FX.co ★ Crypto paychecks gain favor among employees, says Deel

According to global payrolls and hiring company Deel, employees around the world prefer to be paid in cryptocurrencies, although they are still a small minority, a research report notes.

Of the 100,000 hired employees in more than 150 countries that the intermediary has worked with over the past six months, about 2% chose to receive at least part of their salary in a currency not backed by the standard currencies, according to the company. That being said, bitcoin has traditionally accounted for about two-thirds of crypto payments — since Deel began offering this option last July.

Deel Intermediary helps businesses recruit foreign employees and contractors by providing employment, compliance, and benefits services. Its dataset is geared towards employees in technology and finance who may be better informed about crypto.

In the report, the company's representatives state that the highest level of cryptocurrency payments, oddly enough, is noted in Argentina. Of course, the country is known for its high rate of inflation, so one can understand the reasons why a third of the hired employees chose this option to receive part of their wages. In Nigeria, it was about one-fifth, but in Brazil, this figure does not even reach 3%, which may be due to the low awareness of its population in the field of blockchain technologies.

In the U.S., where several high-profile soccer players, as well as New York and Miami mayors Eric Adams and Francis Suarez, were already paid in bitcoin, Deel's overall hired share was just 1.2%.

In general, the laws of many countries, including the United States, do not allow workers to be paid in cryptocurrencies. So the representatives of the company specifically noted that they are cooperating with the crypto platform Coinbase Global Inc. so that payments to contractors are directly converted into the currency of their choice.

Companies report payments in local currency for income tax purposes. The volatility of cryptocurrencies means that some employees risk accrued taxes based on payments that have subsequently declined in value. And if for residents of Eastern European countries it is, first of all, to avoid taxation, then in the USA meticulous tax authorities can recalculate the tax base and charge additional sanctions. So it makes sense for residents of developed countries to double-check accruals when receiving wages in tokens.

As a result, cryptofication of wages will increase its share in the employment market until fines from local regulators fall in response. Apparently, legislative regulation is also required in this industry, including the need to avoid double taxation. In the meantime, it makes sense to take a closer look at the assets of companies hiring employees for cryptocurrencies - this seems to be another sector-favorite in the emerging field of crypto services.