Ontop, a global workforce platform that handles payroll, payments, and financial services for thousands of workers across more than 150 countries, has partnered with institutional-grade yield infrastructure provider OpenTrade to launch a rewards program offering approximately 3% APR on USD savings. The integration, completed in under a month, allows Ontop users to earn returns directly within their existing Global Account, turning idle balances between pay cycles into active financial opportunities.
The companies announced that Ontop processed over $1 billion in payroll in 2025, but user funds often sat untouched. To solve this, OpenTrade provided the backend technology—covering legal structuring, portfolio management, reporting automation, and paths to future fixed-term products—without requiring Ontop to rebuild its infrastructure. A pilot launched in December 2025 with 1,300 users and crossed $1 million in user-provided funds in under two weeks. The program has since expanded to Ontop’s entire user base, with total user-provided funds now exceeding $3 million.
Jeff Handler, COO of OpenTrade, said, “The majority of the fintech world still runs on dollars in traditional bank accounts that move on traditional banking rails, but that shouldn’t be a barrier to accessing plug-and-play institutional-grade yield. Our ability to meet Ontop where they’re at operationally, without requiring them to rebuild their infrastructure, is exactly what OpenTrade was designed to do.”
For Ontop, the partnership adds a new revenue layer. Previously reliant on subscription-based payroll services, the company now captures a margin on funds made available through OpenTrade. Julian Torres, co-founder of Ontop, noted, “Through our Global Account, we’re not just helping workers get paid, we’re giving them a place to store, move, and grow their money. Our partnership with OpenTrade is a key step in turning idle balances into real financial opportunity anywhere in the world.”
OpenTrade is backed by Circle and a16z Crypto, has processed over $268 million in transaction volume, and relies on Five Sigma Finance (a UK-regulated firm managing over $6 billion for institutions) for asset management. The integration also includes API connections for real-time visibility into balances and rewards performance, embedding OpenTrade’s infrastructure into Ontop’s reporting systems. Several fixed-term programs are currently in development and expected to launch soon.
