- A recent Pantera Capital survey shows that the percentage of crypto professionals receiving salaries in digital assets has tripled in the past year to 9.6%.
- USD Coin (USDC) dominates stablecoin-based payrolls, accounting for 63% of payments, likely due to its widespread support on major payroll platforms.
- The report also highlights a growing trend of four-year vesting schedules for token-based compensation, suggesting an industry-wide focus on long-term retention.
The share of crypto industry workers drawing salaries in digital assets has surged over the past year, with 9.6% now paid in stablecoins, triple the previous year’s figure, according to new data from Pantera Capital.
The report, based on responses from more than 1,600 professionals in 77 countries, highlights a shift toward blockchain-native payrolls and deeper institutional trust in dollar-pegged assets such as USD Coin (USDC) and Tether’s USDT.
The dominance of stablecoins in crypto payroll aligns with the broader industry narrative of stablecoins as a driving force. Their ability to bridge traditional finance and blockchain ecosystems makes them an increasingly critical component of the crypto economy – not just for institutional use but for retail as well.
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USDC Dominates in Payrolls
USDC dominated payroll usage, representing 63 % of all stablecoin-based salaries, even though USDT remains the most traded stablecoin globally by volume. Pantera attributed this gap partly to the absence of USDT in offerings from major payroll providers like Deel, Remote, and Rippling.
Together, USDC and USDT made up over 90% of reported payouts. DeFiLlama data placed the total stablecoin market capitalisation at US$268.6B (AU$410B) at the time of the report.
Pantera’s findings also point to a shift in compensation structures. Nearly 88% of token-based vesting schedules now span four years, compared to 64% a year earlier, suggesting a stronger emphasis on long-term retention and alignment.
All in all, salary data showed that in the blockchain sector, practical experience often trumps academic credentials, with respondents holding a bachelor’s degree reporting the highest average pay at US$286K (AU$438K), ahead of master’s degree holders at US$214K (AU$327K) and PhDs at US$226K (AU$346K).
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