Why Teams Are Paying Full-Time Employees in Stablecoins

Crypto-native companies have used stablecoins to pay contractors for years. But until now, stablecoin payroll hasn’t been ready for full-time W-2 employees.

The demand for faster, more flexible pay isn’t coming from the fringe anymore. It’s coming from full-time teams. Engineers, operators, and core contributors are all asking the same thing. 

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We recently ran an employee survey across 1000+ people to understand how real the appetite is. The results reinforced what we’re hearing across the ecosystem: the pain of traditional payments is widespread, and stablecoins are no longer just a nice-to-have.

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What the Data Shows

In our latest employee survey, here’s what stood out:

• Over half (60%) said they’d prefer to split their salary between fiat and stablecoins
• Of those open to it, preferences ranged from 10% to 50% in stablecoins
• A significant portion of over 12% of employees would elect to receive 100% of their compensation in stablecoins 

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As for the why, contributors highlighted three main drivers:

• 40% cited lower fees compared to bank transfers 
• 35% cited access to DeFi tools like staking and yield
• 29% wanted instant access to funds
• 24% wanted to invest in digital assets directly through payroll

The feedback was consistent across roles, regions, and risk profiles. Most employees aren’t asking for a full crypto payroll overhaul. They’re asking for options.

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The Employer View: Why Teams Are Making the Shift

From a business perspective, stablecoin payroll isn’t just about meeting contributor preferences. It’s about efficiency.

Teams using stablecoin payroll key in on some of the key advantages from an operational perspective.

• 50%+ reduction in FX and transaction fees
• Over 2x faster delivery compared to traditional transfer

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Why This Matters Now

There’s a growing disconnect between how companies operate and how they pay.

Work has gone remote, global, and 24/7. But payroll still runs on batch files and banking hours. The friction is especially clear for teams with contributors across borders or outside major banking systems.

Just like freelancers, full-time employees are feeling it:

• Delays in wire transfers
  
  
• Foreign exchange losses
  
  
• High bank fees
  
  
• Limited access to local funds

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If you’re ready to explore this more deeply, we’d be happy to walk you through it.