U.S. tech large Meta, led by Fb founder Mark Zuckerberg, goals to enter the stablecoin area later this 12 months, pending a profitable integration with a third-party firm to facilitate funds utilizing dollar-pegged token know-how, in accordance with three folks conversant in the plans.
The tech large, which owns Fb, WhatsApp and Instagram and has greater than 3 billion customers, hopes to begin integrating stablecoins as early because the second half of this 12 months, one of many folks stated, asking to not be recognized as a result of the plans are non-public. Meta plans to combine distributors to assist handle stablecoin-backed funds and implement new wallets, the folks stated.
The second individual stated Meta despatched out a request for product (RFP) to third-party firms and named Stripe as a probable candidate to pilot Meta’s stablecoin.
Stripe, which acquired stablecoin specialist Bridge final 12 months, is a long-time companion of Meta, and Stripe CEO Patrick Collison joined Meta’s board in April 2025.
We reached out to Meta, Stripe, and Bridge for remark, however none responded by press time.
By launching its personal stablecoin, Meta might open up cost rails to a big person base whereas avoiding costly conventional banking charges, probably establishing itself as a worldwide chief in “social commerce” and cross-border remittances.
The transfer additionally places the tech large in direct competitors with the likes of Elon Musk’s social media platform X and messaging platform Telegram. Each firms purpose to deliver funds internally by changing into “tremendous apps.” This was one of many unique targets of the deliberate Libra undertaking, which was to permit social media firms to leverage their huge community for funds, together with WhatsApp’s peer-to-peer messaging service, Fb and Instagram’s networks and commerce instruments.
Regulatory transition
Meta famously tried to introduce the Libra stablecoin (later renamed Diem) in 2019, solely to face robust headwinds attributable to a much less favorable regulatory atmosphere and lingering reputational injury from the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Going through pushback from U.S. lawmakers in opposition to the undertaking, the group then referred to as the Libra Affiliation scaled again its ambitions in 2020, pivoting to growing a variety of stablecoins pegged to quite a lot of currencies, versus preliminary plans for a worldwide digital foreign money backed by a basket of nationwide currencies.
Ultimately, the Meta stablecoin was by no means formally launched, the undertaking was shut down, and the property had been bought off in early 2022.
Right this moment’s U.S. regulatory atmosphere is kind of completely different. A number of crypto regulatory regimes are within the works, together with President Donald Trump’s GENIUS Act. This establishes authorized footing for US stablecoin issuers for the primary time and opens the floodgates to new token market entrants. Nevertheless, U.S. regulators are solely within the early phases of drafting laws governing issuers.
That stated, one of many sources stated the entire Libra/Diem expertise has led to Meta preferring to depend on third-party stablecoin cost suppliers this time round.
“They wish to do that, however at arm’s size,” the supply stated.
