How Deel built its private stablecoin wallet for global contractors on Tempo

Deel’s private stablecoin wallet lets contractors in 80+ countries hold dollar-backed balances, earn rewards, and spend globally. Built on Tempo and embedded in the platform 40,000+ businesses use to pay global workers, it keeps balances and payout history private.

At a glance

• 40,000+ — Businesses
• 150+ — Countries
• 84.6% — Argentine contractors choosing USD

Deel Earn results

• 74% — payout recipients deposited into Earn
• 85% — 30-day Earn retention
• 60% — Eligible users actively earning
• +72% — Earn balance growth after 30 days

Compares each cohort’s combined Earn balance after 30 days with its starting balance. Includes rewards earned, but growth is largely driven by net deposits.

The challenge

Deel powers payroll for more than 40,000 businesses across 150 countries. For contractors in markets with volatile local currencies, getting paid in dollars has not always meant being able to hold them. In 2025, 84.6% of Argentine contractors on Deel chose USD over pesos.

Deel wanted contractors to hold dollar balances, earn rewards, and spend globally without leaving the platform. The wallet needed to be self-custodial and embedded in Deel, with their financial records kept private.

Deel launched its stablecoin wallet on Tempo in June 2026, starting in Argentina. By August, it had expanded to eligible contractors in 80+ countries. Zones add privacy to that existing wallet and payment infrastructure.

Private contractor payouts with Tempo Zones

Deel uses Tempo Zones in production to keep contractor balances and payout history private. Tempo and Privy worked together to bring Deel’s Zone into production, integrating Zones natively with Privy’s APIs.

Deel’s treasury deposit into its Zone is visible on Tempo, but which contractors are paid, how much each receives, and what they hold are not. Contractors see their own balances in Deel, while Deel retains access for reconciliation and audit.

Why Tempo

Privacy zones: contractor wallet balances and payout history stay private.

Private earn: balances keep earning yield inside the zone without giving up user privacy.

Same tech stack: existing customer wallets and Deel treasury rails remained unchanged.

What Deel built

Bridge issues Deel’s dollar-backed stablecoin on Tempo, while Privy provides the embedded wallets. Wallets are created for contractors who have completed identity verification on Deel. Workers can sign in with device biometrics, with no seed phrase or separate app. Deel sponsors payment fees, so workers never need a separate gas asset.

Contractors can put idle balances into the Morpho-powered earn product with a single tap, without a lock-up or minimum holding period. Access is limited to verified Deel contractors. They can withdraw all or part of their balance, including accrued rewards, at any time.

Workers can move funds back to their Deel balance to use existing withdrawal options, or transfer them to an external wallet. The Deel Card connects the wallet to everyday spending.

Millions of contractors around the world watch their earnings lose value the moment they land. Today we give them the infrastructure to change that: a dollar-backed balance inside the platform they already use, rewards that accrue automatically, and a card to spend anywhere. No new account or learning curve required.

— Thierry Edde, Head of Crypto, Deel

Now live in 80+ countries

The wallet is now live for eligible contractors in 80+ countries across LATAM, Africa, the Middle East, and APAC.