Payd
Payd is a Malaysian fintech operating an earned wage access (EWA) platform that lets employees withdraw earned salary before payday via a mobile app, distributed to employers' workforces through a B2B2C model, with recent expansion into African cross-border stablecoin salary payments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSingapore, Singapore
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Payd does
Payd is a Malaysian-headquartered fintech that operates an earned wage access (EWA) platform enabling employees to withdraw portions of their earned salary before payday. The company serves a dual market: employers who integrate Payd as a financial wellbeing benefit (B2B), and employees who access wages through a self-serve mobile app available on iOS and Android (B2C). Payd is operated under Setlary (EWA) Sdn Bhd, with a January 2026 strategic technology partnership making Setlary the institutional infrastructure provider beneath the Payd brand, supplying backend rails, the Setlary Security Core (institutional-grade encryption and transaction monitoring), and regulatory compliance.
The PAYD 3.0 platform, launched in June 2026, is engineered for real-time settlement and advertises transaction processing 3.4x faster than legacy EWA systems. The product surface includes a Shariah-compliant free withdrawal tier for Muslim users, an itemized payout history, and zero minimum charges. A February 2026 partnership with UK-based Noah extends Payd's footprint into African markets (Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal), enabling 30,000+ users to receive international earnings via virtual USD/EUR accounts that convert to USDC/USDT stablecoins with real-time settlement, addressing pain points around SWIFT fees (up to 10%) and multi-day transfer wait times.
Payd's revenue model is transaction-based, charging fees on early wage access withdrawals, with a freemium-style zero-fee tier for Shariah-compliant accounts. The go-to-market is B2B2C: employer partnerships feed employee adoption through the dedicated HR portal (hr.payd.asia), while the mobile app provides direct self-serve access. The company has raised approximately USD 2.2 million across a 2021 Antler pre-seed, a 2022 IFS Capital-led seed (USD 1.7M), and follow-on rounds in 2024 and 2025 (USD 400K from A2D Ventures, AngelSpark, Orbit Startups, Sunway iLabs). The firm is small (11-50 employees), private, and domiciled in Malaysia with regional operations spanning Southeast Asia and Africa.
Payd firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Payd
- Legal name
- Setlary (EWA) Sdn Bhd
- Website
- https://justpayd.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Payd is a Malaysian fintech operating an earned wage access (EWA) platform that lets employees withdraw earned salary before payday via a mobile app, distributed to employers' workforces through a B2B2C model, with recent expansion into African cross-border stablecoin salary payments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Payd industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Earned Wage Access / Payroll Fintech
- NAICS
- Payroll Services (541214), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instant Payouts & Earned Wage Access (EWA) (FSAMAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Earned Wage Access (EWA) & Salary Advances (FSAKAMAE), Embedded Payroll, Earned Wage Access & Benefits Finance (FSAGALAI), Payroll & Contractor Payments (Crypto) (FSADAIAH), Pay Card Programs & Earned Wage Access (EWA) Administration (BPACAIAK)
Keywords
Where Payd is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Singapore
- HQ country
- Singapore
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Payd business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Transaction fees on early wage access: Payd generates revenue through transaction fees charged when employees access their earned wages before payday. The platform emphasizes no hidden costs and free withdrawals for Syariah-compliant accounts, suggesting a freemium or low-fee model with optional premium features.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Syariah-compliant tier with free withdrawals |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Payd product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Payd operates a financial wellbeing and earned wage access (EWA) platform that allows employees to withdraw portions of their already-earned salary in real time before the official payday. The platform is distributed through employer partnerships (B2B) and accessed by employees via a self-serve mobile app (B2C), with PAYD 3.0 delivering 3.4x faster settlement, institutional-grade security, and Syariah-compliant free withdrawals. A recent partnership with Noah extends stablecoin-based international salary payments to African digital workers across Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Senegal.
Product overview
Payd operates as a unified financial wellbeing platform providing earned wage access (EWA) services in Southeast Asia and Africa. The core product consists of the PAYD mobile app for employees and an HR portal (hr.payd.asia) for employer administration. The platform recently upgraded to PAYD 3.0, powered by Setlary's institutional infrastructure, offering faster processing, enhanced security, and Shariah-compliant withdrawals. The product portfolio includes the core EWA platform with real-time salary disbursement, financial tracking with itemized payout history, and partnerships for stablecoin-based international payments in African markets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PAYD (Earned Wage Access Platform) Financial wellbeing and earned wage access (EWA) platform that lets employees withdraw a portion of their earned salary before payday. Delivered as a consumer mobile app for employees and an HR portal (hr.payd.asia) for employer administration, with real-time settlement, transparent transaction history, and zero hidden costs. Targeted at Southeast Asian employers and employees.
