How neobanks and fintech apps add stablecoin yield with Upshift
Launch stablecoin vaults under your own brand, from tokenized money market funds to DeFi strategies, on one integration.
Upshift lets a neobank, wallet or fintech app pay customers a return on their USDC and USDT balances. The yield comes from vaults that deploy across strategies ranging from tokenized money market funds to DeFi lending. Your customers see the product under your brand, inside your app.
This page answers the questions product, compliance and risk teams ask before they integrate.
How can a banking app offer yield on customers' stablecoin balances?
Customer balances are deposited into an Upshift vault. The vault holds the yield-earning assets and issues a receipt token (an ERC-4626 share) that represents each customer's position. The value of that token rises as the vault earns, and customers redeem it for USDC or USDT when they withdraw.
You choose the vaults from three yield bands:
- Conservative - 24/7 T-bill rate: a vault that holds only tokenized Treasury bill and money market funds. The return tracks short-dated government rates, less fees.
- Core - Diversified lending and credit: overcollateralized lending and private credit, run by a professional curator such as Sentora.
- Enhanced - Higher-yield strategies: for customers who opt into more risk, in a separate vault with its own mandate.
Balances stay in stablecoins the whole time. Nothing needs to be converted back to fiat for the customer to earn.
Can we offer yield without holding customer funds ourselves?
Yes. Upshift vaults are non-custodial: the vault contract holds the assets, and each customer's receipt token sits in a wallet they or your platform control. Curators can only move funds between protocols on the vault's whitelist. The vault owner, a multisig, can trigger an emergency withdrawal, and that covers only assets held in the vault contract itself.
Withdrawals are paid at NAV under each vault's published terms. A liquid stablecoin buffer pays normal withdrawals straight away.
Can the product carry our own brand?
Yes. Any Upshift vault can run under your name through Vault-as-a-Service, in one of two ways:
- In your app, through the SDK. The TypeScript SDK (
@augustdigital/sdk) covers deposits, redemptions, balances and APY reads on EVM chains, Solana and Stellar. See SDK quick start. - On a branded page Upshift hosts, if you'd rather not build the screens yourself.
Tria, a crypto neobank, built on the SDK and launched BTC and stablecoin Earn for users in 150+ countries two weeks after starting the integration. It has routed $25M+ in deposits across 3 vaults on 2 chains.
Can we pay different rates to different customers?
Yes, in two ways. You can run separate vaults per risk band or customer group, each with its own mandate and records. Or you can use one vault and set the rate customers see with a tiered platform fee, or fund a top-up for a promotional tier.
If you can't pool every customer together, separate vaults per customer group keep each group's assets and records apart.
How does revenue share work for the fintech?
Three mechanisms are available:
- Origin fee: an agreed number of basis points on each deposit routed with your code, paid to your wallet in the same transaction.
- Fee wrapper vault: your users get their own share class, with your fee charged on their balance and a separate record of their holdings.
- Share of the vault's fees, set as part of the commercial terms with a distribution partner.
Terms are scoped per partner. Book a call to discuss them.
Who can deposit?
Each vault is configured as one of three types:
- Open to anyone with a compatible wallet.
- Allow list: only wallets you've approved, for example customers who passed your KYC.
- Single depositor: only your own platform wallet, which then tracks customer balances in your ledger.
What due diligence should we run on a stablecoin yield provider?
The evidence a bank or fintech risk team usually asks for, and where to find it for Upshift:
| What to check | Where it is |
|---|---|
| Smart contract audits | 11 audits by 6 independent firms, on the audits page |
| Who controls the vault | Owner multisig, operator and ProxyAdmin multisig addresses, readable on each vault contract |
| What can change, and how fast | Parameter changes such as the management fee go through a timelock configured per vault. Code upgrades are approved by a separate multisig |
| What the vault holds | Positions and NAV are readable onchain at any time |
| Where funds can go | The vault's protocol and asset whitelist, enforced onchain by the policy engine |
| Withdrawal terms | Published per vault, with a liquid buffer for normal withdrawals |
| Written DD answers | Data room and DDQ answers, shared on request |
Does the GENIUS Act stop us offering yield?
The GENIUS Act stops a permitted stablecoin issuer from paying holders interest or yield just for holding its coin. Vault yield comes from the assets the vault holds (Treasury bills, lending, credit), and your customers hold a vault share rather than the stablecoin. How that applies to your product depends on your licences and jurisdiction. Confirm the structure with your counsel.
Is the yield guaranteed?
No. Vault rates float with market conditions and are shown on each vault page.
How long does a launch take?
Tria went live two weeks after starting its SDK integration. The rest of the timeline is your own compliance review and the vaults you pick.
Next steps
- See the vaults and their current rates
- Read the SDK quick start
- Book a 30-minute call