Ontop Uses Opentrade APIs to Turn Idle Payroll Cash Into 3% APR Rewards

The pilot began in December 2025 with 1,300 users and surpassed $1 million in user-provided funds in less than two weeks. The program has since expanded platform-wide, with balances now exceeding $3 million, according to the companies.

Opentrade integrated its APIs directly into Ontop’s reporting stack, giving the platform real-time visibility into user balances and rewards performance. All activity occurs within the Ontop Global Account, which the company is positioning as a financial home for distributed workers.

“Most of the fintech world still runs on dollars in traditional bank accounts that move on traditional rails, but that shouldn’t be a barrier to accessing plug-and-play institutional-grade yield,” said Jeff Handler, COO of OpenTrade. “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. The company, historically driven by subscription-based payroll services, now earns a margin on funds allocated to Opentrade—expanding its model into a broader financial platform without building new infrastructure or adding operational overhead. Fixed-term products are in development and expected to launch soon.

“At Ontop, we’re building the financial infrastructure for the global workforce,” said Julian Torres, Ontop’s co-founder. “The future of work is global, but financial systems haven’t caught up. 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.”

The move underscores a growing trend in fintech: activating payroll float as a source of yield and financial opportunity, particularly for workers operating across borders.