- PAYD 3.0 Upgraded version of Payd's EWA platform, powered by Setlary's institutional infrastructure. Offers 3.4x faster transaction processing, real-time settlement to bank accounts, institutional-grade encryption and the Setlary Security Core monitoring layer, itemized payouts with zero minimum charges, and a Syariah-compliant free-withdrawal tier for Muslim users in Malaysia.
- Stablecoin-Based International Salary Payments for African Digital Workers Cross-border salary payment service that allows African digital workers and freelancers to generate virtual USD and EUR accounts, receive payments via ACH or SEPA, and have funds converted to USDC or USDT stablecoins with real-time settlement. Available across Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Senegal, delivering up to 10% cost savings versus traditional SWIFT transfers and eliminating multi-day wait times.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3.4x faster transaction processing compared to legacy systems
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Payd
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Payd technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
Payd partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- NoahflagshipNoah (UK-based fintech) partnered with Payd to enable 30,000+ African users to receive international earnings through stablecoin infrastructure. Noah provides the stablecoin rails (USDC/USDT), virtual account generation (USD/EUR), and real-time settlement capabilities. Users in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Senegal can avoid traditional SWIFT fees (up to 10%) and 5-day wait times.
- Setlary (EWA) Sdn BhdcoreSetlary & Payd partnership announced in 2026 as part of Payd 3.0 upgrade. Not an acquisition — Payd retains its name, team, and app. Setlary provides the institutional rails, backend infrastructure, and security core powering the platform. This is a strategic technology partnership where Setlary enables real-time processing, institutional-grade security, and regulatory compliance infrastructure underneath Payd's existing product.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Payd competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Branch: US-headquartered but operating in multiple emerging markets, Branch offers EWA alongside broader workforce payments. Comparable on EWA core and on multi-market emerging-market ambition.
- InstantPay: India-based EWA and payroll-on-demand platform serving gig and salaried workers. Comparable product offering and target customer segment of low/middle-income earners.
- PayActive: US-based EWA provider with strong employer-led distribution model. Directly comparable in product, B2B2C go-to-market, and integration with payroll platforms.
- Wagely: Indonesia-based earned wage access provider serving employers across Southeast Asia. Closest direct competitor to Payd given overlapping SEA geography, B2B2C employer-led model, and similar focus on blue-collar and frontline worker segments.
- Dave: US-based earned wage access and banking app targeting paycheck-to-paycheck workers. Comparable on the consumer-facing EWA mechanic and the financial-wellbeing positioning.
- Salary Finance: UK-based employee financial wellbeing platform offering EWA, loans, and savings through employer partnerships. Comparable on the employer-led EWA-plus-financial-wellbeing value proposition.
- Refyne: India-based earned wage access provider serving enterprises via payroll integration. Closely comparable on product mechanic and employer-led distribution, with an emerging-market focus similar to Payd.
- Earnin: US-based pioneer of no-fee earned wage access with a B2C-led mobile app model. Highly comparable on the core EWA product mechanic, despite the geographic divergence.
Broad incumbents
- ADP: Global payroll and workforce management incumbent with embedded earned pay capabilities. A potential channel partner, competitor, or acquirer given its employer relationships dwarfing all EWA pure-plays.
- Workday: Enterprise HCM and payroll platform. Represents the strategic incumbent risk that large HCM suites may embed EWA functionality, commoditizing pure-play providers like Payd.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Payd social profiles
Digital presencePayd compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Payd financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Payd leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Payd funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Payd M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Payd
What does Payd do?
Payd operates a financial wellbeing and earned wage access (EWA) platform that allows employees to withdraw portions of their already-earned salary in real time before the official payday. The platform is distributed through employer partnerships (B2B) and accessed by employees via a self-serve mobile app (B2C), with PAYD 3.0 delivering 3.4x faster settlement, institutional-grade security, and Syariah-compliant free withdrawals. A recent partnership with Noah extends stablecoin-based international salary payments to African digital workers across Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Senegal.
Is Payd a public or private company?
Payd is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Payd founded?
Payd was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Payd based?
Payd is headquartered in Singapore, Singapore, in the Asia region.
How does Payd make money?
One revenue line is on record: transaction fees on early wage access.
Who are Payd's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Branch, InstantPay, PayActive, Wagely, Dave, Salary Finance, Refyne and Earnin. Broad incumbents are ADP and Workday.
Does Payd have an API?
No public API is recorded for Payd.
What industry is Payd in?
Payd's product category is Earned Wage Access / Payroll Fintech. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAKAM, Instant Payouts & Earned Wage Access (EWA), with a secondary code of FSAKAMAE, Earned Wage Access (EWA) & Salary Advances. Its NAICS code is 541214 and its SIC code is 6199.