Deel launches Polygon stablecoin payroll for US, Eurozone

Deel launched Polygon-based stablecoin salary payouts on May 20, 2026 for eligible full-time employees in the US and Eurozone. The option lets workers choose to receive part of their net pay in supported stablecoins after taxes and other deductions. Employers keep existing funding, compliance and payroll processes while the stablecoin allocation is applied to net salary within the same payroll run.

The feature is integrated into Deel’s global HR platform, which serves more than 40,000 customers, supports payroll across 150+ countries and has processed over $20 billion in payroll. Employers can fund payroll through local bank accounts or crypto wallets and allow workers to receive funds into bank accounts or crypto wallets. Stablecoin selection is applied after gross-to-net calculations so statutory deductions and employer records remain unchanged in employment, tax and HR files.

The rollout targets a stablecoin market estimated at $322.9 billion. On-chain data show USDT holding about 58.7% market share, with USDC as the second-largest dollar stablecoin. Visa expanded its stablecoin settlement pilot to multiple blockchains, including Polygon, and reported a $7 billion annualized settlement run rate in April 2026.

Stablecoin payroll has been used by contractors and crypto-native teams. Providers reporting payroll volumes include a company that processes more than $1 billion in annual token payroll across 100+ countries and another that surpassed $1 billion in total payroll volume in November 2025, reporting that more than half of its users choose stablecoin payouts. An established provider lists more than $400 million in processed payroll with over 90,000 registered workers and more than 4,500 companies.

Employee salary payouts require gross-to-net calculations, statutory deductions, paid leave accounting, benefits administration, local reporting and retained employer records. Employers and payroll teams need clear tax treatment, identity verification and sanctions screening, reconciliation processes, worker support and reliable off-ramps so employees can convert crypto to local currency. Late or failed salary payments create legal and reputational risk.

Polygon was selected for the feature in part because platforms evaluate networks on transaction cost, settlement reliability, wallet support, stablecoin liquidity and partner coverage. Polygon is already used by other payroll providers and is included in multi-chain settlement pilots.

The stablecoin option is configured as an employee payout preference inside the payroll product rather than as a separate crypto payroll tool. Adoption metrics to be tracked include geography-by-geography uptake, the share of salary employees electing stablecoin payouts, preferred stablecoin, payout failure rates, off-ramp costs for workers and whether employers continue using the feature after initial payroll cycles.