Global gig workers, contractors, creators, freelancers, and marketplace sellers are ready for a better way to get paid. A Stripe survey of more than 2,300 independent workers in 20 countries found that 57% would accept stablecoin payouts if platforms provided them, citing frustration with the fees and slow settlement of traditional cross-border rails.

Just 18% of independent workers in emerging markets currently receive stablecoin payouts, but far more want access for reasons beyond cost and speed. Stablecoins are pegged to fiat like the US dollar, and workers across Latin America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa view them as a hedge against local inflation and a way to access dollars.

Platforms like DoorDash, Deel, Ramp, and Meta already enable stablecoin payouts for global workers. Our report, Workers across the platform economy are fueling demand for stablecoins, details what workers in emerging markets want from stablecoin payouts and what more platforms can do in response. Here are a few key findings.

Top stablecoin use cases

Independent workers across emerging markets have specific, urgent uses for stablecoins.

• Inflation protection: A third of workers in Latin America said stablecoins could help protect against currency volatility in countries like Argentina and Colombia.
• Financial access: With 40% of Africa unbanked and 90% of transactions conducted in cash, many workers need digital wallets to receive payments at all. In sub-Saharan Africa, 72% receive payouts to a digital wallet, and 38% say receiving payouts is their primary stablecoin use case.
• Remittance relief: In the Middle East, where willingness to adopt stablecoins is highest (69%), 53% say stablecoins can reduce costs and speed up cross-border transfers.

What workers want from platforms

• Rewards on balances: 70% want the ability to earn yield on their platform balances, making it their top feature request.
• Stablecoin education: 53% want clear, simple guidance on how to buy, store, and use stablecoins. 
• Simple wallet setup: Friction in receiving stablecoins remains a major barrier to adoption, but it’s solvable. In one pilot on Stripe, 90% of independent workers chose to receive their payouts in Link, a digital wallet built by Stripe, instead of setting up their own.

Read the full report

Download the full report, Workers across the platform economy are fueling demand for stablecoins, for more regional breakdowns, platform recommendations, and practical steps to get started.