Rise Expands Employer of Record Coverage Toward 60+ Markets in 2026 as Global Startup Hiring Accelerates
Ohio, United States, February 24, 2026 — Rise, the global workforce platform combining Employer of Record (EOR), Agent of Record (AOR), and hybrid fiat-crypto payroll infrastructure, today announced the expansion of its EOR coverage toward 60+ markets by the end of 2026, responding to accelerating demand from startups seeking compliant international hiring without establishing foreign subsidiaries.
As the global Employer of Record market surpasses $5.6 billion and adoption among technology startups continues to rise, Rise reports significant platform growth driven by companies shifting away from traditional entity setup. Establishing a foreign subsidiary can cost between $20,000 and $100,000 upfront and take months before operations begin, creating delays that high-growth companies increasingly cannot afford.
At the same time, cross-border hiring has increased more than 25% year-over-year since 2023, while 75% of employers report difficulty filling roles locally. Over 65% of U.S. companies hiring internationally now evaluate EOR solutions before forming legal entities, and the global EOR market is projected to exceed $10 billion by 2033.
Rise integrates compliant employment infrastructure with hybrid fiat-crypto payroll, enabling companies to fund payroll in USD or stablecoins such as USDC and USDT while workers select their preferred withdrawal method each pay cycle. Workers can receive compensation in 90+ local fiat currencies, stablecoins, or more than 100 crypto assets, addressing growing demand for faster and more flexible settlement options.
“The startup hiring model in 2026 is fundamentally global, and the infrastructure needs to match”, said Hugo Finkelstein, CEO of Rise. “Startups need compliant employment and flexible, fast payments in one system, and that’s what we built.”
Rise has processed over $1 billion in global payroll volume and operates with transparent $50 per-contractor pricing. The platform maintains SOC 2 certification, GDPR compliance, and FinCEN registration, and supports multi-chain settlement across Arbitrum, Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, and Avalanche through its partnership with Circle. Contractor onboarding can be completed in under 10 minutes, with first payments issued within 24 hours.
As governments increase enforcement around worker misclassification and global compliance requirements grow more complex, Rise’s 2026 expansion aims to provide startups with unified employment infrastructure, payment flexibility, and scalable compliance across international markets.
About Rise
Rise is a global workforce platform that enables companies to hire, pay, and manage contractors and full-time employees across 190+ countries. The platform combines Employer of Record (EOR) services, Agent of Record (AOR) contractor protections, and hybrid fiat-crypto payroll into a single dashboard, allowing employers to fund payroll in USD or stablecoins while workers choose their own withdrawal method each pay cycle.
Rise has processed over $1 billion in global payroll volume and is SOC 2 certified, GDPR compliant, and registered as a Money Service Business with FinCEN. Rise is a Circle partner and supports multi-chain settlement across Arbitrum, Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, and Avalanche.
Company Details
Organization: Rise
Contact Person: Hugo Finkelstein
Website: https://www.Riseworks.io
Email: Hugo@riseworks.io
City: Ohio
Country: United States
Release Id: 24022641346