The Stablecoin Hub
for Business Payments

A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value — typically pegged 1:1 to the US dollar. USDC stablecoin (USD Coin) and {{link:glossary/tether-usdt}} (USDT) are the largest. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, stablecoins do not fluctuate in value, making them suitable as payment instruments rather than speculative investments.

SWIFT international wire transfer wires cost $25–$50 and take 1–5 business days. Stablecoin rails settle in minutes at near-zero cost. For a company paying 50 contractors in 20 countries, switching to USDC can save thousands of dollars monthly in wire fees alone — plus eliminates the settlement delay that causes late payroll problems.

Bitwage primarily uses USDC stablecoin (USD Coin), issued by Circle under FinCEN registration and EU MiCA regulation. USDC is backed 1:1 by cash and US Treasury reserves, with monthly audits by Deloitte. It's the most regulated and transparent stablecoin available — critical for finance teams that require auditability.

Yes. Bitwage is a licensed Money Service Business (MSB). Every stablecoin payment is screened against OFAC sanctions screening sanctions lists. W-8BEN and W-9 collection, 1099-NEC filing support, and {{link:glossary/kyc-verification}} are all built into the onboarding workflow. USDC payroll is treated the same as wire transfer from a tax and compliance standpoint.

Yes. Bitwage uses USDC as an internal payment rail — contractors receive funds in their preferred format. A contractor in Brazil can receive BRL via PIX instant payment Brazil, a contractor in Europe receives EUR via SEPA bank transfer, and a contractor who wants stablecoin receives USDC in their wallet. A single payment run handles all formats automatically.

This page (/stablecoin) is the educational hub covering what stablecoins are, how they work, and all use cases. The {{link:stablecoin}} section provides deep-dive guides on specific stablecoin payment scenarios — by use case (contractors, vendors, treasury), region, and compliance topic.

In countries like Argentina, Nigeria, and Turkey, local currencies can lose 50–100% of purchasing power annually. Contractors paid in USDC receive a dollar-pegged asset at the moment of payment — protecting the value of their income regardless of local {{link:glossary/currency-devaluation}}. This is one of the most common reasons international freelancers seek out stablecoin payroll.

Yes. In addition to USDC stablecoin, Bitwage supports {{link:glossary/bitcoin-payroll}} for contractors who prefer BTC. Bitcoin payroll is particularly popular in El Salvador (where BTC is legal tender), for contractors in restrictive banking environments, and for crypto-native teams. Contractors choose their preferred asset; employers initiate a single payment run.