Ontop is a payroll management system that lets business owners hire and pay contractors, while enabling users to get paid and grow/spend their money. It has thousands of customers and operates in more than 150 countries.
OpenTrade is a provider of yield infrastructure for innovative financial services, allowing businesses to offer yield on stablecoin and fiat balances. The company is backed by Circle (the creator of USDC) and the a16z Crypto venture capital firm, giving it a strong foundation in the crypto and finance space.
The two companies announced a partnership on May 20, 2026, that will give thousands of users access to USD savings rewards with an APR of around 3%. OpenTrade was the ideal firm to assist, as it had the experience to navigate and work around Ontop’s existing infrastructure for a fast launch.
Discussing the partnership, OpenTrade’s COO, Jeff Handler, said:
“The majority of the fintech world still runs on dollars in traditional bank accounts that moves on traditional banking rails, but that shouldn’t be a barrier to accessing plug-and-play institutional-grade yield. Our ability to meet Ontop where they’re at operationally, without requiring them to rebuild their infrastructure, is exactly what OpenTrade was designed to do.”
USD Savings Rewards
The partnership has already delivered measurable results. The pilot launched in December 2025 to 1,300 Ontop users, reaching $1 million in user-provided capital within the first two weeks. After expanding to Optop’s full customer base, user-provided capital soared to over $3 million.
The benefits are not one-sided:
- Users earn 3% APR on their idle fiat balances, helping combat inflation and make savings more resilient to the impact of time.
- Ontop generates a new revenue stream by capturing a margin on the capital it makes available to OpenTrade, diversifying its current subscription-based model.
- OpenTrade can get access to a new pool of capital, with Ontop processing over $1 billion in payroll across 150+ countries in 2025.
The partnership will also see Ontop integrate OpenTrade’s API into its reporting systems, providing real-time insight into user-provided funds and rewards performance, enabling later data-driven optimization.
Looking Forward
While only a small percentage of Ontop’s customer payroll capital has been allocated to the rewards system, we’ll likely see an influx as the feature becomes more widely known or as money printing and inflation ramp up in response to a slowing economy. For the average person, idle capital yield is limited, but the Ontop-OpenTrade partnership is changing that.
The rewards system outpaces the interest rates offered by many banks, making it a more effective place to store money. As thousands of people already get paid through Ontop, onboarding is simple, and the benefits are significant: more value for users and less money leaving the Ontop ecosystem.
Although it’s currently limited to USD, Ontop is a global platform, so the program could potentially expand to other currencies. Regardless, with it processing over a $1 billion in payroll, it’s worth keeping an eye on Ontop and, if you’re paid through the platform, exploring the rewards system.
Ontop Co-Founder, Julian Torres, had this to say:
“At Ontop, we’re building the financial infrastructure for the global workforce. The future of work is global, but financial systems haven’t caught up. Through our Global Account, we’re not just helping workers get paid, we’re giving them a place to store, move, and grow their money. Our partnership with OpenTrade is a key step in turning idle balances into real financial opportunity anywhere in the world.”
Disclaimer:
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With over half a decade of experience commentating on the cryptocurrency market and even more as a trader and investor, Jay has developed a robust knowledge base that enables him to dive deep into the inner workings of crypto platforms and the broader market to deliver unique, user-focused insight.
Jay's work has spanned public relations firms, crypto projects, affiliate sites, and news outlets.
