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Nium vs Rapyd: which fits a cross-border payment company?

By Polynopsis team · Last updated

Nium and Rapyd both let a payment company hold a prefunded balance and send payouts to bank accounts, cards and wallets by API or portal, but Nium's payout network reaches over 190 countries with real-time payouts in more than 100, while Rapyd Disburse pays out to over 100 countries in more than 65 currencies inside a wider network of local payment and payout methods in 182 markets. Nium is funded by a bank transfer to a Nium virtual account followed by a prefund request through its API, or in USDC at the point of payout, while Rapyd runs a Good Funds model in which the Rapyd Client Wallet must hold available funds before any payout.

Side by side

NiumRapyd
What it doesNium Payouts send money between individuals and businesses in any direction (individual or corporate sender to individual or corporate recipient). Payouts go to bank accounts, cards and digital wallets, with cash pickup in some countries, and are sent by API, through the Nium Portal for single or batch payouts, through Nium Connect using Swift MT or ISO 20022 messages, or through a custom integration. sourceRapyd Disburse is a global payout platform for one-to-one and mass payouts in B2B, B2C and P2P use cases, with fraud controls, a compliance framework and FX built in. It is available through an API integration and the Rapyd Client Portal. source
Markets coveredPayouts reach over 190 countries, with real-time, on-demand payments in more than 100 countries. sourceRapyd's network page lists local payment and payout methods across 182 markets and hundreds of local payment methods (October 2026), with payout methods per country drawn from bank, cards, cash, e-wallet and stablecoins. source
Payout and collection methodsPayouts go to bank accounts, cards or wallets in fiat or stablecoin over local rails, real-time networks and Swift, with USDC funding and settlement. Nium also offers multi-currency accounts in 100+ currencies and FX across 2,000+ currency pairs (product page, October 2026). sourceDisburse completes payouts to over 100 countries in more than 65 currencies, to wallets, cards, bank transfers or cash. Payouts are created by uploading a CSV file in the Client Portal, by sending an ISO 20022 XML file to Rapyd SFTP, or through the Disburse API. source
Licences and regulationNium's licence page lists NIUM Pte. Ltd. as a MAS Major Payment Institution (PS20200276), Nium Fintech Limited as an FCA authorised EMI (901024), UAB Nium EU as a Bank of Lithuania EMI (licence 14), Nium Pty Limited with ASIC AFSL 464627, Nium Canada Corporation as a FINTRAC MSB (M15669293) and Nium Japan K.K. as a Type I and Type II funds transfer service provider (00073). sourceRapyd Payments Limited is an FCA electronic money institution (900688), Rapyd Europe hf. is an EMI regulated by the Central Bank of Iceland, Rapyd Holding Pte. Ltd. is a MAS Major Payment Institution (PS20200311), Rapyd HK Limited holds a Hong Kong Money Service Operator licence (19-06-02796) and Rapyd Financial Technology US Inc. is a FinCEN-registered MSB (31000258164740). source
Company (founded, HQ, listed or funding)Founded in 2014 in India and Singapore, with headquarters in San Francisco and Singapore. Nium raised a US$50 million Series E in June 2024, led by a sovereign wealth fund in Asia, at a US$1.4 billion valuation. sourceFounded in 2015 by Arkady Karpman, Arik Shtilman and Omer Priel. In March 2025 Rapyd raised 500 million USD, mostly equity, at a valuation of about 4.5 billion USD, and bought PayU GPO from Prosus for about 610 million USD. source
How you hold and fund balancesThe client sends a bank transfer to Nium's virtual account number, then raises a prefund request with POST /api/v1/client/{clientHashId}/prefund. Nium matches the transfer to the request, approves it and makes the funds visible in the client prefund account. sourceDisburse uses a Good Funds model: funds must be available in the Rapyd Client Wallet before a disbursement, and Rapyd compliance must review and approve the client's bank account before it can send funds to the Client Wallet. source
Balance and reporting APIsGET /api/v1/client/{clientHashId}/balances returns an array of balances, each with currency, balance, account type (for example CLIENT_POOL or WALLET_POOL), a default flag and created and updated timestamps. sourceGET /v1/ewallets/{ewallet}/accounts returns, for each currency account, the available balance plus received_balance, on_hold_balance and reserve_balance. source
Public pricingNo public price list. Nium's docs say pricing is configured in the client's account once agreed with Nium during onboarding, and can vary by customer segment for platform clients. sourceRapyd publishes a Hong Kong business account price list (last modified 11 May 2025): US$99 a month, FPS payouts free, non-FPS local payouts US$5 or HK$38, SWIFT payouts US$5 or HK$115, and a 1.5% fee when sender and beneficiary currencies differ. source

Which to shortlist

Running both

Many payment companies use more than one provider per market. Polynopsis reads every partner, bank and wallet into one live position, so each balance, prefund and transfer in flight sits in one place whichever providers you choose.

Frequently asked questions

Do Nium and Rapyd both need prefunding?

Rapyd Disburse uses a Good Funds model, so the Rapyd Client Wallet must hold available funds before a payout. Nium credits a client prefund account after a bank transfer to its virtual account and an approved prefund request, and also lets clients fund in USDC at the point of payout under its just-in-time settlement model.

Which reaches more countries for payouts?

Nium states payouts to over 190 countries, more than 100 of them in real time. Rapyd Disburse states payouts to over 100 countries in more than 65 currencies.

How do I read my balance by API?

On Nium, call GET /api/v1/client/{clientHashId}/balances, which returns balances by currency and account type. On Rapyd, call GET /v1/ewallets/{ewallet}/accounts, which returns available, received, on-hold and reserve balances per currency account.

Can I send payouts by file instead of API?

Yes, with both. Rapyd accepts a CSV upload in the Client Portal or an ISO 20022 XML file over SFTP. Nium offers single and batch payouts in the Nium Portal, and banks can send Swift MT or ISO 20022 messages through Nium Connect.

Does either publish its fees?

Rapyd publishes a Hong Kong business account price list, including a US$99 monthly fee and US$5 SWIFT payouts. Nium agrees pricing with each client during onboarding.

Other comparisons

Sources

  1. docs.nium.com/docs/payouts
  2. www.nium.com/products/global-payouts
  3. www.nium.com/licenses
  4. www.cooley.com/news/coverage/2024/2024-06-04-nium-raises-50-million-series-e
  5. www.nium.com/newsroom/nium-raises-us50-million-in-series-e-round-to-expand-real-time-payments-global-infrastructure
  6. docs.nium.com/docs/payins/program-client-and-client-prefund-account
  7. docs.nium.com/docs/reports/daily-reports/client-ledger-summary
  8. docs.nium.com/docs/fees-and-limits/fees
  9. docs.rapyd.net/en/rapyd-disburse.html
  10. docs.rapyd.net/en/rapyd-disburse-faqs.html
  11. www.rapyd.net/network
  12. www.rapyd.net/security-compliance/regulatory-framework
  13. www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rjjmeyl3jl
  14. www.rapyd.net/company/news/press-releases/rapyd-completes-acquisition-of-payu-latin-america-and-africa
  15. docs.rapyd.net/en/funding-your-client-wallet.html
  16. docs.rapyd.net/en/balances.html
  17. docs.rapyd.net/en/retrieve-balances-of-wallet-accounts.html
  18. docs.rapyd.net/en/merchant-reconciliation-report.html
  19. www.rapyd.net/security-compliance/rapyd-business-account-pricing-hk

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