Cryptocurrency August 13, 2026 03:30 PM

Zebec Integrates Solstice’s USX to Let Prefunded Payroll Balances Earn Rewards

Partnership introduces a reward-bearing dollar layer across a $500 million annual payroll network without changing employee payout flows

By Leila Farooq
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Zebec Network has partnered with Solstice Finance to add USX as a rewards-bearing dollar within its payroll infrastructure and Super App. The integration allows enterprises that top up payroll onchain to earn USX rewards on prefunded balances between top-up and payout, while employees continue to receive and spend a dollar-equivalent via Zebec's debit card or wallets.

Zebec Integrates Solstice’s USX to Let Prefunded Payroll Balances Earn Rewards
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Key Points

  • USX from Solstice Finance will be integrated into Zebec’s payroll infrastructure and Super App, creating a reward-bearing dollar layer across Zebec’s $500 million annual payroll network.
  • Prefunded payroll balances that previously sat idle between top-up and payout can now earn rewards via Solstice’s USX rewards programme, converting short-term working capital into yield-bearing balances.
  • Employees and contractors will receive and spend USX as a dollar-equivalent through Zebec’s debit card or withdraw to a wallet on demand; the integration aims to avoid changes to user behaviour or enterprise payroll operations.

Dubai — Zebec Network, an onchain payroll and payments platform, announced a collaboration with Solstice Finance to introduce USX across Zebec’s payroll ecosystem. The move embeds a reward-bearing dollar layer into Zebec’s infrastructure, enabling prefunded payroll balances to earn rewards while they sit onchain awaiting disbursement.

The integration brings Solstice’s USX into Zebec’s payroll flows, which the company says support more than $500 million in annual payroll volume. The same feature will be available through the Zebec Super App, which the company reports serves over 50,000 monthly active users. Under the new setup, enterprises topping up payroll balances onchain do not need to change operational behaviour or shift funds into a separate product to capture yield.

At the core of the change is a treasury-level adjustment. Normally, funds loaded by an employer to meet payroll requirements remain idle in onchain accounts until they are paid out to recipients. Through the Solstice-USX partnership, those prefunded balances can participate in Solstice’s USX rewards programme during the holding window between top-up and payout, converting otherwise idle working capital into a yield-bearing position.

The user experience for employees and contractors is designed to remain familiar. People paid through Zebec will receive USX-denominated balances that are usable via Zebec’s debit card and withdrawable to a wallet on demand. In practical terms, users who spend USX do so at a one-for-one dollar-equivalent in real-world transactions, according to the announcement.

Solstice Finance issues USX and supports it with a diversified set of hedged positions. The announcement states USX is backed by hedged exposures across BTC, ETH, SOL, other highly liquid assets (and corresponding perpetual futures), major stablecoins, and tokenised treasuries. Rewards on balances held inside Zebec’s system will be distributed through Solstice’s rewards programme.

The companies framed the integration as a way to reduce the ‘‘dead-dollar’’ problem that affects onchain payroll. In a quoted comment, Ben Nadareski, CEO of Solstice Finance, said:

“Most onchain payroll has a dead-dollar problem. Enterprises top up payroll balances, and those balances just sit there till payday, earning nothing. USX turns that gap into a yield window. Zebec built the infrastructure, and we built the dollar that makes it worth holding.”

Simon Babakhani, CEO of Zebec Network, emphasized the firm’s focus on capturing the time value of money within payroll flows. In his remarks:

“Zebec’s vision has always been rooted in the time value of money. People should be able to access pay as they earn it, while funds awaiting use should not have to remain idle. Introducing USX is a step toward bringing earning capabilities directly into the payroll experience, giving enterprises and their employees more productive options without adding friction or changing how they get paid.”

The announcement notes that the integration will roll out across Zebec’s payroll infrastructure and the Zebec Super App, with USX appearing as a reward-bearing dollar layer across all supported products. The companies state the feature will be live soon across those platforms.


Operational implications for enterprises and employees

From a corporate treasury perspective, the integration is positioned as a way to make short-duration, prefunded payroll balances productive. Instead of leaving working capital idle between the moment a business tops up a payroll account and the moment funds are paid out, the balances can accumulate rewards through Solstice’s programme.

For employees and contractors, the announcement stresses continuity: payroll receipts and daily spending behaviour are intended to remain unchanged. Zebec’s debit card functionality will accept USX balances, and users may withdraw to a wallet on demand while spending USX at a one-to-one dollar-equivalent in the real world.


Deployment and scale

The integration introduces USX into a payroll network Zebec says handles more than $500 million in annual payroll volume and supports over 50,000 monthly active users via its Super App. The companies presented the feature as a platform-level addition that does not require enterprises to convert assets or alter their short-term operational processes.

Contact
Laura Estefani — [email protected]

About Zebec Network
Zebec Network describes its mission as enabling seamless flows of real-world value and providing instant access to funds and tokens to individuals and businesses. The announcement reiterates Zebec’s stated goal of making financial transactions more accessible and efficient.

About Solstice Finance
Solstice AG (Deus X Enterprise) is presented as an institutional yield protocol on Solana and the issuer of USX. The company offers products it positions as institutional-grade yield solutions and operates staking services described in the announcement.

Risks

  • The announcement notes USX is backed by hedged positions across BTC, ETH, SOL, other highly liquid assets (and corresponding perpetual futures), major stablecoins, and tokenised treasuries - the structure and composition of these backing assets introduce complexity that enterprises will need to understand.
  • Timing and availability are described as rolling out 'soon' across Zebec’s payroll infrastructure and Super App, which leaves uncertainty about the precise deployment schedule for enterprises and users.
  • The change operates at the treasury level and depends on enterprises topping up payroll balances onchain; organisations that do not adopt onchain top-ups would not capture the described rewards.

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