Unified Payroll

This project is a next-generation payroll platform that enables businesses to pay employees across the globe using cryptocurrencies, with seamless conversion into local fiat currencies. It solves the long-standing issues of traditional international payroll—slow settlement times, high fees, complex banking systems, and lack of access for the underbanked—by leveraging the power of decentralized finance and blockchain interoperability.

At its core, the platform uses 1inch Fusion+ to facilitate secure and efficient cross-chain swaps, allowing employers to deposit any major cryptocurrency and convert it into the preferred currency of each employee on their chosen blockchain. These transactions are powered by 1inch’s intent-based architecture, ensuring optimal exchange rates by sourcing liquidity from a wide range of DEXs.

To bridge the gap between crypto and the real world, the platform integrates with Stellar's low-cost and fast network. Through Stellar's anchor network and SEP standards, employees can easily off-ramp their crypto earnings into local fiat and withdraw it to their bank accounts or mobile money platforms—making the platform practical and accessible for a wide range of users, including those without access to traditional financial infrastructure.

Key features include:

A web application for employers and employees to manage payroll, set preferences, and view transactions

A smart contract backend deployed on a scalable EVM-compatible chain to handle deposits, cross-chain swaps, and payouts

A 1inch Fusion+ extension that supports cross-chain salary swaps with atomicity and security (hashlock/timelock)

Stellar integration to enable fiat on/off-ramps via its global network of financial anchors

Impact:

Reduces international payroll costs by up to 90%

Settles salary payments in minutes instead of days

Brings financial services to underbanked communities

Empowers SMEs to hire globally without expensive financial middlemen

Gives employees flexibility to receive stablecoins or crypto on any supported blockchain

Unlike current players in the crypto payroll space, this platform offers true cross-chain support, real-world fiat usability, and a frictionless user experience for both businesses and workers—making it a powerful tool for the future of remote work and decentralized finance.

This project is built at the intersection of DeFi, cross-chain infrastructure, and real-world payments. The architecture is modular and designed for security, scalability, and user accessibility.

🔧 Tech Stack & Components

1. Smart Contract Layer Language: Solidity

Chain: EVM-compatible chain (we selected [insert your choice, e.g., Polygon, Arbitrum, or Optimism] for low fees and fast finality)

Purpose:

Handles employer deposits

Stores employee payment preferences (chain + currency)

Manages payout logic with time-based salary scheduling

Emits events to trigger backend swap and payout workflows

1. 1inch Fusion+ Extension Integration: We built a custom extension over 1inch’s Fusion+ intent-based swap engine

How it works:

Once funds are deposited, the intent-based logic posts swap requests

1inch’s resolvers handle optimal route discovery across DEXs

It supports cross-chain atomic swaps using a mix of hashlocks and timelocks, ensuring trust-minimized conversions between chains (e.g., ETH → SOL or BNB → XLM)

1. Stellar Integration Stellar SDKs + SEP APIs: Integrated Stellar Anchors and implemented SEPs (Stellar Ecosystem Proposals) such as:

SEP-24: Interactive fiat on/off-ramp flows

SEP-6: Deposits/withdrawals

SEP-10: Authentication

Why Stellar?

Extremely low-cost ($0.00001 per txn)

3–5 second settlement

Global anchor network enables real-world fiat payouts to bank accounts, mobile wallets, and cash agents

1. Backend Infrastructure Node.js (Express) + PostgreSQL

Functions:

Syncs events from the smart contract

Triggers 1inch Fusion+ swap calls based on payment cycles

Tracks transaction state and confirmations

Handles KYC/AML verification flow for fiat off-ramps (via Stellar Anchors)

1. Frontend (Web App) React + TailwindCSS

Employer Dashboard:

Add team members and salaries

Choose payment frequency

Track transaction history

Employee Dashboard:

Choose preferred chain and token (e.g., USDC on Polygon, SOL on Solana, XLM)

View incoming payments and off-ramp options

1. Wallet Support MetaMask, WalletConnect (EVM chains)

Stellar wallet integration (e.g., Lobstr, Freighter)

Hacky/Notable Innovations Intent-Based Salary Routing: Instead of fixed swap routes, we leveraged 1inch Fusion+’s intent-based architecture to dynamically discover the best path across chains based on employee preferences.

Custom Hashed Time Lock Contracts (HTLCs): For ensuring atomic cross-chain swaps, especially when moving between EVM and Stellar, we built lightweight HTLC-compatible adapters.

Automated Off-Ramp Syncing: By parsing SEP-24 interactive flows, we auto-filled user KYC + bank data in backend scripts, speeding up the fiat withdrawal process for first-time users.

Partner Tech Synergy 1inch Fusion+ enabled gasless, intent-based cross-chain swaps with optimal liquidity sourcing.

Stellar gave us a real-world bridge from crypto to fiat with compliance and low fees built-in.

The combination of both allowed us to create a full-stack payment rail—from employer to blockchain to employee to bank—without requiring any centralized exchange in the middle.