How long does a crypto transfer take on average?

Anywhere from a few seconds to about an hour, set almost entirely by the network: XRP, Stellar, Solana, and Avalanche settle in seconds; TRON in about a minute; Ethereum within five minutes; Litecoin 5–30 minutes; Bitcoin 10–60 minutes. The receiving platform's crediting policy adds its own delay on top.

Why is my crypto transfer taking so long?

Three usual causes, in order of likelihood: the receiving platform is still crediting a transaction the blockchain already confirmed (check the transaction hash in a block explorer); the fee bid was too low on a congested Proof of Work chain like Bitcoin, so it waits in the mempool; or a required memo/destination tag was omitted on an exchange deposit, which parks funds until support intervenes.

Can a pending crypto transaction be cancelled?

Only before it confirms, and only from the sending wallet. On Bitcoin, replace-by-fee can rebroadcast the same funds with a higher fee; on Ethereum, sending a new transaction with the same nonce and higher gas replaces the stuck one. Once confirmed, no transaction on any network can be reversed.

How many confirmations do exchanges require?

Typical 2026 policies: Bitcoin 1–3 confirmations, Litecoin 2–6, Ethereum ~12–30 blocks (a few minutes), TRON 19 blocks (about a minute), Solana/XRP/Stellar effectively immediate. Each platform publishes its own numbers, and large deposits can be held for extra review anywhere.

Does the amount I send change how long the transfer takes?

Not on-chain — the network confirms a $10 transfer and a $1 million transfer at the same speed, which is precisely why wires lose to stablecoins on settlement time. What can change with size is the receiving platform's compliance review, which may hold large deposits for manual checks after the chain has already settled.

What's the fastest way to receive crypto after buying?

Buy on a fast network with an instant payment method: a debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay purchase of USDT on TRON, or USDC on Solana, typically goes from checkout to confirmed in your own wallet within minutes at Anytime Capital. Bank wires are the slower leg — the blockchain part is never the bottleneck.

Network timing guide

How long do crypto transfers take?

Quick answer

Seconds to about an hour, depending on the network. XRP, Stellar, and Solana settle in seconds; TRON takes about a minute; Ethereum a few minutes; Litecoin 5–30 minutes; Bitcoin 10–60 minutes. The blockchain is usually the fast part — most "slow" transfers are a platform still crediting a transaction that already confirmed.

Transfer time by network (2026)

Typical crypto transfer and confirmation times by network
Network	Block time	Typical transfer time	Guide
Bitcoin	~10 minutes	10–60 minutes	Bitcoin guide →
Ethereum	~12 seconds	30 seconds – 5 minutes	Ethereum guide →
TRON	~3 seconds	1–3 minutes	TRON guide →
Solana	~0.4 seconds	Under 1 minute	Solana guide →
Litecoin	~2.5 minutes	5–30 minutes	Litecoin guide →
XRP Ledger	~3–5 seconds per ledger	3–10 seconds	XRP Ledger guide →
Dogecoin	~1 minute	2–20 minutes	Dogecoin guide →
Polygon	~2 seconds	Under 5 minutes	Polygon guide →
BNB Smart Chain	~0.75 seconds	Under 2 minutes	BNB Smart Chain guide →
Avalanche	~1–2 seconds	Under 2 minutes	Avalanche guide →
Cardano	~20 seconds	2–10 minutes	Cardano guide →
Stellar	~5 seconds per ledger	3–10 seconds	Stellar guide →
TON	~5 seconds	Under 1 minute	TON guide →
Arbitrum	~0.25 seconds	Seconds (exchange credits usually under 10 minutes)	Arbitrum guide →
Optimism	~2 seconds	Seconds (exchange credits usually under 10 minutes)	Optimism guide →
Base	~2 seconds (200ms Flashblocks since 2025)	Seconds (exchange credits usually under 10 minutes)	Base guide →
Sui	~0.25 seconds (checkpoints)	Under 1 minute	Sui guide →
Aptos	~0.5 seconds	Under 1 minute	Aptos guide →
NEAR	~1.3 seconds	Under 1 minute	NEAR guide →
Sei	~0.4 seconds	Under 1 minute	Sei guide →
Injective	~0.6 seconds	Under 1 minute	Injective guide →
Kaspa	~0.1 seconds (10 blocks/second since 2025)	Under 2 minutes	Kaspa guide →
Hedera	Continuous (no blocks — events gossip to finality in seconds)	3–10 seconds	Hedera guide →
Internet Computer	~1 second per subnet	Under 1 minute	Internet Computer guide →
Cosmos	~6 seconds	Under 1 minute	Cosmos guide →
Polkadot	~6 seconds	1–2 minutes	Polkadot guide →
Bitcoin Cash	~10 minutes	10–60 minutes (usable in seconds for small payments)	Bitcoin Cash guide →
Ethereum Classic	~13 seconds	Minutes on-chain; exchange credits often take hours	Ethereum Classic guide →
Stacks	~5 seconds (since the Nakamoto upgrade)	Under 2 minutes	Stacks guide →

Typical figures under normal load in 2026; congestion, low fee bids, and platform crediting policies extend them.

How long do USDT and USDC transfers take?

Stablecoins inherit the speed of whichever network carries them — the same USDT arrives in under a minute on Solana and in a few minutes as ERC-20. Pick the rail to pick the speed.

USDT and USDC transfer times by network
Stablecoin	Network	Standard	Typical time
USDT	TRON	TRC-20	1–3 minutes
USDT	Ethereum	ERC-20	1–5 minutes
USDT	Solana	SPL	Under 1 minute
USDT	TON	Jetton	Under 1 minute
USDC	Solana	SPL	Under 1 minute
USDC	Ethereum	ERC-20	1–5 minutes
USDC	Stellar	Stellar asset	3–10 seconds
USDC	Arbitrum	Native	Seconds
USDC	Polygon	Native	Under 5 minutes
USDC	Avalanche	Native	Under 2 minutes

The three clocks in every crypto transfer

"How long does crypto take?" is really three questions, and mixing them up is why timing feels unpredictable:

1. The sender's clock
How fast the sending platform broadcasts. Exchange withdrawals often queue for internal review before touching the blockchain — on large amounts this can dwarf the chain time. Self-custody wallets broadcast instantly.
2. The network's clock
The tables above. This is the only clock the blockchain controls, and on modern networks it's seconds to minutes. It's also the only clock that never depends on the amount being sent.
3. The receiver's clock
Confirmation counts plus compliance. A platform may wait extra blocks, then run its own review before crediting. When a "transfer" is slow, check the transaction hash in a block explorer: confirmed on-chain but not credited means the wait is here, not on the network.

Wondering about Anytime Capital's own order timing by payment method? That lives on our processing times page.

Buy on the fast rail — card, Apple Pay, wire & more

Choose the network at checkout and Anytime Capital delivers on it: USDT on TRON in minutes, USDC on Solana in seconds after confirmation, BTC the moment the chain clears it. US-based, thousands of customers, every major bank's cards accepted.

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Transfer timing questions