Zebec x Asure x Turnkey: Driving Mass Adoption of Stablecoin Payments

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Zebec Network
@Zebec_HQSep 18, 2025

The Spaces gathered Ben (host), Simon (Zebec), Jay Whitehead (Asure Software, NASDAQ: ASUR), and Bryce (Turnkey) to discuss how stablecoins will upgrade payroll. Jay outlined Asure’s SMB-focused payroll/HR footprint (restaurants, hospitality, hourly workers), its scale, and compliance imperative as the U.S. accelerates into fully digital disbursements. He argued stablecoin payroll is timely for two cohorts—under‑35 crypto users and cross‑border remitters—promising instant, low‑fee transfers, while noting a key constraint: providers must route through FDIC‑insured banks that sign onto the new “Genius Act,” which he expects by 2026. Bryce explained Turnkey’s wallet infrastructure abstracts crypto complexity, embedding wallets into apps with email/SMS/biometric auth and chain‑agnostic support to make getting paid feel familiar. Simon positioned Zebec to integrate stablecoin payroll into major HCM suites, citing a multi‑chain future (17+ chains supported) and a massive U.S. payroll market (often quoted as $8–$11T) where no major provider offers stablecoin options yet. The panel sees payroll’s evolution from monthly pay to earned wage access to blockchain rails, with Asure aiming to be an early mainstream adopter alongside Zebec’s streaming stablecoin capabilities and Turnkey’s wallet layer.

Future of Payroll and Stablecoin Adoption: Asure x Zebec x Turnkey

Participants and Roles

  • Ben (Host)
  • Simon (Zebec; strategy and partnerships lead in the discussion)
  • Jay Whitehead (CEO/executive at Asure; NASDAQ: ASUR)
  • Bryce (Co-founder of Turnkey; wallet infrastructure)
  • Note: Neil (Zebec) was mentioned as receiving Asure’s Gold Medallion in Technology Innovation at Asure Evolve (Austin, TX).

Context and Purpose

  • Focus: Why major payroll providers are paying attention to stablecoin solutions; the path to mainstream blockchain-enabled payroll.
  • Timing: Short session ahead of the FOMC announcement; urgency acknowledged by participants.
  • Partnerships/Recognition:
    • Zebec and Asure have been partners for a few years.
    • Zebec recognized at Asure’s annual Evolve conference; Gold Medallion in Technology Innovation awarded to Zebec’s Neil.
    • Zebec will work with Turnkey on wallet infrastructure for stablecoin payroll.

Asure’s Business and Market Position (Jay Whitehead)

  • Company overview:
    • “Premier” HR, payroll, benefits, pay card, and tax management provider focused on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), especially restaurants, hospitality, and hourly workforces.
    • ~$135M revenue; ~25-year company history; last 9 years focused on HCM for SMBs.
    • Publicly listed on NASDAQ as ASUR; ~ $240M market cap (as stated in the session).
    • Active investment in technology including AI. Jay noted the “Genius Act” signed earlier this year enabling expansion into new tech-driven areas.

Why Payroll Infrastructure Matters to Workers (Jay)

  • Payroll has fully transitioned to digital; paper-based cash distribution is obsolete.
  • Compliance-critical: Providers must handle tax laws and provisions like the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)” referenced by Jay (described as making tips/overtime wages tax-exempt when processed via compliant payroll solutions).
  • Policy shift: Jay highlighted the US government’s “Zero Check Day” on Sept 30 of this year—no more government-issued paper checks (e.g., tax refunds, Social Security). This underscores the necessity of digital rails and compliant payroll providers.

Why Stablecoin Payroll Is Becoming Relevant Now (Jay)

  • Behavior shifts:
    • Surge in digital payouts via pay cards and earned-wage access (EWA) cards; Asure’s own card is Asure Pay.
    • Two high-need cohorts:
      1. Workers under 35: Many earn, pay, or invest in crypto (BTC, ETH, DOGE, DeFi assets).
      2. Remittance senders: Workers sending earnings abroad at scale.
  • Data points shared by Jay:
    • 45 million Americans own crypto (BTC/ETH/DOGE/DeFi assets), 75% under 35.
    • $380B was sent overseas from US paychecks in 2024 to just five countries.
  • Pain point: High fees and friction when moving between fiat and crypto or across currencies.
  • Stablecoin value proposition:
    • Reduces friction, accelerates settlement to “immediate,” and makes transfers “almost free,” especially relevant for the two cohorts above.
    • Stablecoin framed by Jay as a token that can store value from fiat (USD/EUR/Peso) and crypto in one wallet; backed by US dollars; put into law on June 15 this year under the “Genius Act” (Jay also referenced it as signed earlier in July during the session timeline discussion).
  • Adoption horizon and dependency:
    • Asure considers stablecoin a “must have” feature by 2026.
    • Limitation today: To accept/move stablecoin, payroll providers must bank with FDIC-insured institutions that are signatories to the “Genius Act.” Very few banks are signatories yet (the law is ~1.5 months old per Jay’s comment).
    • Asure’s banks are not yet signatories but are expected to be “soon”; Asure intends to be ready to route payroll via stablecoins as soon as banking partners sign on.

