Meta, the prominent American technology company founded by Mark Zuckerberg, is planning to venture into the stablecoin market later this year. This initiative hinges on successfully collaborating with a third-party provider to enable transactions using dollar-pegged token technology, as revealed by three sources familiar with the situation.
The tech behemoth, which operates Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram and boasts over 3 billion users globally, aims to kick off its stablecoin integration in the early part of the second half of this year. One insider disclosed that Meta intends to partner with a vendor for managing stablecoin-based payments and introducing a new digital wallet.
<pAccording to another source, Meta has issued a request for proposals (RFP) targeting third-party companies and identified Stripe as a potential frontrunner for piloting its stablecoin initiative.
Stripe has previously acquired Bridge—a specialist in stablecoins—and has maintained a long-standing partnership with Meta. Notably, Stripe’s CEO Patrick Collison joined Meta’s board of directors in April 2025.
Requests for comments were sent out to representatives from Meta, Stripe, and Bridge; however, none had responded by the time this article was published.
If successful in launching its own stablecoin, Meta could streamline payment processes for its vast user base while avoiding high traditional banking fees. This move could also position it as an influential player in “social commerce” and international remittances.
This development would place Meta directly against competitors like Elon Musk’s social media platform X and messaging service Telegram—both aiming to incorporate payment systems within their platforms as they evolve into “super apps.” The original vision behind Libra was similar—leveraging extensive networks such as WhatsApp’s peer-to-peer messaging service along with Facebook’s and Instagram’s commerce capabilities for seamless payments.
Regulatory Landscape Changes
In 2019, Meta made headlines when it attempted to launch Libra (later rebranded Diem), but faced significant challenges due largely to an unfavorable regulatory environment at that time coupled with reputational damage stemming from the Cambridge Analytica incident.
As U.S. lawmakers expressed opposition towards Libra’s ambitions during this period of pushback against cryptocurrency projects overall—the Libra Association adjusted its strategy in 2020 by focusing on developing multiple stablecoins linked to various currencies instead of pursuing one global digital currency backed by several national currencies.
The project ultimately did not come into fruition; it was discontinued entirely along with asset liquidation occurring early in 2022.
The current regulatory atmosphere within the United States is markedly different now. Several initiatives are underway concerning crypto regulations—including President Donald Trump’s GENIUS Act—which established legal frameworks specifically designed for U.S.-based issuers of stablecoins while paving pathways for new market entrants offering innovative tokens. Nevertheless regulators remain at preliminary stages regarding comprehensive guidelines governing these issuers’ operations
A source indicated that due lessons learned from past experiences surrounding Libra/Diem have led Metato favor engaging third-party providers specializing instable coin payments moving forward.”They want distance between themselvesand direct involvement,” saidthe insider.