Aleo and Toku Launch First Fully Private Stablecoin Payroll for Enterprises

For years, stablecoins have promised faster, borderless payments—but enterprise adoption has been stymied by one dealbreaker: privacy. On public blockchains, every transaction is visible, making sensitive operations like payroll a non-starter.

Now, Aleo, the zero-knowledge technology leader, is partnering with Toku and Paxos Labs to launch the first fully private stablecoin payroll solution, bridging compliance, confidentiality, and global business needs.

Privacy Meets Payroll

Toku’s global payroll platform will run on Aleo’s privacy infrastructure, enabling companies to pay employees and contractors in stablecoins—such as Aleo ecosystem’s USAD, issued by Paxos Labs and backed 1:1 by the regulated USDG. Crucially, salaries, bonuses, and treasury movements are shielded from public view, addressing the primary barrier that has kept enterprises from experimenting with crypto payroll.

“Every public company CFO we talk to gets excited about stablecoins until they realize their payroll would be public. That’s where the conversation ends,” said Ken O’Friel, CEO of Toku. “This partnership with Aleo finally gives them what they’ve been asking for. With regulatory clarity from the GENIUS Act, private stablecoins are now ready to become the standard for the $55 trillion global payroll market.”

How Private Stablecoins Solve Key Business Challenges

Proof-of-Concept: Paying Globally, Privately

Before going public, Aleo and Toku deployed the system internally to pay distributed teams across North America, Europe, and Asia. Employees can opt into stablecoin payments, enjoying instant, dollar-backed payouts without sacrificing privacy or security. The pilot validated the solution’s efficiency, cost savings, and seamless integration with real-world HR systems.

“People all over the world want access to dollar-backed stablecoins, but they shouldn’t have to broadcast their salary to do it,” said Howard Wu, Co-founder of Aleo. “Payroll is the perfect real-world use case for privacy. What we’ve built with Toku is the first solution to deliver this level of confidentiality while maintaining compliance.”

“For stablecoins to move beyond experimentation, they need to fit into real business workflows,” added Bhau Kotecha, Co-founder of Paxos Labs. “Privacy is now table stakes for enterprise adoption—whether for payroll, treasury, or financial services. USAD was designed for exactly this, and Aleo and Toku show what’s possible when privacy meets infrastructure.”

A New Standard for Enterprise Blockchain

While some payroll platforms offer stablecoin payouts on public blockchains, none combine full privacy with global compliance and integration. This partnership sets a new benchmark for enterprise blockchain adoption, making stablecoins a viable alternative for $55 trillion in global payroll.

Key Facts:

• Stablecoin Market Size: $33 trillion processed in 2025

• Enterprise Usage: <1% of businesses use crypto for payroll due to privacy concerns

• Technology: Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs verify transactions without exposing data

• Opportunity: First solution to combine compliant payroll with private stablecoin transfers

As enterprises increasingly explore crypto for operational efficiency and cross-border payments, the Aleo-Toku-Paxos Labs collaboration represents a critical turning point, finally bringing confidential, compliant, and frictionless stablecoin payroll to mainstream business.

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