Episode
59 | Stop Losing Money Across Borders – Smarter Payments for Digital Nomads
- Published
- Jun 30, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1399
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Summary
Moving money across borders is one of those things many digital nomads know is important – but still find confusing, frustrating, and sometimes painfully expensive. In this episode, Palle Bo sits down with Zoey Lee, co-founder of Glintz, to make sense of cross-border payments in normal human language. Zoey grew up in Taiwan, worked in fintech in Singapore, relocated to Canada, and has spent more than a decade building payment infrastructure across different countries. But even with that background, she kept running into the same problem many nomads face: earning in one currency, spending in another, saving somewhere else, and never being completely sure where the money disappears along the way. Zoey explains the hidden money tax many globally mobile people pay without noticing – including deposit fees, exchange-rate markups, withdrawal fees, and the difference between the fee you see and the actual amount you receive. We also get into Wise, Revolut, PayPal, Western Union, bank transfers, SWIFT, local payment rails, and why the cheapest option is not always obvious. Zoey breaks down the idea of "single rail" and "multi-rail" payments, why different routes work better for different transfers, and how smart routing could help nomads keep more of their own money. The conversation also covers the Vancouver kitchen table story that led to Glintz, Zoey's startup journey with her co-founder, fundraising in Silicon Valley, and why stablecoins like USDC may become part of the future of global payments. If you have ever wondered whether you are sending money the stupid way, this episode is for you. Key Takeaways Moving money across borders is not just about exchange rates – the real question is how much money arrives after all fees. Many providers show one clean number, but hidde…