You have negotiated the price, approved the quality, and signed the purchase order. Everything seems under control. And yet, two weeks after the bank transfer, your supplier contacts you again: the amount received does not match. The difference? Swallowed up by fees that your bank never mentioned. This is not an isolated case. It is the daily reality for thousands of French SMEs.
Accepting the exchange rate displayed by your bank without questioning it
This is error number one — and the most costly one.
When you ask your bank to convert euros into yuan, Indian rupees or Hong Kong dollars, it applies its own exchange rate. This rate is not that of the interbank market (the "real" rate): it includes a margin, called a spread, which the bank discreetly pockets.
Concretely, for a transfer of 100,000 euros, a margin of 2% represents 2,000 euros deducted without an explicit line on your statement. Multiply by the number of annual transactions, and the loss becomes structural.
Many SME directors never compare this rate. They trust their usual bank by default — and pay very dearly for this comfort.
Ignoring correspondent banking fees (intermediary SWIFT fees)
An international transfer between a French bank and an Asian or African bank almost never goes directly. It transits through one or more correspondent banks, each charging fees along the way — between 15 and 35 dollars per bank, sometimes more.
These fees are not always visible at the start. They are deducted from the amount received by your supplier, creating a gap between what you sent and what they actually received.
Concrete result: your supplier is underpaid, you must issue a top-up, and you bear the fees twice. Some contracts include the "OUR" clause (all fees borne by the sender) to avoid this problem — but many SMEs do not know this.
Paying in euros rather than in the supplier's local currency
This is an intuitively "logical" mistake: paying in euros avoids having to manage a conversion. Except that in this case, it is your supplier who bears the exchange rate risk — and passes it on to their prices.
Conversely, offering to pay in the local currency (yuan, rupee, dirham, Vietnamese dong) often gives you real negotiating leverage. But this assumes mastering the conversion beforehand so as not to suffer a bad rate at the last minute.
The key: converting yourself, at the right rate, at the right time — rather than letting your bank do it at the time of executing the transfer.
Not anticipating payment terms in purchasing planning
A SWIFT transfer to Asia takes between 2 and 5 business days in the best of cases. With unresponsive correspondent banks, compliance checks or local public holidays, it can reach 7 to 10 days.
For SMEs working with tight production deadlines or contracts linked to delivery dates, this delay can delay an entire order — and result in penalties or stockouts.
Anticipating payment is an integral part of international cash management. Yet, it is rarely integrated into the purchasing processes of SMEs.
Treating each transfer in isolation, without an exchange rate strategy
Paying supplier by supplier, currency by currency, as deadlines fall: this is the approach of the majority of SMEs. It is also the most costly one.
Because it exposes the company to market volatility with each transaction. An order placed in January at a matching EUR/USD rate can become unprofitable in March if the euro has depreciated in the meantime.
Companies that manage their foreign exchange risk intelligently do not react: they anticipate. Forward contracts, spot purchases at the right time, partial hedging of exposure — these tools exist, and they are not reserved for large groups.
What SMEs that master their international payments do differently
Directors who have optimised their foreign exchange flows have one thing in common: they no longer go through their bank for their international transfers.
They use an authorized payment intermediary — a regulated structure, registered with the ACPR and ORIAS, which accesses interbank market rates and passes this competitiveness directly onto their transactions.
The advantages are concrete: transparent exchange rates with no hidden margin, transfers to more than 130 currencies with reduced processing times, a named IBAN opened in the company's name (funds never transit through a third-party account), accessible hedging tools like spot purchase, forward contract or automated order, and a dedicated contact person — not a generalist customer service.
OSolto — the authorized payment intermediary for your international flows
OSolto is registered with ORIAS (No. 26004337) and operates under the supervision of the ACPR. We assist French SMEs in optimising their currency payments — without replacing their bank, but complementing it.
Our technology partners — Ebury (majority owned by Banco Santander) and CurrencyCloud — allow us to offer foreign exchange market access conditions usually reserved for large-scale companies.
Each client has a segregated named account. No funds transit through the accounts of OSolto.
Conclusion
Paying a supplier abroad seems simple on the surface. But every step — the applied rate, the intermediary banks, the chosen currency, the timing of the payment — can silently erode your margin.
The good news: these losses are avoidable. With the right tools and the right partner, an SME can regain control of its international payments in a matter of days.
Would you like to analyse your current flows and estimate your potential savings? Book an appointment with Mohamed Ali — it is free and without obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an authorized payment intermediary? It is a company authorized by the ACPR (Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution) to provide payment and foreign exchange services. It is distinct from a bank but subject to strict regulation, particularly regarding the protection of client funds and anti-money laundering.
Are my funds safe? Yes. At OSolto, client funds are placed in segregated named accounts in the client company's name. They are never mixed with OSolto's own funds.
Do I need to close my bank account to use OSolto? No. OSolto is a complement to your bank, not a substitute. You continue to use your bank for day-to-day operations, and OSolto for your currency payments.
Which currencies are available? More than 130 currencies, including the main ones (USD, GBP, CHF, JPY, CNY) and many emerging currencies (MAD, TND, NGN, INR, VND, etc.).
How long does it take to open an account? Generally between 48 and 72 hours after validating the KYB (Know Your Business) documents required by regulation.
