Kem Offers USDT Checkout and Payroll Tools for Gulf Businesses

Kuwait-based fintech Kem offers businesses Tether USDt (USDT) checkout and payroll tools, giving merchants ways to accept stablecoin payments and employers a way to schedule employee transfers.

Tether announced a $3 million investment in Kem in August 2024 and said it planned to bring USDT to the app. Kem was founded in 2021 and began with local transfers. Its consumer app also offers crypto conversion, a Visa card and access to Tether Gold (XAUT), a digital gold token.

Kem for Business lets merchants collect USDT through hosted checkout, payment links and an application programming interface (API). The API allows a business to connect payment functions to its own software. The platform also provides business and employee wallets, scheduled payroll transfers and records for reconciling payments.

The tools cover several parts of a business payment: presenting a checkout option, receiving funds and matching a transfer with a transaction record. For payroll, employers can schedule transfers and use employee wallets within the platform. These are available functions; their presence does not establish how many merchants or employers use them.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has a large expatriate workforce. Many workers in the region earn wages, send money abroad and spend across currencies. Kem’s merchant and payroll tools address business payment needs in that market, alongside the local transfers available through its consumer app.

USDT is Tether’s dollar-pegged stablecoin. Checkout and payroll give businesses ways to use it for receipts and transfers beyond holding or trading the token. Kem’s consumer features cover a separate set of activities, including conversion and card spending.

Tether has also invested in Oobit, XREX Group and Sorted Wallet. Those businesses focus on consumer payments, cross-border business payments and users in emerging markets, respectively. At the time of the Kem investment, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino described it as part of the company’s commitment to “promoting financial inclusion and stability.”

Kem requires company verification before a merchant can accept live payments. Card issuance is subject to separate identity and provider checks.