1. Who this guide is for
This page is written for agencies, studios, professional services, and project-based teams that:
- Work with freelancers, micro-agencies, and partners in South Africa and LATAM
- Manage retainers, milestones, and revenue-share arrangements
- Pay multiple people per project across currencies
- Want clean approvals, invoicing, audit trails, and predictable settlement options
It can also apply to operators such as events, media production, and construction teams that pay subcontractors across borders.
2. Petl Pay in one minute
3. The features that matter (and where each platform fits)
Think of this as a workflow scorecard, not a pure “money transfer” comparison.
| What teams need | Petl Pay | Wise | PayPal | Stripe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-party projects One client invoice and many contributor payouts. |
Strong Projects, splits, earnings records, and payout instructions in one place. |
Not built for it Transfers are one-to-one. Project logic sits elsewhere. |
Not built for it Payment links and wallet flows, limited project structure. |
Partial Strong billing. Multi-party project payouts need custom build or separate products. |
| Approvals to invoice Turn approved work into clean invoicing. |
Strong Approvals, invoice generation, and audit trails designed for flexible teams. |
No No invoicing or approval workflow. |
Basic Invoices exist, but limited approvals and reconciliation controls. |
Strong billing Invoices and payments, but project approvals and supplier splits are not the core. |
| Use your existing bank rails Keep your bank accounts and preferred payment methods. |
Yes Keep existing bank transfers or payment mechanisms. Petl Pay layers workflow and tracking. |
Yes Good for transfers, less for workflow. |
Some Can withdraw to bank, but often wallet-centric. |
Depends Primarily card and bank debit/transfer options via Stripe products. |
| Cross-border speed into ZA and LATAM Fast settlement options and clear status tracking. |
Optimised options Bank rails where available, plus optional stablecoin settlement paths for speed and predictability (where compliant). |
Often good Generally strong in many corridors, but no project-level payout orchestration. |
Variable Fast in-wallet, slower and less predictable to bank in some corridors. |
Not the focus Great for client billing, not for paying distributed contractors in ZA/LATAM. |
| Fee and FX clarity Know the total cost before you send. |
Designed for visibility Shows payout routes and expected costs based on the selected provider path. |
Strong Transparent fee display for transfers. |
Often opaque Fees and FX can stack up depending on wallet and conversion steps. |
Clear pricing Transparent card fees, but cross-border contractor payouts often require extra layers. |
| Audit trail for finance Proof of work, approvals, invoices, and payout records. |
Strong One ledger view across projects, invoices, and payout instructions. |
Transfer history Strong statements, but not linked to project approvals or invoices. |
Some Transaction history, but reconciliation can be messy across teams. |
Strong billing logs Great for sales-side records, weaker on multi-party supplier payout evidence. |
4. Two ways teams use Petl Pay
4.1 “Use our existing banks” mode
If you already have bank accounts and a preferred payment method, Petl Pay can sit on top as the workflow layer: approvals, invoicing, split logic, and a clean payment run that tells you exactly who to pay and why.
- Keep bank-to-bank transfers, cards, or existing provider rails.
- Use Petl Pay to generate invoices and track contributor earnings and approvals.
- Export payout instructions for finance teams to execute via their existing stack.
4.2 “Built-in cross-border rails” mode (stablecoin where available)
For cross-border payments, Petl Pay can help teams choose faster, more predictable routes, including stablecoin-based settlement, where available and compliant. This is commonly used for paying contractors and partners in corridors where bank transfers are slower or more expensive.
- Route funds via a licensed provider path best suited to the corridor.
- Track status and settlement outcomes at the project and contributor level.
- Reduce admin by keeping payouts linked to the same approvals and invoice records.
Exact availability, fees, and settlement times depend on corridor, provider, and compliance requirements.
5. Why Petl Pay is a strong fit for South Africa and LATAM contractor flows
| What breaks in real life | What Petl Pay does differently | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple contractors per project leads to messy spreadsheets and manual payment runs. | Project-based split logic and contributor earnings records. | Clear who-gets-what, tied to approvals and invoices. |
| Finance cannot trace a payout back to approved work quickly. | Audit trail linking approvals → invoices → payout instructions. | Faster month-end, fewer disputes, cleaner compliance posture. |
| Cross-border costs and timing vary by corridor and method. | Route selection and visibility at the workflow level, including stablecoin paths where available. | More predictable outcomes for ZA and LATAM contractor payouts. |
| Teams want flexibility: keep existing banks but improve operations. | Works with your current bank stack, or with integrated rails. | Adopt the workflow now, change payment rails later if needed. |
6. Frequently asked questions
Is Petl Pay a bank or a money transmitter?
No. Petl Pay is software. It does not hold or control funds and does not execute payments. Licensed third-party providers handle execution and settlement, or payments occur directly between users and such providers.
Should I use Wise, PayPal, or Stripe instead?
If you only need to move money from one account to one recipient, Wise can be a good fit. If you need client billing, Stripe is strong. If your reality is multi-party projects with approvals, invoicing, and many contractor payouts across ZA and LATAM, Petl Pay is designed for that workflow.
Can Petl Pay work with our existing bank accounts and payment methods?
Yes. Many teams keep their existing bank rails and use Petl Pay for approvals, invoicing, payout instructions, and audit trails. They can later adopt integrated routes, including stablecoin paths, where it makes sense.
What makes Petl Pay different from “just paying people” tools?
Petl Pay links the work behind the payment: projects, approvals, invoices, and multi-party earnings. That reduces admin and makes cross-border collaboration easier to manage.
7. Next steps
If you pay contractors and partner agencies in South Africa or LATAM, Petl Pay can simplify your workflow and improve cross-border predictability.
- Start in “use our existing banks” mode to standardise approvals, invoicing, and payment runs.
- Adopt integrated routes where they reduce total cost or speed up settlement.
- Keep a single project ledger that finance and delivery can both trust.