Zebec’s Strategy and Why Now (Simon)

  • Market opportunity: Simon referenced ~$11T in annual US payroll volume, mostly processed by large incumbents (e.g., ADP, Asure). None have yet integrated stablecoin payroll into their HCM suites at scale.
  • Timing: Regulatory clarity (per Jay’s discussion of the “Genius Act”) reduces prior barriers to being in the crypto payroll business.
  • Strategy:
    • Integrate Zebec’s stablecoin payroll technology into leading providers’ existing flows to upgrade the offering and accelerate mainstream adoption.
    • Familiarity with Asure’s ecosystem (e.g., Paybridge, School Payroll) and their client service strengths positioned them as a priority partner.
    • Goal: Help partners differentiate from slower-moving legacy competitors and capture share with next-gen payroll functionality.

Turnkey’s Role: Wallet Infrastructure that Hides Crypto Complexity (Bryce)

  • Product: Secure, flexible, scalable wallet infrastructure for enterprises—enables apps to integrate crypto wallets and functionality “behind the scenes.”
  • Background: The founding team previously built Coinbase Custody; Turnkey addresses the need for more flexible, developer-friendly infrastructure to power integrated crypto experiences.
  • Adoption: Used by leading crypto-native apps (Moonshot, Axiom, Bridge, Polymarket, among others).
  • User experience focus:
    • Employees should not need to install or manage standalone wallets (e.g., MetaMask/Phantom) or learn seed phrases.
    • Turnkey enables embedded wallets with familiar authentication (email/SMS/biometrics), abstracting crypto details from end users.
    • Outcome: Workers “just get paid,” with flows that feel like familiar fintech experiences.

Cross-Chain Reality and Abstraction (Bryce + Simon)

  • Turnkey’s approach (Bryce): Built chain-agnostic from the start; supports all major chains. End users shouldn’t need to think about which chain or which version of USDC they’re using.
  • Zebec’s approach (Simon): Already supports 17+ chains and adds new ones monthly; believes in a multi-chain future.
    • Forcing a specific chain adds friction; Zebec + Turnkey aim to maximize flexibility so users can choose “any stablecoin in the world” and receive payroll on the chain that fits them best—without needing to operate chain-specific tooling.

The Future of Payroll (Jay’s Outlook)

  • Gig economy continues to expand earning opportunities; stablecoins widen the ways people can accept payment across fiat and decentralized assets.
  • Competitive imperative: Payroll providers that fail to adapt to new earning and payment modalities will be “the losers.”
  • Generational shift: While older generations may struggle with the concept, younger cohorts will earn, spend, and save in stablecoins for generations.
  • Asure’s stance: Aim to be mainstream and early in adopting new payment technologies—able to pay regardless of fiat or DeFi currency, chain, or brand—and enable users to move in/out with ease, near-free cost, and immediate settlement.

Closing (Simon’s Synthesis)

  • Payroll has evolved from monthly schedules to EWA and frequent payouts; blockchain payroll is the next step.
  • Partner stack:
    • Asure: Mainstream payroll reach and operational excellence.
    • Zebec: Streaming payments and stablecoin rails.
    • Turnkey: Industry-leading wallet architecture that abstracts crypto.
  • Signal: Conventional payroll is waking up to stablecoins, and this collaboration is positioned at the forefront.

Key Takeaways and Highlights

  • Regulatory green light (as described in-session): The “Genius Act” (June/July timeline as referenced by Jay) catalyzes demand and removes a key barrier to stablecoin payroll, pending bank signatory adoption.
  • Demand-side drivers: Young workforce crypto adoption and massive remittance flows create an immediate use case for low-friction, near-instant global value transfer via stablecoins.
  • UX is decisive: Embedded wallets and chain abstraction are crucial to mainstream adoption; employees must not be forced into complex crypto tooling.
  • Ecosystem readiness: Asure (provider reach), Zebec (stablecoin rails), and Turnkey (wallet infra) present a complementary stack to bring stablecoin payroll to millions.
  • Near-term constraint: Limited number of FDIC-insured bank signatories to the new framework; Asure expects progress and is preparing to move when available.

Risks and Dependencies to Watch

  • Banking signatories: Stablecoin rails in payroll depend on FDIC-insured banks signing onto the new legal framework; pace of bank adoption is the gating factor.
  • Compliance complexity: Ensuring adherence to payroll tax laws and new policy changes (e.g., OBBBA as referenced) across both fiat and stablecoin flows.
  • Chain/asset support and security: Maintaining secure, compliant, and user-friendly support across many chains and stablecoins without introducing operational risk.

Notable Quotes

  • Jay: “Those players who don’t keep up will be lost.”
  • Jay: “Every day that ends with ‘Y’ is an Asure payday.”
  • Simon: “Blockchain payroll is really the next step in this evolution.”
  • Bryce: “People shouldn’t have to think about what chain they’re on… you can just think about getting paid.”

What to Watch Next / Implicit Next Steps

  • Asure’s banking partners moving to signatory status; unlocking stablecoin payroll processing.
  • Zebec x Asure integration milestones toward offering a compliant, mainstream stablecoin payroll option.
  • Turnkey’s continued chain-agnostic expansions and deeper embedding to deliver consumer-grade UX for payroll recipients.