The integration delivers private, stablecoin-based payroll with instant settlement—requiring zero changes to existing enterprise workflows or employee wallets.
Ligero today announced the launch of the first compliant, privacy-preserving on-chain payroll pilot as a Layer 2 chain on Espresso Network.
As stablecoins become a cornerstone of global finance, payroll remains a critical challenge. Employers require strict regulatory compliance, while employees demand salary privacy for security and personal reasons. Traditionally, these two needs were at odds on public blockchains. The Ligero payroll platform solves this paradox, allowing enterprises to execute private, compliant payroll today without waiting for future regulatory shifts. The new Ligero chain is building on Espresso Network for its ability to post encrypted data directly to the base layer, keeping payroll data confidential without sacrificing the auditability and compliance guarantees enterprises require. Ligero also benefits from Espresso’s ability to handle high-volume payments and provide instant settlement as opposed to older networks like Ethereum.
Real-World Validation
The integration delivers private, stablecoin-based payroll with instant settlement—requiring zero changes to existing enterprise workflows or employee wallets.
Ligero today announced the launch of the first compliant, privacy-preserving on-chain payroll pilot as a Layer 2 chain on Espresso Network.
As stablecoins become a cornerstone of global finance, payroll remains a critical challenge. Employers require strict regulatory compliance, while employees demand salary privacy for security and personal reasons. Traditionally, these two needs were at odds on public blockchains. The Ligero payroll platform solves this paradox, allowing enterprises to execute private, compliant payroll today without waiting for future regulatory shifts. The new Ligero chain is building on Espresso Network for its ability to post encrypted data directly to the base layer, keeping payroll data confidential without sacrificing the auditability and compliance guarantees enterprises require. Ligero also benefits from Espresso’s ability to handle high-volume payments and provide instant settlement as opposed to older networks like Ethereum.
Why This Matters: The "Invisible" Upgrade
For on-chain payroll to scale, it must be as easy as traditional systems while offering the speed of blockchain. Key features of the pilot include:
Zero Workflow Friction: Integrates directly into existing payroll UIs.
Wallet Agnostic: No new wallets or seed phrases; Ligero works with the tools enterprises already use.
"Privacy-First" Compliance: Salary amounts and recipient identities remain confidential, while "Programmable Policy" ensures compliance with all tax and regulatory requirements through verifiable credentials.
Instant Finality: Leveraging Espresso’s fast, BFT-secured finality, payments settle with low latency. This also enables the recipient to bridge stablecoins in an instant back to other Web3 platforms like Ethereum.
“Fast, reliable finality is the prerequisite for any serious financial application,” said Ben Fisch, CEO of Espresso. “By validating this payroll flow with our own team, we’re showing that Espresso’s infrastructure can support the most sensitive enterprise-grade use cases—combining speed, security, and true interoperability.”
Solving the ZK Performance Gap
Historically, Zero-Knowledge (ZK) technology was too slow or complex for real-time payments. Ligero’s breakthrough architecture eliminates these hurdles, offering on-device proving that is fast, scalable, and post-quantum resilient. This ensures that privacy doesn't come at the cost of User Experience (UX).
Expanding the Framework
This payroll pilot is the first phase of a broader rollout. Ligero is currently preparing additional pilots across multiple networks, aiming to standardize this "compliant-private" model for all forms of B2B and B2C stablecoin payments.
About Ligero: Ligero provides a chain-agnostic platform for compliant, private payments. By utilizing scalable client-side ZK proofs and verifiable credentials, Ligero enables enterprises to adopt blockchain technology without sacrificing privacy or regulatory standing.
About Espresso: Espresso Network is a purpose-built base layer for Layer 2 chains and next-generation blockchain applications, providing fast finality, scalable data availability, decentralized sequencing, and seamless interoperability.
