Deel Teams Up with MoonPay to Offer Stable‑Coin Salary Payments in the UK and EU
Global payroll provider Deel announced a partnership with crypto‑payment platform MoonPay that will enable workers in the United Kingdom and the European Union to receive part or all of their wages in stable‑coins, starting next month. A later phase will extend the service to the United States.
What the partnership entails
Deel, which processes roughly $22 billion in payroll each year for more than 150 million employees worldwide, will integrate MoonPay’s conversion and on‑chain delivery infrastructure into its existing payroll stack. Through the new workflow, employees who opt in will have their salary converted into a stable‑coin and sent directly to a non‑custodial cryptocurrency wallet. MoonPay will act as the bridge that handles fiat‑to‑stable‑coin conversion, compliance checks and the creation of on‑chain wallet addresses, while Deel retains responsibility for payroll calculation, tax withholding and regulatory reporting.
The rollout will initially be limited to workers in the UK and the EU, with a U.S. expansion slated for a subsequent phase. Neither company disclosed which stable‑coins will be supported at launch, nor the expected take‑rate among its user base.
Why it matters
- Speed and cost: Stable‑coin settlements can bypass traditional cross‑border banking routes, potentially reducing transaction times from days to minutes and lowering intermediary fees.
- Financial inclusion: Employees in regions with limited banking infrastructure or high remittance costs could benefit from direct on‑chain payouts.
- Regulatory positioning: MoonPay holds a New York BitLicense and operates under the EU’s MiCA authorization, giving the partnership a clearer compliance footing compared with many unregulated crypto payroll solutions.
JP Richardson, co‑founder of the crypto wallet firm Exodus, highlighted the broader significance, noting that integrating crypto into everyday payroll is a more practical driver of adoption than speculative projects.
Context within the stable‑coin landscape
The collaboration arrives as the USD‑pegged stable‑coin market becomes increasingly crowded. In the United States, legislative momentum—most notably the GENIUS Act passed by Congress in mid‑2025—has paved the way for regulated payment stable‑coins. Recent entrants include:
- World Liberty Financial’s USD1 token, launched by a DeFi platform with political ties.
- Wyoming’s Frontier Stable Token (FRNT), the first state‑issued stable‑coin in the U.S.
- Tether’s USAt, a federally regulated stable‑coin issued through Anchorage Digital Bank.
Traditional banks are also exploring the space, with the FDIC’s proposed framework for bank‑sponsored payment stable‑coins gaining traction.
Despite the influx of new issuers, market share remains heavily tilted toward a few dominant players: Tether’s USDT holds roughly 60 % of total stable‑coin market cap, while Circle’s USDC accounts for about 24 % (DefiLlama data).
Potential challenges
- Regulatory uncertainty: While MoonPay possesses relevant licenses, the future regulatory environment for payroll‑related crypto transfers—especially in the U.S.—remains fluid.
- Employee adoption: Convincing a workforce accustomed to fiat salaries to switch, even partially, to a digital asset will require clear education on risks, wallet security and tax implications.
- Liquidity and pricing: Ensuring stable‑coin conversion rates stay competitive and that sufficient liquidity exists for large payroll batches will be essential for scale.
Key takeaways
- Deel’s payroll engine meets MoonPay’s crypto infrastructure, creating a ready‑made pipeline for stable‑coin salary disbursements in Europe.
- The service launches in the UK and EU next month, with a U.S. rollout planned for a later stage.
- MoonPay’s regulatory credentials (NY BitLicense, EU MiCA) provide a compliance edge in a market where many crypto payroll solutions operate in regulatory gray zones.
- The partnership reflects a growing trend of embedding crypto into routine financial flows, moving beyond speculative trading toward real‑world use cases.
- Adoption will hinge on employee education, regulatory clarity, and the ability to deliver cost‑effective, on‑time payments compared with traditional banking channels.
If the pilot proves successful, Deel could accelerate the broader adoption of crypto‑based payroll, signaling a shift in how global workforces are compensated and how companies manage cross‑border remuneration.
Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/deel-partners-with-moonpay-to-roll-out-stablecoin-salary-payouts-in-europe?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
