
Crypto payroll adoption is rising fast, but stablecoins dominate due to reliability and low volatility.
Meme coins remain speculative and unsuitable for consistent salaries.
The future of payroll in cryptocurrency rests on stability, not hype-driven meme tokens.
Cryptocurrency has been steadily entering the world of payroll systems. Freelancers, tech workers, and multinational companies are experimenting with paying salaries in digital currencies. The debate is whether this adoption can extend to meme coins. Are meme coins truly ready for something as serious as payroll, or is this idea just hype?
Let’s take a look at how these assets are affecting crypto payments for businesses and how they can be utilized to improve payroll procedures and operations.
The use of crypto for salaries is no longer an abstract idea. According to a blockchain compensation survey by Pantera Capital released in August 2025, the number of people receiving salaries in cryptocurrency has tripled in the past year. Around 9.6 percent of workers now receive at least part of their salary in digital assets.
The most important detail is which coins dominate payroll. Stablecoins such as USD Coin (USDC) and Tether (USDT) are the clear leaders. USDC accounts for 63 percent of payroll volume, while USDT makes up 38.6 percent. This proves that companies and employees prefer coins with stable value, low volatility, and fast transaction times. When it comes to salaries, reliability is more important than hype.
Meme coins are digital currencies created from jokes, memes, or internet trends. Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and Pepe are among the best-known. Their value often fluctuates based on viral moments, social media trends, or celebrity mentions rather than practical use.
Thanks to this, these digital assets are extremely unpredictable. Their price can double in a day and then crash by half the next. Payroll systems, on the other hand, need stability and clarity. An employee expecting $3,000 in salary cannot risk getting the equivalent of $1,500 as the coin lost value overnight. This is why meme coins are viewed as exciting for speculation but unreliable for regular income.
There have been experiments using meme coins for crypto payroll, but they remain relatively rare. For example, a project called “Pepe Dollar” ($PEPD) has been presented as a payroll-focused meme coin. However, no significant adoption has been recorded. Employers generally avoid coins with high volatility and unclear legal status.
Currently, no major company pays workers in meme coins. Instead, adoption is seen in stablecoins like USDC or in larger, more established cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Meme coins continue to be used mostly for trading, speculation, or as part of online communities.
Also Read: 10 Memecoin Investment Risks Every Investor Should Remember
Even though these assets are not being used in payroll, they are thriving in the speculative market. In 2025, several new projects have attracted attention with bold promises.
One of the biggest stories is Layer Brett (LBRETT), a meme coin built on Ethereum’s Layer 2 network. It offers staking, NFTs, and GameFi features. The presale has generated huge excitement with annual yields above 1,500 percent, and the project has capped its supply at 10 billion tokens.
Other meme coins are also rising. Maxi Doge (MAXI) is offering staking rewards of up to 178 percent annual yield, while Snorter Bot (SNORT) has yields as high as 127 percent. Another new entrant, BullZilla ($BZIL), has already raised over $124,000 in its presale, selling 14 billion tokens. Analysts predict returns of more than 27,000 percent if hype continues.
Projects like Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) and Wall Street Pepe claim to combine humor with real-world utility, such as staking and decentralized finance access. These innovations show that these coins are evolving beyond jokes, but their foundation remains speculation rather than financial stability.
The reasons meme coins fail to gain ground in payroll are clear. Their extreme volatility makes it impossible to guarantee stable wages. Regulations are also unclear, since many meme coins are launched without proper oversight. Liquidity can also be a problem, as not all meme coins are easy to convert into traditional money.
In contrast, stablecoins are designed for reliability. They are pegged to the value of traditional currencies like the US dollar, making them far more predictable. With 63 percent of payrolls already flowing through USDC and 38.6 percent through USDT, stablecoins have built trust where meme coins cannot.
When comparing both, the differences are stark. Stablecoins offer low volatility, predictable value, growing adoption, and clearer regulations. Meme coins offer high volatility, unpredictable value, little adoption, and a reliance on community hype. Stablecoins are practical for salaries; meme coins are experimental at best.
The latest data confirms that crypto payroll is a growing trend, but it is powered by stablecoins, not meme coins. The fun and speculative side of meme coins keeps them in the headlines, especially with projects offering high staking rewards and massive presale numbers. However, their role in payroll remains almost nonexistent.
Also Read: Which Memecoin is Expected to Hit $1 or $0.50 by 2026?
These digital assets have become a cultural phenomenon and continue to attract attention from investors, influencers, and online communities. They play a major role in crypto culture by adding humor, creativity, and speculation. However, when it comes to serious financial systems like payroll, they often fail to meet the standards of stability and trust required.
The future of payroll in crypto is firmly tied to stablecoins such as USDC and USDT. Meme coins, for all their energy and viral popularity, remain part of the hype-driven corner of the market. Unless they evolve into more stable and legally recognized assets, they will stay outside the payroll system.
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