local currency later, they pay their own spread - not passed to customer.
Annual savings: €770-890 per year
Use Case Expansion
Same pattern applies to:
- Students studying abroad (parents send EUR, student spends locally)
- Expats maintaining home country income
- Binational families (income in one country, family in another)
- “Perpetual travelers” (no fixed residence)
The pattern: Income in currency A, spending in country B, Asgaya bridges without conversion
Required Infrastructure
Merchant density: High enough for daily needs (groceries, restaurants, utilities)
Key merchant types:
- Grocery stores (daily shopping)
- Restaurants (dining out)
- Landlords (if accepting Asgaya for rent - largest monthly expense, typically direct BCH payment since it’s recurring/in-person)
- Utility payment points
- General commerce
Payment mechanism: Most cross-border living payments are direct BCH transfers (not covenants) since buyer and merchant are in same location or have recurring relationship. Covenants are for geographic/time separation (remittances), not local commerce.
BCH liquidity: Home currency → BCH sellers with competitive rates
Status
Phase 1+ - After remittance infrastructure proven
Why remittances bootstrap this: Merchant network built for remittances (family sending money to Thailand) automatically serves people living in Thailand. Same infrastructure, simpler flow (direct BCH payment instead of covenant in many cases).
Related: Tourist Payments, Informal Economy Access, Customer Journey