How To Pay Employees and Contractors in USDC

Why More Companies Are Paying in USDC

USDC (USD Coin) is a dollar-backed stablecoin that combines the trust and stability of traditional currency with the speed and transparency of blockchain technology.

For companies, this means you can pay workers across borders in seconds, not days. There are no expensive wire transfer fees, no currency exchange markups, and no reliance on banking systems that may not work well for your remote team.

From a recipient’s perspective, USDC is equally compelling. Contractors and employees can receive payment into a wallet of their choice on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon, and other supported blockchains and either hold, swap, or cash out into local currency using their preferred method.

Because USDC is fully backed and regularly attested by Circle, both employers and employees benefit from a level of transparency and reliability that goes beyond most digital assets.

The Rise + Circle Integration

Rise is proud to be an official Circle partner, integrating Circle’s infrastructure directly into our payroll and contractor management platform. This partnership ensures that any payments made in USDC are fast, secure, and fully compliant with local and international regulations.

Through this integration, companies using Rise can fund their payroll in fiat or in USDC directly, and we handle the rest. Whether you’re paying a developer in Serbia, a designer in Argentina, or a full-time employee in Canada, Rise takes care of the conversions, tax documentation, smart contracts, and KYC/AML checks behind the scenes.

From your dashboard, paying in USDC is just as easy and often easier than using a traditional payroll system.

Our infrastructure enables seamless minting and burning of USDC via Circle’s APIs, removing the need for you to manually convert currencies or handle blockchain transactions. That complexity is entirely abstracted away from your finance and HR teams.

How to Set Up USDC Payroll with Rise

1. Create a Business Account 

Visit Riseworks.io and sign up for a business account by providing basic company information, such as your business name, address, and contact details. 

After registration, you'll be prompted to complete a verification process to ensure the security and legality of your account, which may involve submitting additional documents or information about your business.

2. Invite and Onboard Your Contractors Compliantly

Next, you’ll invite your contractors to join the Rise platform simply by sending them an email.

From there, your contractors will be onboarded quickly and compliantly by going through KYC checks and identity verification.

They will be given a unique Rise ID, a digital wallet address, and will be able to set up their preferred payment methods for withdrawals.

3. Fund Your Payroll

Rise gives employers the unique ability to fund payroll in either US dollars or USDC stablecoin, so that global employers are not limited by traditional banking systems.

If you choose to fund in USDC, you can use any of our integration partners including Arbitrum, Coinbase, Uniswap, Ethereum, Metamask, Avalanche, Gnosis Safe, Optimism, Polygon, MEW, and Torus.

Once the funds are available, you can easily allocate them to your payroll needs within the Rise platform, setting up automated payments in either fiat or cryptocurrency according to your payroll setup.

4. Set Up Payment Schedules

Within the Rise platform, you can establish payment schedules that fit your business operations, whether that's weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or custom intervals. 

This flexibility allows you to align payroll disbursements with your company's cash flow and contractor expectations. 

Moreover, Rise offers the capability to automate these payments, ensuring that your contractors receive their earnings on time, every time, without manual intervention, thus reducing administrative workload and enhancing payment accuracy.

5. Contractors Withdraw in Their Preferred Currency (Fiat or Crypto)

Contractors have the freedom to withdraw their earnings in their preferred currency, whether it's fiat or a variety of cryptocurrencies, directly from their Rise digital wallet. 

This feature supports the diverse needs of a global workforce, enabling seamless conversion and transfer of funds to their personal accounts without the need for intermediaries.

And that’s all there is to it. You can get started now by visiting Rise and scheduling a demo.

Full Compliance, Zero Hassle

One of the biggest concerns with crypto payroll is compliance. Rise solves that with an all-in-one platform that handles tax documentation, contractor agreements, identity verification, AML screening, and localized employment support in over 190 countries.

For full-time employees, our Employer of Record (EOR) solution enables you to legally employ talent while offering competitive benefits and salary in either fiat or USDC, or both. For freelancers and contractors, our Global Contractor Pay system manages contracts, payouts, and tax forms, while giving recipients full control over how they get paid.

Because every transaction is traceable on-chain, you also get built-in auditability that helps with reporting, accounting, and investor transparency.

Why Choose Rise

Rise is the only global payroll platform with native USDC support backed by Circle. We combine the stability and compliance of traditional payroll systems with the speed and innovation of blockchain technology. Whether you’re a crypto company or a startup exploring stablecoin payments for the first time, Rise gives you everything you need to scale confidently.

You don’t need to be a blockchain expert. Our interface is designed for HR teams, CFOs, and founders who want fast, flexible, and compliant payments without needing to touch code or manage wallets themselves.

Ready to Pay Your Team in USDC?

If you’re ready to modernize your payroll and offer your team the speed, freedom, and reliability of USDC, Rise is your all-in-one solution.

We’ll show you how to fund payroll in crypto or fiat, how to onboard your team across borders, and how to stay fully compliant every step of the way.

Book a Demo Now
Let us show you how to pay your team in USDC in minutes, not months.

‍