Use cases

Float that earns and settles instantly

Card programs, PSPs and remittance companies put operating balances into vaults that keep earning and pay out the moment a card is swiped or a payout is due.

Book a flow-of-funds review How card programs earn on float

$311.3B of stablecoins were in circulation on 29 September 2026 (DefiLlama).

Tap card

Paying 4.50 USDC

Approved ✓

EARN CARD •••• 4821

Receipt

Coffee4.50 USDC

Redeemed from vault✓

Settled to merchant✓

Float still earning99.9%

$550M+

peak TVL in Upshift vaults

Instant

redemption at point of sale

audits by 6 independent firms

30+

chains supported

What buyers ask

What payments teams ask first

Can card balances earn and still be spendable?

Yes. Atomic Vaults redeem the exact amount of vault shares at the moment of payment, and the rest keeps earning.

What about weekends and after-hours payouts?

A settlement buffer covers normal flows, and Upshift Clear can exit tokenized positions for USDC in one transaction.

Can yield be split per merchant or client?

Yes. Separate vaults can be set up per merchant or client group, each with its own records.

Can you finance our receivables?

CeFi Lending vaults lend to institutional borrowers under limits the policy engine enforces, which can fund settlement and working capital.

Where do we start?

With a flow-of-funds review of the balances you already hold.

With and without Upshift

Build it yourself, or let Upshift build it for you

	Building it yourself	With Upshift
Idle float	Sits in a bank account or plain stablecoins	Earns in a vault until the second it's needed
Spending	Move money out of yield before every payment	Atomic redemption at point of sale
Weekends	Pre-fund or wait for banking hours	A buffer plus instant exits through Upshift Clear
Contracts	Build and audit your own	Live contracts with 11 audits by 6 firms
Risk limits	Monitor by hand	The policy engine reverts anything outside the mandate
Reporting	Reconcile across providers	Positions and NAV readable onchain

How a launch runs

From first call to live Earn

1
Map the flows
We list each balance, from card float to payout pre-funding, and how many days it sits before it moves.
2
Size the buffer
The vault keeps enough liquid for normal payouts and invests the rest.
3
Integrate
Card or payout flows call the vault through the SDK and redeem atomically.
4
Run
Float earns between payments, and every position is readable onchain.

Built for PayFi

Read what PayFi is and how card programs earn on float, or see the yield options behind a float vault.

Get in touch

FAQs

How does a card program earn yield on customer balances?

Balances sit in a vault that holds tokenized T-bills or lending positions, and the exact spend amount is redeemed atomically when the card is used.

What is an atomic redemption?

The vault redeems shares and pays the merchant in the same transaction. The payment either completes in full or doesn't happen at all.

How are weekend payouts covered?

A stablecoin buffer sized to normal flows pays out straight away, and larger amounts can exit through Upshift Clear.

Is Upshift custodial?

Upshift vaults are non-custodial. Curators can only move funds between whitelisted protocols.

Are the yields guaranteed?

No. Vault rates float with market conditions and are shown on each vault page.

Can we get working capital as well?

CeFi Lending vaults lend to institutional borrowers under onchain limits, which can fund settlement and receivables.

How you earn

What your float earns you

On your own float, you keep the vault's return. On client balances, you choose how Earn pays you: one of three ways, or a mix.

On balances

A platform fee

A fee wrapper vault gives your clients their own share class. Your fee is charged on their balance and paid to you, with a separate record of their holdings.

On deposits

An origin fee

An agreed number of basis points comes off each deposit made with your code and reaches your wallet in the same transaction. The fee sharing docs show how it works.

On vault fees

A revenue share

A share of the vault's own fees can be set up for you as part of the commercial terms.

Balance	How you earn	You earn
Your own float: $20M	Vault return at 4.0% a year	$800,000 a year
Client balances: $10M	0.50% platform fee a year	$50,000 a year

Illustrative figures only. Vault rates float with market conditions and are not guaranteed. The settlement buffer earns less than the fund, which trims the rate on your float.