100+ countries and 3 currencies is not depth. It's reach with a USD-shaped hole in the middle.
Where 630 comes from
630 is not a marketing number. It's the arithmetic of 36 currencies, each convertible directly into the other 35: 36 × 35 ÷ 2. Every one of those pairs settles as a single conversion, quoted as one spread, with no mandatory USD leg in between.
Compare that to the industry default. Most stablecoin and payment infrastructure providers hold real balances in three currencies — USD, EUR, GBP — and route everything else through one of them. Three currencies gives you, at most, three direct pairs. Every other corridor pays for a currency nobody in the transaction wanted.
The gap between reach and depth
| Metric | What it measures | What it hides |
|---|---|---|
| Country coverage | Where you can send a payout | Whether it's a direct conversion or two stacked ones |
| Currencies supported | Balances you can actually hold | Whether most "supported" currencies quote via USD anyway |
| Direct pairs | Conversions that settle in one hop, one spread | Nothing — it's the number that can't be marketed around |
Modality holds real balances in 36 currencies and settles 630 direct pairs — EUR/TRY, AED/INR, GBP/NGN, PLN/AED, and hundreds more — each quoted and settled without a mandatory USD leg. That's the number the rest of the industry doesn't put on the homepage, because most of them don't have it.
What a low pair count costs you
A euro invoice paid in lira on a three-currency rail becomes EUR → USD → TRY. Two conversions, two spreads, one currency exposure that exists purely because the infrastructure needed a common denominator. Your customer either eats that spread or you do — either way it's margin that shouldn't have left the room.
On a direct pair, EUR = TRY settles as one hop. One spread, quoted before you commit, no dollar in the middle taking a cut of a transaction it has nothing to do with.
Why most providers stop at three
Defaulting every non-major currency through USD is the easier build: one settlement asset, one liquidity pool per corridor, one integration pattern that scales by adding countries, not currencies. Underwriting direct liquidity for 630 pairs individually is a harder, slower build — which is exactly why most "stablecoin infrastructure" providers advertise country count instead of pair count. It's the metric that flatters the architecture they actually built.
FAQ
What Are 630 Currency Pairs
630 currency pairs is the number of direct, native conversions available across 36 currencies on Modality's settlement layer. It's the combinatorial result of 36 currencies each convertible directly into the other 35, without forcing every pair through a common intermediate currency like USD.
How Many Currency Pairs Does A Typical Payment Provider Support
Most payment and stablecoin infrastructure providers advertise broad country reach but settle real balances in three currencies: USD, EUR and GBP. That gives at most a handful of direct pairs. Everything else routes through one of those three, adding a second conversion.
Why Does The Number Of Direct Pairs Matter
Every pair that isn't direct costs a second spread and a currency exposure nobody asked for. A provider with 3 currencies and a provider with 35 both claim "100+ countries" — the pair count is the number that tells you whether your specific corridor gets one conversion or two.
Check whether your corridor is one of the 630 — get a demo.
Related: Like-for-like settlement: what it is and where it stops working.
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