Bitcoin's cross-border transaction settlement speed significantly outperforms many traditional networks. On-chain Bitcoin transactions typically confirm within 10 minutes to a few hours, while solutions like the Lightning Network enable near-instant settlements. In contrast, traditional systems like SWIFT often take 1–5 business days, especially for emerging markets, due to intermediaries and banking hours. Stablecoins and platforms like Ripple’s XRP can settle in seconds, further highlighting blockchain’s edge. However, Bitcoin’s speed varies with network congestion and fees, and traditional systems are improving with real-time payment initiatives. Still, Bitcoin’s 24/7 operation and lack of intermediaries make it faster for many cross-border scenarios.