2026: Global teams paid in USDC and USDT

Rise’s Q1 2026 data, published in Mapping the Stablecoin Value Chain 2026, shows workers withdrew $154.5 million more in stablecoins than they deposited on the platform. Rise reports it has processed more than $1.5 billion in lifetime payroll volume across fiat and crypto rails, with $776,983,312 processed in the trailing 12 months. Native stablecoin payroll has been in production on the platform since 2022.

Under the platform’s payroll model, employers fund payroll in U.S. dollars or stablecoins while each worker selects how to receive funds each pay cycle. Payment options include more than 90 local fiat currencies, USDC, USDT and over 100 other crypto assets. Employers run a single payroll process regardless of individual choices.

Payouts settle in 15 to 90 seconds across five blockchains: Arbitrum, Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism and Avalanche. Rise covers more than 190 countries and reports USDT leads worker-side stablecoin withdrawals in many non-U.S. markets. The company expects Employer of Record coverage to expand toward 60+ markets by the end of 2026.

The report lists compliance and custody details for enterprise customers: SOC 2 certification, GDPR compliance, FinCEN registration and an official Circle/USDC partnership. It contrasts native payroll infrastructure with HR platforms that add stablecoin payout options through third-party vendors, which can introduce extra fees, conversion steps and compliance handoffs.

Mapping the Stablecoin Value Chain 2026 places payroll inside a broader operating stack in which revenue received in dollars can convert to stablecoins, sit in regulated custody and treasury services, flow to suppliers or workers through platforms like Rise, and be deployed into short-term yield products between payroll cycles. The report forecasts payroll will move toward a hybrid model that splits fiat and crypto driven by worker choice.