Paying employees in cryptocurrency is becoming more popular, with companies offering portions of employee salaries in crypto. And it’s easy to see why — payments in fiat can often be rigid, slow and expensive, particularly for a globally distributed workforce. However, payments made on the blockchain are fully transparent, revealing how much and how often each employee is paid, potentially creating dissatisfaction among coworkers.

If companies can thread the needle, blockchain has much to offer traditional finance: from faster settlement times to lower fees, payments in cryptocurrency just makes sense. For businesses that have been losing clients who opted out of crypto payments because of a lack of privacy, the search for a solution that wouldn’t put them in the regulator’s target has been a top priority. 

After a launch pilot with the Aleo Network, Request Finance has seen Aleo become the Top-2 blockchain in payments, leaving behind such big networks as Tron, Solana, and Polygon in just two months. Private payments will make it possible to run payroll, pay vendors, and conduct intercompany transfers with the same level of confidentiality.

Today, Aleo is formally announcing its integration with Request Finance, a finance platform designed for managing crypto and fiat financial operations for businesses that has processed over $1 billion in payments. By combining the cryptographic security of the Aleo network and its innovative public/private state, this integration makes secure, private payroll on the blockchain a reality.

Fully private, compliant payments

Traditional international payroll processes often involve multiple banks, lengthy settlement periods (SWIFT can take 3-5 business days), and significant fees at each step of the payment chain (overseas transfers can cost $50+). With Aleo, organizations from large corporations to small startups can now pay employees across different countries instantly, without revealing individual compensation details or dealing with complex international wire transfers.

“Aleo tackles one of the biggest challenges for businesses adopting stablecoins in their finance stack: maintaining privacy on-chain,” said Max Franke, Head of Product of Request Finance. “By integrating Aleo’s technology into Request, businesses can now handle sensitive payments, from payroll to vendor bills, with the confidence that transaction details remain private. This combination gives businesses the security and discretion they require, while keeping the process simple, familiar, and easy to use.”

Aleo’s public/private state keeps employee salaries and payment details completely confidential while facilitating Request Finance’s compliance with applicable banking regulations. When they need to demonstrate their compliance, to auditors or regulators, for example, they can provide a view key, which enables access to every record in a user’s account.

The future of finance is here

Today, businesses can make private or public payments on Request using the Aleo Network. Details such as the sender's wallet address, recipient's wallet address, amount, and currency are all kept confidential.

“At Aleo, we believe privacy isn't just a feature: it's a requirement for bridging traditional finance and blockchain technology,” said Howard Wu, co-founder of Aleo. "Thanks to our partnership with Request Finance, companies can now pay with cryptocurrency without sacrificing the privacy standards they've come to expect from traditional banking.”