$20B Paystand Buys Bitwage, Expanding Stablecoin Payroll Access for 90,000 Workers
Paystand, a leading B2B payments platform that processes more than $20 billion annually, has acquired Bitwage, a crypto payroll pioneer that has facilitated over $400 million in digital wage payments across 200 countries since 2014.
The deal marks a major step toward integrating blockchain-based stablecoin payments into mainstream enterprise payroll systems.
Integrating Stablecoin Payroll Into Enterprise Workflows
The acquisition brings together Paystand’s enterprise-grade payment infrastructure and Bitwage’s decade-long expertise in digital payroll.
Bitwage’s system, which serves over 90,000 workers and freelancers globally, allows salaries to be paid in stablecoins such as USDC and USDT through partnerships with Circle and Tether.
With this integration, Paystand’s 1,000 enterprise clients — spanning sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and technology — can now issue salary payments in stablecoins, bypassing traditional ACH delays, weekend cutoffs, and high foreign exchange fees associated with cross-border transactions.
Also read: Stablecoins Now Capture 75% of Crypto Protocol Revenue, Outpacing All Other Sectors
The merged platform employs blockchain-agnostic infrastructure, meaning it is not tied to a single blockchain network. While Bitwage previously supported Bitcoin and Ethereum, the new entity plans to prioritize faster and lower-cost layer-2 solutions and Solana for settlement.
This shift allows companies to execute payroll outside traditional banking hours, with employees able to receive USDC and convert it to local currencies through exchanges or digital banking platforms. Bitwage emphasized that it has maintained a spotless security record over its 11 years of operation.
Stablecoin Market Growth Fuels Adoption
The timing of the acquisition aligns with explosive growth in the global stablecoin market. Chainalysis data indicates that stablecoin transfers rose 87% year-over-year, reaching $9 trillion in 2025—nearly half of Visa’s annual payment throughput. USDC alone accounted for $2.3 trillion in transfer volume during the third quarter.
Stablecoin market cap (Source: DefiLlama)
A recent EY survey also found that 87% of chief financial officers now view stablecoins as a competitive advantage, up sharply from 61% the year prior. This sentiment has been reinforced by major institutional adoption: BlackRock’s BUIDL fund and Mastercard’s USDC settlement pilot have both introduced on-chain dollar transactions into traditional financial operations.
Supportive Regulatory and Industry Landscape
The acquisition also takes place amid a more favorable U.S. regulatory climate for crypto payments.
The Trump administration has voiced support for blockchain and digital asset innovation, while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued guidance on stablecoin custody requirements.
Also read: Stablecoins Set the Stage for Meta, Google and Apple’s Finance Revolution: Bitwise CEO
Earlier this year, Visa acquired Bridge, a stablecoin payment platform, for $1 billion — further underscoring the sector’s growing institutional legitimacy.
Cross-Border and Weekend Payment Capabilities
The combined Paystand–Bitwage platform enables payroll and payment transfers to occur outside traditional financial windows.
Employers can now send USDC-based payments on weekends, giving international workers faster access to wages while eliminating remittance fees that typically range from 3% to 12% on conventional transfer services.
In Japan, companies will soon be able to integrate JPYC, a yen-pegged token, through the forthcoming All Banking System API gateway, further expanding Paystand’s reach in Asia.
A Growing Market for Crypto Payroll
The crypto payroll sector is expanding quickly, with competitors like Deel and Rippling also offering cryptocurrency-based salary options.
Market research firm DataIntelo projects the global crypto payroll market to reach $6.38 billion by 2033, driven by the broader adoption of digital assets in corporate finance.
By merging Paystand’s payment infrastructure with Bitwage’s global payroll network, the acquisition positions the combined entity at the center of a rapidly evolving stablecoin economy — one increasingly viewed as a cornerstone of the future digital payments landscape.
